Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy of Learning to Fall by Sally Engelfried for me to preview.

Fast-paced, memorable story about imperfection and tough family dynamics and how love and hard work can pave a path forward. Kids will be hooked by the super fun skate park scenes, camaraderie, and lingo. Daphne (and all the characters) are multilayered and likable, even as they make mistakes before the reader's eyes. Humor, heart, and persistence weave together beautifully in this story about the importance of forgiveness, especially forgiving ourselves. I loved it! I hope throngs of kids pick this one up and "drop in"!

Daphne’s mom is off to Prague to act in her first major role leaving Daphne to spend the summer with her father who has been out of the picture for three years due to his struggles with alcoholism. Daphne is angry with her father for not showing up for a skateboarding session that led to a broken arm along with a broken heart. Excellent story of dealing with disappointments, being honest with your feelings and healing old wounds. Skateboarding terms and descriptions of tricks are sprinkled throughout the story and will be appreciated by newbies to the sport and those who have been classically trained. Great story for middle grade readers.

This is a story of being betrayed. Daphne didn’t realize how bad her father’s drinking was, and thought that every time he told her he would come and be with her, he would. So when she broke her arm, while trying to do skating tricks, when he was supposed to be there, she never forgave him. It didn’t help that he didn’t come and visit after that.

So, when, three years later, she has to stay with him all summer, while her mother is off filming a movie, she resent him, doesn’t want to talk to him, and certainly doesn’t want him to know that she missing skating with him.

I love that this is a story of a girl who is learning tricks on her skateboard, and though she is shy about it, it isn’t because she is a girl, but why what happened when she broke her arm.

I also like how she slowly warms to her father, around the love of skateboards, and how things work out in the end.

Good quick read, and very heartfelt, and it made me wish the story didn’t end quite so soon, and we could hang out a little longer.

<em> Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

A moving story about family, forgiveness, and skateboarding. Here are just a few things I loved about this middle-grade novel:

1. The main character.
Daphne and her dad were supposed to celebrate her 10th birthday skateboarding. But he didn’t show and some other dad had to help her when she broke her arm. Daphne’s relationship with her dad snapped then, too.

She's 12 now and hasn’t seen him in three years. As you might expect, she’s less-than-thrilled to spend the summer with him while her mom films a movie in Prague.

Initially, Daphne barely tolerates her dad.. (The key to the “Cold Fish,” she says, is making your eyes as dead as possible.) When she continues acting this way, even while warming to him, it’s realistic and poignant. Readers always know what Daphne’s feeling—even if she can’t put it into words—and why she’s acting as she is. Dad, a recovering alcoholic, knows he must regain her trust, and he’s up for the challenge.

2. Mom, Dad and Other Adults
Daphne’s nontraditional parents are a refreshing change from those in many middle grade novels. For most of Daphne’s life, it’s been just her and Mom, an actress who hopes to finally score her big break. They’ve always shared a bedroom—except for a few months when they didn’t have a home and crashed with friends.

Dad is a skateboarder who once dreamed of going pro. Since getting sober, his parents have helped him buy a house in Oakland, and he’s lovingly prepared Daphne’s room. But as the book begins, he’s struggling to find a job.

Both are loving parents who’ve made mistakes, as we all have.

Gus, Dad’s longtime friend and neighbor, offers warm support and a super-cool skate bowl in his backyard. Daphne doesn’t remember her paternal grandparents but soon bonds with them.

3. Themes
Who doesn’t love a redemption story? Dad’s efforts to make amends and re-establish a relationship with Daphne are believable and inspiring, and he does a good job of explaining his alcoholism and one-day-at-a-time recovery to Daphne.

Daphne eventually realizes, though, that she needs to speak up about her feelings and ask the hard questions she’s avoided for years. Finding the courage to do so with each parent offers important revelations that reinforce the importance of communication.

4. Ollie, nollie, kickflip, shuvit.
Daphne abandoned skating after breaking her arm, but as soon as she arrives at Dad’s, the scrape-slam of wheels on Gus’ bowl calls to her. (Dad has an extra board and helmet for her.) Her new skating friend, Arlo, and the older guys who skate at Gus’ are accepting and encouraging, but Daphne remains traumatized from the accident that broke her arm. Eventually, she agrees to learn from Dad. His first lesson: How to fall safely and the importance of getting up again. The metaphor isn’t lost on Daphne. The skating scenes, brimming with sensory detail, offer readers a vicarious thrill, and it’s fun to see a girl in this role. Young readers will cheer Daphne’s bravery, grit and determination.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I don’t post about books that I didn’t finish or enjoy.

From the very first paragraph—“Daphne doesn’t want to be stuck in Oakland with her dad. She wants to get on the first plane to Prague, where her mom is shooting a movie.”—I was hooked and finished reading LEARNING TO FALL in one sitting!

Twelve-year-old Daphne is such a relatable, likable character, I found myself cheering for her out loud and holding my breath during the ups and downs of her journey. Navigating how to forgive and whether or not to trust a loved one again who’s repeatedly let you down because of alcoholism is a difficult topic that the author handles wonderfully, while seamlessly weaving in Daphne’s struggle and joy of skateboarding. I highly recommend this heartfelt middle grade debut, especially for librarians, educators, and parents to share with the young readers in their lives.

Thank you to author, Sally Engelfried, and the publisher for an advanced copy of this MUST READ book!

A wise, fun, heartfelt story about learning to trust both oneself and those that have let one down. Twelve-year-old Daphne is sent to live with her father for the summer, a father who wasn't there for her as a child or since her parents split due to his alcoholism, but who is now sober and trying to mend their relationship. Daphne rekindles her love of skating and makes a new friend, while she and her father work to repair their relationship. This novel deals with tough issues in a pitch-perfect way, and readers will cheer Daphne on as she learns and masters the tricks she's so eager to learn and root for her as she learns about love and responsibility.

This was such a great book about tough family relationships, learning to trust yourself, daring to trust others, and SKATEBOARDING.

When Daphne's mom receives her dream role in a movie, Daphne's forced to spend the summer with her Dad, an old skater and recovering alcoholic-the guy that let her down time and time again, the guy that made her give up on skating.

Throughout the summer, not only is Daphne surprised to find herself learning to love skating again, she's surprised at how her feelings change as she truly gets to know her father. The development of their relationship was beautifully written, and her father felt very real and complex. Daphne was very believable. Her mix of insecurity and bravery had me rooting for her the whole way.

I also loved her new friend Arlo, a budding filmmaker, and all-around cool kid. He was so sweet and supportive, while still being real. Any kid would be lucky to have a friend like that.

Oh, and the skateboarding sequences were all so fun and vividly written!

This book was wonderfully written and sensitive, filled with believable and flawed, but endearing, characters. I will definitely be recommending this to middle grade students!

The protagonist in Sally Englefried's wonderful debut grabbed me from the first pages. 12 year old Daphne is fully realized, endearing and believable as a girl figuring out if and how to trust the father who has repeatedly let her down. Spirited and nervous at the same time, Daphne befriends her summer neighbor, Arlo, and reconnects with her dad, both through skateboarding, and the details of her beginning to embrace her father's passion for the sport and understand his struggles with alcoholism add wonderful depth to the book. This is a story about the rocky road to trust, commitment, and a family's imperfect love, and I found myself totally entranced by the story. I highly recommend this unique middle grade novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and LBYR for the advance copy.