Skating on Mars

April 3, 2023
In Michigan, 12-year-old Mars Hart loves figure skating, but ever since they realized they’re nonbinary, they’ve felt like “there isn’t really space for me” in a sport divided along binary gender lines. On top of that, they’re mourning the death of their father, with whom they shared a love of skating, and things have been weird with their best friend Libby’s older friends, who look down on Mars for being a year younger. When Libby’s cocky pairs partner dares Mars to compete against him, they do, registering in the men’s division. The ensuing drama—including misgendering and transphobic bullying—makes Mars question their future in the activity they love best. Debut author Huntoon crafts a memorable first-person voice in driven, vulnerable Mars, tracing their grief and gradual coming-out process, and the affirming support they receive, via musing interiority. Some plot elements, such as Mars’s relationship with a crush, feel underdeveloped, but Mars’s passion for figure skating is infectious, and their fight to stake out their own place in a system not built for them proves both gently affirming and joyful. The cast reads as largely white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jessica Mileo, InkWell Management.

April 15, 2023
Mars Hart is dealing with a lot at once: burgeoning understanding of their nonbinary identity, the loss of their father to cancer a few months ago, and starting seventh grade. Not to mention, a figure skating career that's backed up by real talent. Passionate and driven yet insecure, Mars wants to win. But they're not certain they want to skate in the more feminine way they have been up until now. With a new coach and a chance to compete somewhere nobody knows them, there are both advantages and costs to showing the world who they truly are. In first-person narration, Mars explains their competitive spirit, anger, and resiliency. The loss of Mars' father is carefully handled, like Mars and their friends and family, this is depicted with honesty. A crush on a new girl at the rink, family dynamics, fraught middle school friendships, and bullying hold their weight as important issues in their own rights. The intricacies of Mars' figure skating is a highlight, with exciting and accessible technical detail even for non-enthusiasts. Above all, Mars' identity is examined with nuance, given depth and consideration as life on and off the ice grows both more euphoric and increasingly complicated. Most characters seem to default to White. A strong sports story and an earnest coming-of-age tale in one. (Fiction. 9-13)

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July 1, 2023

Gr 5 Up-Huntoon's debut novel glitters withthe angst and happy moments in the life of a seventh grader as they navigate who they are meant to be. Mars has handled school and an intense competitive figure skating schedule just fine, but suddenly their mind is saddled with the deep sorrow of their father dying and the growing realization they want to be more public about their nonbinary identity. Supported by their mom, sister, teacher, and friend, Mars navigates the rigid binary-gendered world of figure skating, where a person can only compete within male or female categories. Deciding to prove they can perform in both divisions, Mars embarks on a plan to infiltrate a local competition as a boy. Within all this deception and chaos, Mars finally finds the courage to walk in the world as they truly are and not as the world forces them to be. While the novel takes place over a few pivotal weeks of Mars's life, there are heartfelt flashbacks of their father that are incredibly poignant; tissues are a must. Mars has a great support system and the bullies are muffled fairly quickly, which may seem unrealistic (especially with skating federation regulations), but the fact that Mars has a great head on their shoulders and thinks things through clearly makes this a feel-good triumph. Mars's beautifully expressed internal dialogue makes this an excellent processing story for tweens to witness firsthand the varied ways people grieve and learn how to exist in the world authentically. VERDICT With the same vibe as Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes, readers will close the book with a smile but also with the wish to hear more about Mars and their future.-Maria Ramusevic

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 1, 2023
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Here are three things to know about 12-year-old Veronica: they've recently realized they're nonbinary, they're a passionate figure skater (it's "the one thing I can always seem to do right"), and they're leaning into being called Mars, the nickname their best friend gave them after learning Mars was named after the TV-detective Veronica Mars. As for skating, they lament that it is separated into men's and women's divisions, leaving "no room for someone who might be both and neither." With no other option, Mars presents as a girl on the ice until they meet an obnoxious eighth-grade boy named Xander, who insists that he's a better skater than they are. To prove him wrong, Mars enters a competition, registering as a 13-year-old boy, and beats Xander fair and square. Unfortunately, when Xander discovers their identity, he reports them and they're stripped of their medal. To make things worse, Mars discovers that Jade, the new girl on whom they have a serious crush, is Xander's younger sister. Huntoon, also nonbinary, writes beautifully with authority and insight, creating in Mars a fully realized, memorable character; this first novel is an important contribution to the slender body of nonbinary literature, and it belongs in every library. Pair with A. J. Sass' Ana on the Edge (2020) for a glorious couples' skate.

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