Reviews provided by Syndetics
Publishers Weekly Review
This sensitively wrought novel about growing pains shows how two sixth-graders in Flushing, Queens, rekindle an old friendship after a devastating accident. Through alternating viewpoints, Zalben (Hey, Mama Goose) offers an up-close, honest portrayal of her two main characters: Daniel, who is left partially paralyzed after having an allergic reaction to anesthesia, and Krista, who used to be close to Daniel but now is preoccupied with getting Daniel's best friend, Bobby, to notice her. As the story unfolds, the children's individual conflicts come to light. Daniel, once a champion swimmer, is frustrated with his slow progress in recovering the use of his legs and is distraught by his parents' bitterness towards Bobby's father (the dentist "responsible" for Daniel's paralysis). Family tensions go from bad to worse when Daniel's mother leaves the family to pursue her music dreams. Meanwhile, Krista experiences her own share of anger and dismay as she observes the blossoming romance between Bobby and another classmate, Lainie. As Daniel and Krista struggle to come to terms with changes in their lives, they find themselves drawn together. Krista agrees to help Daniel relearn how to swim and the two of them team up to work on a science project centered on a tadpole. The tadpole's metamorphosis neatly mirrors the children's internal growth as they come to terms with their losses and move forward. Eloquently expressing the power of hope and friendship, this story delivers an inspiring message. Ages 10-up. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-8-Daniel Rosen is paralyzed after a reaction to anesthesia for dental surgery, and he must learn to walk, run, and, most heart-wrenchingly for him, swim all over again. For added emotional tension, the doctor who completes the surgery is the father of his friend Bobby Kaufman. His former best friend, Krista Harris, is in love with Bobby, but Bobby is heavily in like with the sixth grade's own celebrity, Lainie Michaels. Zalben attempts to focus readers on the not-quite-over friendship between Daniel and Krista while also detailing the difficulties of Daniel's recovery, from using a walker to, potentially, competing at a swim meet. Each of the main characters also has internal family drama, including Daniel's mother, who leaves to find herself before her son is fully recovered. The author starts with a shaky, unclear premise and attempts far too much in this fairly short novel. What happened to Daniel and why and the prognosis for his recovery is not clearly explained to him, his friends, or readers. Also, these kids have more well-thought-out and expressed emotions than most seventh or eighth graders, much less sixth graders. The book has many strengths, particularly the characterizations of the parents, but as a whole it just doesn't come together.-Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
When Daniel is partially paralyzed by a reaction to anesthesia, fellow swimmer Krista is torn between their longtime friendship and her crush on Bobby, whose dad was Daniel's surgeon. Despite its thoughtful everyday details, this overly ambitious novel is bogged down by subplots, kids who talk--and think--more like older teenagers than sixth-graders, and a conflict that lacks clarity. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Book Review
Long-time picture-book author Zalben jumps back into novels with a sensitive coming-of-age story, told in alternating voices, of Krista and Daniel's first year in middle school. Daniel, a former champion swimmer, must learn to walk again after an allergic reaction to general anesthesia left him partially paralyzed; Krista must sort through her feelings for Daniel, her former inseparable elementary-school best friend, and Bobby, her first crush. Their observation and care for a science-class tadpole parallels their own successful changes and "leaps" into life, as Daniel confronts his disability with determination and accepts his mother's separation from the family. Krista realizes that there's more to see beneath everyone's fa‡ade, and the two make choices that will shape their character forever. While a few thoughts are beyond Krista and Daniel's age and experience (e.g., "Yeah, you make Chevy Chase and his falling act on the old SNL look like nothing"), Zalben understands a 'tween's range of emotions and that their friendships and first kisses are as important as solving the world's problems. (Fiction. 10-13) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.