Sidetracked by Diana Harmon Asher

Sidetracked

by Diana Harmon Asher

“This is a splendid novel that I read in one sitting. . . . You  will cheer when this kid embraces ‘Do your best’ and shows it to be a ringing call to nothing less than Triumph.” —Gary Schmidt, Printz Honor winner and two-time Newbery Honor winner "Diana Harmon Asher tells an entertaining story about a boy picking his way through the potholes and pitfalls of puberty, with a little help from his friends." —Richard Peck, Newbery Medal winner
"Just read it! Diana Harmon Asher has written a witty, observant, and sensitive novel for kids, as well as a delight for the adults in their lives." —Susan Isaacs, New York Times bestselling author  
If middle school were a race, Joseph Friedman wouldn’t even be in last place—he’d be on the sidelines. With an overactive mind and phobias of everything from hard-boiled eggs to gargoyles, he struggles to understand his classes, let alone his fellow classmates. So he spends most of his time avoiding school bully Charlie Kastner and hiding out in the Resource Room, a safe place for misfit kids like him.

But then, on the first day of seventh grade, two important things happen. First, his Resource Room teacher encourages (i.e., practically forces) him to join the school track team, and second, he meets Heather, a crazy-fast runner who isn’t going to be pushed around by Charlie Kastner or anybody else.
With a new friend and a new team, Joseph finds himself off the sidelines and in the race (quite literally) for the first time. Is he a good runner? Well, no, he’s terrible. But the funny thing about running is, once you're in the race, anything can happen.

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

5 of 5 stars

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Rating: 4.5 Stars

Annabelle spent all of 7th grade struggling to achieve academically. Her mother, step father, and best friends all seemed to succeed with ease, while even with accommodations, tutoring, and extra studying, Annabelle could not do better than Cs. Summer, however, was where she shined.

Inside the pool, Annabelle was able to close off the rest of the world and excel. After breaking almost all the under-14 pool record, the high school swim coach offered her a spot on the team. Annabelle was flattered, excited, and a little scared, but what she didn't realize was how being on the team would change her whole summer.

Up for Air was a fantastic entry into the upper middle grades field. Morrison navigated that complicated in-between so well. Annabelle went from being the top of her middle school team and crowd, to the bottom of the high school set. She was thrust into a whole lot of new and more mature situations, and didn't always make the best choices for herself. It was sometimes tough watching Annabelle make these bad decisions, but she definitely came out more knowing and resilient.

At one point during the book, Annabelle suffered an injury, and was unable to swim. From there, it was sort of a downward spiral for her, which really broke my heart. It was easy to see how important swimming was to Annabelle, but it was also obvious that she tied her self-worth to her swimming excellence. Without having that opportunity to standout in the pool, she began to drown in a sea of insecurity. Morrison did such an incredible job wrapping me in Annabelle's emotions, and they came across as so authentic, as well as being really relatable. My love for Annabelle was a sure thing from the very beginning of this tale, and I was right there rooting for her the entire time. I liked that she misstepped, but kept moving forward. Failures are often stepping stones to success, and it was great the way Morrison utilized Annabelle's setbacks in this story.

Yes, this summer was filled with a lot of ups and downs for Annabelle. She suffered quite a few setbacks and some heartbreak, but she also forged some great friendships, renewed a friendship, and reevaluated yet another. She learned a lot about herself, her parents, and her step-father. There are a few especially lovely moments shared with her mother towards the end, where they reveal important truths to each other, and I was particularly happy with the way mom came to terms with Annabelle's scholastic future.

Overall: An honest look at that challenging in-between time we face in our early teens, which was filled with bumps and bad decisions, but ultimately an experience that left Annabelle stronger and wiser.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 26 April, 2019: Finished reading
  • 26 April, 2019: Reviewed