How It Feels to Fly

by Kathryn Holmes

Overview

A struggle with body dysmorphia forces one girl to decide if letting go of her insecurity also means turning her back on her dreams.

Sam has always known she’d be a professional dancer—but that was before her body betrayed her, developing unmanageable curves in all the wrong places. Lately, the girl staring back at Sam in the mirror is unrecognizable. Dieting doesn’t work, ignoring the whispers is pointless, and her overbearing mother just makes it worse.

Following a series of crippling anxiety attacks, Sam is sent to a treatment camp for teens struggling with mental and emotional obstacles. Forced to open up to complete strangers, Sam must get through the program if she wants to attend a crucial ballet intensive later in the summer. It seems hopeless until she starts confiding in a camp counselor who sparks a confidence she was sure she’d never feel again. But when she’s faced with disappointing setbacks, will Sam succumb to the insecurity that imprisons her?

This compelling story from Kathryn Holmes examines one girl’s efforts to overcome her worst enemy: herself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062387349
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/14/2016
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	1,120,114
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Kathryn Holmes grew up in Maryville, Tennessee, where she was an avid reader and an aspiring writer from an early age. She now lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and piles upon piles of books. A graduate of the New School's MFA in creative writing program, Kathryn works as a freelance dance journalist, among other writing gigs. The Distance Between Lost and Found is her debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

A heartfelt, hard-won story about following your dreams and confronting your inner demons...HOW IT FEELS TO FLY is for everyone who’s ever fallen and faced the difficult task of becoming whole again.” — Kelly Loy Gilbert, Morris Award Finalist for CONVICTION

“Should resonate with driven readers and those with their own body issues.” — Kirkus Reviews

“An empowering story for middle and high school readers searching for acceptance from themselves as well as others. ” — School Library Journal

“Holmes’ look at anxiety feels wonderfully authentic, and readers will recognize, and sympathize with, the pressure Sam feels.” — Booklist Online

“Very well written. A realistic and interesting read that teenagers can relate to and enjoy.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

From the Publisher

Holmes’ look at anxiety feels wonderfully authentic, and readers will recognize, and sympathize with, the pressure Sam feels.

Booklist Online

Very well written. A realistic and interesting read that teenagers can relate to and enjoy.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

A heartfelt, hard-won story about following your dreams and confronting your inner demons...HOW IT FEELS TO FLY is for everyone who’s ever fallen and faced the difficult task of becoming whole again.

Kelly Loy Gilbert

05/01/2016
Gr 7 Up—Summer camp gets a whole new spin in this tale about the denizens of a performance camp. Samantha's physical development threatens to destroy her love of and future in ballet. She considers herself fat, and food is her enemy. Holmes uses flashbacks to give background information on Samantha's family's dynamics, and the protagonist's overbearing mother is at the root of her problems. Constant negative self-talk becomes less present as Sam learns to make her own choices at the camp for artists with anxiety issues. The well-developed characters attending the session are talented and highly skilled in their areas of performance. Some of the other campers include a celebrated football player, an ice-skating champion, and a tennis star. The internal challenges they face are varied and universal. Readers will recognize their speed bumps and find a character to identify with. Realistic dialogue and descriptions make it possible for teens to become flies on the wall as the fast-paced plot unfolds. The protagonists grow through their struggles individually and eventually learn to support one another. The author adeptly shows even the camp counselors as works in progress. A gentle, misunderstood romance between Sam and one of her counselors develops only as far as a forbidden kiss. Throughout the camp experiences, Holmes plants themes of self-worth, empathy, and persistence. VERDICT An empowering story for middle and high school readers searching for acceptance from themselves as well as others. A great choice for summer reading.—Elizabeth Swartz, Warrior Run School District, PA

School Library Journal

2016-03-16
Samantha dreams of becoming a professional ballerina like her mom, but her body is changing into one that the ballet world will not accept. Sam is a truly talented and well-trained dancer, but when the white teen looks at her developing body, she sees fat rolls and thick thighs. She begins having panic attacks, so her mother sends her to a therapeutic camp designed to help teens who perform in some way. There, she tries to avoid eating too much but constantly succumbs. She soon begins to fall for one of the camp counselors, Andrew, even though he's clearly off limits. Between hours with the camp's psychologist director and Andrew's sympathy, Sam begins to make some progress with her self-image, until her attraction to Andrew reaches critical. When another girl tempts her into escaping so she can keep her spot in an upcoming ballet program, things go awry, but the experience also offers her a road to the future. Through Sam's present-tense narration, Holmes concentrates on demonstrating the benefits of therapy, dissecting Samantha's emotions and depicting her increasing strength in overcoming her traumas and her difficult relationship with her obsessive mother. The book winds up as almost a paean to clinical psychology, but it should resonate with driven readers and those with their own body issues. Less about ballet than about therapy, but interesting nevertheless. (Fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews