Tumbling

by Caela Carter

Overview

For fans of Make It Or Break It, a novel about the road to Olympics for the world's most elite gymnasts.

Work harder than anyone.
Be the most talented.
Sacrifice everything.
And if you’re lucky, maybe you will go to the Olympics.
 
Grace lives and breathes gymnastics—but no matter how hard she pushes herself, she can never be perfect enough.
 
Leigh, Grace’s best friend, has it all: a gymnastics career, a normal high-school life... and a secret that could ruin everything. 
 
Camille wants to please her mom, wants to please her boyfriend, and most of all, wants to walk away.
 
Wilhelmina was denied her Olympic dream four years ago, and she won’t let anything stop her again. No matter what.
 
Monica is terrified. Nobody believes in her—and why should they?
 
By the end of the two days of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, some of these girls will be stars. Some will be going home with nothing. And all will have their lives changed forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780698183360
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	06/07/2016
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	869,082
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Caela Carter is an author of books about teens and children. She grew up in Baltimore, MD and Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Caela teaches at-risk kids and teens in alternative education programs. She has an MFA in Writing for Children from The New School in New York. Her previous books include Me, Him, Them and It and My Best Friend, Maybe for teenagers and My Life with the Liars for middle grade readers. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and her puppy.

Read an Excerpt

As usual, a torrent of crippling fears ran through Leigh’s bones like bolts of lightning as she watched the red flag, stone-faced, waiting for it to turn green.
          I forget my whole routine.
          I’m going to fall on my dismount.
          I’m the Linebacker of Gymnastics: way too big to swing around these bars like a petite nothing, like Grace.
          Focus! she reprimanded herself.
          She felt like her whole life, every Leigh in every day of her past, was lined up behind her. Every missed sleepover. Every potential friend or girlfriend whom she didn’t have time for. Every lie. Every time she chose to be exceptional instead of normal. It was a series of crushing choices that shoved her up to the space where she stood right now, on the blue mat, under the uneven bars, at the Olympic trials. And it would all be pointless if she fell.
          Then the flag turned green, and the storm inside her poofed away. A smile lit up her face, and she threw her hands over her head to salute the judges before popping immediately onto the high bar.
          Her brain turned off. It was only her body on the bars. Through every giant, every release, every transition, she was That Girl. The Other Leigh. The one who was national champion. The one who could fall every day in practice but would never let the bar slip out of her grasp in a meet. The one who smiled even as she held her breath through handstands and pirouettes atop the high bar, whose toes pointed without her telling them to, whose knees would never bend, the one who would never break.
          Ninety seconds later, with a double twisting backward layout, her feet were on the mat, her hands over her head. She was That Girl again.

Editorial Reviews

03/21/2016
Carter (My Best Friend, Maybe) takes readers into the competitive heart of elite gymnastics as five athletes fight for a coveted spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Set over two days, the story follows the girls’ progress as they risk damaging their friendships, bodies, and reputations in order to be chosen. Third-person narration shifts attention among Grace, a half-Chinese world champ coached by her domineering father; tiny, “mousy” Monica, a long-shot struggling with self-confidence; Camille, the comeback kid who questions her commitment; African-American Wilhelmina, the veteran who wants a last chance at Olympic glory; and Leigh, who worries about the public finding out that she is gay. The girls have depth and heart, revealing insecurities and vulnerabilities, but also an unsurpassed determination to succeed. Through them, Carter skillfully showcases the extreme pressure gymnasts are under and the lengths they will go to win. Gymnastics-lovers of all ages will eagerly soak up this intimate look at the sport as these athletes attempt to stick their landings, gain favor with the intimidating judges, and dominate the leaderboard. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kate McKean, Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Completely gripping. I felt like I had a front row seat to the Olympic Trials. All readers, especially fans of gymnastics, will love this book and wish it would not have to end."—Miranda Kenneally, author of Catching Jordan

"Gymnastics-lovers of all ages will eagerly soak up this intimate look at the sport."—Publishers Weekly

"Gymnastic books for teens are surprisingly few, and Carter has crafted an intense look into the pressures of this ambitious and all-consuming lifestyle."—Booklist

"Character development carries this story, making an engaging read even for those not interested in gymnastics."—VOYA

"Carter has created five memorable characters whose voices resonate long after the story ends."—School Library Journal
 
A Junior Library Guild Selection

From the Publisher

04/01/2016
Gr 6–10—Five gymnasts. Five Olympic dreams. Two days to make those dreams into reality. Grace is the coach's daughter and a perfectionist with no other choice but to be the best. With her mother out of the picture and her dad acting more like a coach than her father, she struggles to cope with the pressure and expectations that come along with being the best. Leigh is the powerhouse, Grace's best friend and biggest competition. Underneath her smile and easy laugh, she hides a huge secret. Wilhelmina is an "old-timer" at 20, out to prove that she is still among the elite after missing out on the Olympics four years ago. Camille is back for a second chance at the Olympics after her dream was cut short the first time. But are the Olympics really her dream, or are they her mother's? Monica usually blends into the background but finds herself thrust into the spotlight—and Grace's crosshairs—as she surges through the competition. Who will make it? Who will crack? Told in alternating voices, this work brings the cutthroat world of elite gymnastics to life. Rotations and breaks in competition mark the end of each chapter. A glossary at the end of the book explains frequently used technical gymnastics terms, making the jargon accessible to gymnastics novices. Carter has created five memorable characters whose voices resonate long after the story ends and whose lives outside of the gym (or lack thereof) make them relatable to readers. VERDICT Purchase for middle and high schools where realistic fiction is in demand.—Carli Worthman, Carmel Middle School, Carmel, IN

School Library Journal

2016-03-30
Twelve girls. Two days. Only five winners.Every four years, a dozen of the United States' best female gymnasts head to the USA Gymnastics Women's Olympic Trials to compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. The novel's cast of hopefuls is made up of mostly white girls, with a couple of black girls, a Latina, and one girl who is half-Chinese. There's a closeted lesbian, and another is Jewish. There are mean girls and meek girls; backstabbers and best friends; veterans and "brand-new baby seniors." Some are event specialists, while others are all-arounders. The third-person narration alternates through the perspectives of five of the twelve girls, moving from girl to girl and back in labeled subsections within each chapter. Readers may have difficulty keeping characters straight; luckily there's a trials roster to keep things relatively clear. A glossary of terms is included for the uninitiated, but those heavily involved in the sport will truly understand and appreciate the nuances of scorekeeping, the politics of team assemblage, and the friends-rivals dynamics that keep life cartwheeling along behind the scenes.Faulty butt glue, waxing "down there," and dealing with a tyrannical team coordinator won't stop these girls from going for the gold. (Fiction. 12-15)

Kirkus Reviews