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All these months of staring at the wall?
All these months of feeling weak?
It’s ending—
I’m going back to fencing.
And then it’ll be
like nothing ever happened.
No one knows hard work and dedication like Valentina Camacho. And Vale’s thing is fencing. She’s the top athlete at her fencing gym. Or she was . . . until the accident.
After months away, Vale is finally cleared to fence again, but it’s much harder than before. Her body doesn’t move the way it used to, and worst of all is the new number one: Myrka. When she sweeps Vale aside with her perfect form and easy smile, Vale just can’t accept that. But the harder Vale fights to catch up, the more she realizes her injury isn’t the only thing holding her back. If she can’t leave her accident in the past, then what does she have to look forward to?
In this moving novel from the Newbery Honor-winning author of Iveliz Explains It All, one girl finds her way back to her life’s passion and discovers that the sum of a person's achievements doesn’t amount to the whole of them.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 11, 2025 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9798217016020
- File size: 94728 KB
- Duration: 03:17:17
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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November 4, 2024
Before enduring a serious leg injury, Puerto Rican seventh grader Valentina “Vale” Mari Camacho was a top-ranked fencer. Now she deals with chronic pain that keeps her from competing as well as she’d like, which often leaves her frustrated, as previous pressure from her parents (Mami “used to tell me second place was the same as last”) resulted in her conflating her self-worth with her fencing skills. Vale’s older brother Manu tries to distract her by introducing her to hobbies such as art and video games, but nothing satisfies her the way fencing used to. Pushing herself to get
better, Vale attends practice but feels threatened when Cuban American teammate Myrka proves a more formidable opponent than before. As she grapples with jealousy over Myrka’s improved abilities, Vale also contends with budding attraction for her teammate. Fluid verse by Arango (Something Like Home) aptly conveys all the tension, frustration, and confusion plaguing Vale. Despite the support of well-meaning adults, it’s Vale’s peer group that most effectively facilitates her satisfying emotional arc in a narrative that highlights chosen family and the integral part it plays in forming one’s sense of self. Ages 10–14. Agent: Rebecca Eskildsen, Writers House.
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