Young Adult Book Reviews

Genre: Realistic fiction/Sports

Age Level: 13 and up

# of pages: 247 p.

RAC Book: Yes

2008 Iowa Teen Award Winner

Grace “Ace” Kincaid is a world renowned tennis player known not only for winning major competitions like Wimbledon, but for her many endorsements and modeling jobs. One day Grace decides she is very unhappy with her life and asks her mom if she can quit everything she is currently involved in, including the US Open. Her mother readily agrees and works on transforming Grace from a blonde bombshell into a red headed punk chick. As part of this plan, Grace must move to Alaska for three months with a friend of her mother’s in order to avoid the paparazzi and relax for awhile. In Alaska Grace becomes Emily and finds the small town of Medicine Hat to be very welcoming and enjoyable despite its lack of the luxuries she has gotten used to. As time goes on she makes a best friend and a finds a special boy, but her past is still chasing her and she must face the life she left behind.

This story is unique and interesting in many ways. It can be hard to imagine why someone would leave her glamorous life for the simple one she goes to, but it is written in a way that the reader understands why she felt she needed to make the changes she did. It’s inspiring for anyone, but especially young adults who are battling all kinds of pressures for their futures. Recommended.