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Sugar and Ice

by Kate Messner (Goodreads Author)

4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 · rating details · 338 ratings · 96 reviews

For Claire Boucher, life is all about skating on the frozen cow pond and in the annual Maple Show right before the big pancake breakfast on her family's farm. But all that changes when Russian skating coach Andrei Grosheva offers Claire a scholarship to train with the elite in Lake Placid. Tossed into a world of mean girls on ice, where competition is everything, Claire re...more

Hardcover, 275 pages

Published December 7th 2010 by Walker Childrens

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Jan 16, 2011 CLM rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 21st-century, childrensbooks, sports, friendship, ny

A convincingly told story about a 7th grader who unexpectedly earns a scholarship for intensive figure skating training at Lake Placid. In addition to the physical and mental challenges that accompany such athletic dedication, the author does not ignore the challenges this training has on Claire's schoolwork, friendships, health and on her and other competitors' families. Fans of figure skating will certainly enjoy it. I especially liked how the author portrayed mean girls but also portrayed out...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Jenny W. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sugar and Ice By: Kate Messner
288 Pages
Realistic Fiction

Have you ever felt like you don't fit in at all? Well meet Claire Boucher. In Claire's life, the only things she needs to think about is Ice Skating on the frozen cow pond and doing work on the farm with her parents. Claire performs at a recital and a talent scout form Lake Placid sees her true talent. The talent scout asks her if she would like to train at Lake Placid with all of the experienced ice skaters. At first she wants to turn dow...more

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Apr 24, 2011 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: skating-books

I'm not gonna do a "A thrilling story of..." like I did for Skate School, because this one was actually pretty good.

It was about Claire Boucher's troubles as she is selected to train at a rink with a really good coach. There are girls who are mean to her, her coach expects her to be better than she is, and she barely ever sees her best friend.

You identify with the characters more than Skate School, and it's far more realistic. There is a "How many revolutions?" scenario about half way through, b...more I'm not gonna do a "A thrilling story of..." like I did for Skate School, because this one was actually pretty good.

It was about Claire Boucher's troubles as she is selected to train at a rink with a really good coach. There are girls who are mean to her, her coach expects her to be better than she is, and she barely ever sees her best friend.

You identify with the characters more than Skate School, and it's far more realistic. There is a "How many revolutions?" scenario about half way through, but it's between a single and a double, which is more likely than a triple.
Also, the mean girls here are REALLY mean. Not just teasing her every now and again, but pouring nail polish over her stuff, ripping up (and ruining) her cousin's skating dress and teasing one girl to a point where she changes rinks. And there is a double agent. No there's not, but there is a girl who pretends to be Claire's friend, she's always there whenever the other girls are cruel, but then turns out to be the one doing everything.

Both the coaches at Skate School and in Sugar and Ice are tough and strict, but Madame Von Berne (Skate School coach) is weird in a way that Andrei Groshev (Sugar and Ice coach) isn't. She goes into weird dazes where she isn't strict anymore, and of course the reason she didn't win the Olympics was because there was a boy on her mind. Grosev is always strict, and he has strange techniques. When Frankie is doing badly, she is let off and told to relax or to do better. Claire is told not to jump for two weeks when her jumps are wrong. Claire also goes to see Kalina, who helps her figure out what is going on in her brain that makes it hard for her to skate.

Skate School starts off by saying that Frankie has a best friend in the UK, Rosie, but besides one or two emails, Rosie is completely forgotten by the third book. Claire's best friend Natalie, however, is not forgotten. They still go to the same school, but after school Claire is rushed to the rink every day, and doesn't ever spend time with Natalie. She, naturally, gets angry and they end up falling out.

At the end, Claire decides she is not cut out for skating. She understands that she has great figure skating talent, but she would prefer run the toddlers skating lessons at the weekend, and have milkshake nights with Natalie. She still skates for fun and in shows at her local rink (not the big, fancy rink Groshev was at) and enjoys watching skating.(less)

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Mar 03, 2011 Danette rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved Sugar and Ice! Claire Boucher is a middle school ice skater, plucked from her small town into an elite training camp by a world renowned coach.

I live in Florida, but I was in the land of snow and maple syrup the whole time I spent reading this wonderful book. The locker room scenes played like a movie in my head. The author's knowledge of the ice skating world and its jargon opened the door for me to a place I'd never been; ice skating terms I didn't know only made the story more real. B...more

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Apr 30, 2010 katsok rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Kate Messner's new novel, Sugar and Ice, while at the IRA conference in Chicago. I got it on Monday and began reading it immediately. I was so taken by the main character, Claire that I ended up staying up until the early hours of the morning to finish.

Claire is the kind of student I love having in class. A good friend, interested in school (especially math), and kind to her family. She is lucky enough to receive a scholarship to train at Lake Placid for ice s...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4th-grade, 5th-grade, 6th-grade, bullying, contemporary-realism, girl-main-character, friendship, making-new-friends, sports, self-discovery

Claire is a 7th grader who lives in a small town on the U.S./Canada border, who seems more than usually responsible and kind, with her willingness to work hard on her family's farm, play Indiana Jones games with her younger brothers, and coach young skaters on the weekends. When she is selected to skate the Maple Show Princess solo at the town's festival, she doesn't know that a Olympic Gold-winning scout, Andrei Groshev, will be in the audience. He is impressed by her talent and offers her a sc...more Claire is a 7th grader who lives in a small town on the U.S./Canada border, who seems more than usually responsible and kind, with her willingness to work hard on her family's farm, play Indiana Jones games with her younger brothers, and coach young skaters on the weekends. When she is selected to skate the Maple Show Princess solo at the town's festival, she doesn't know that a Olympic Gold-winning scout, Andrei Groshev, will be in the audience. He is impressed by her talent and offers her a scholarship to study with him in Lake Placid.

From here, the story is pretty predictable. How will Claire deal with the new high-pressure, competitive situation in which she finds herself? How will her friends at home feel about her new inability to go out for Milkshake Nights? How will Groshev's stable of ambitious young skating prodigies deal with the arrival of a talented newcomer in their midst? What will Claire think of the one young man who is training with her in Lake Placid? Chances are, if you have read a sports-related fish-out-of-water novel before, you might have a good idea of what the answers to these questions will be.

What pulls "Sugar and Ice" out of the pack, for me, is the lovely detailing of the setting, the well-drawn Claire's relatability and likability, and the way it immerses the reader in the world of figure skating. The latter might simply be an individual quirk on my part (considering that I am embarrassed to tell you how many times I have watched "The Cutting Edge"). But it is nice to see a girl-focused sports novel that does not focus on the girl trying to break into the ranks of a traditionally male sport, but instead deals with the dynamics of how girls treat girls within a mostly female world. Messner mentions in her note that she was trying to write "Mean Girls on ice," but there is a good balance of personalities in the Lake Placid skating rink -- Claire is hassled by one group of "Ice Queens," but also makes new friends. Development of secondary characters is not a central focus of the novel; each non-protagonist has one defining trait. However, Claire's well-roundedness helped to minimize the annoyance I usually feel at the lack of attention to other characters.

Of course, as the novel progresses, Claire learns about herself (with the help of a sports psychologist) and gains maturity and confidence. She also gains insight into what causes the Ice Queens to subject her to bullying. There are some pretty heavy-handed clues about which Ice Queen has resorted to vandalism and psychological games in her quest to intimidate Claire, but Claire does not figure that out until the end, just in time for a big novel-ending showdown. I bought Claire's growing understanding of how dreams shape people's choices, and what exactly her dreams entail, and by the end was satisfied with the choices she makes about how to fulfill her dreams.

Overall, "Sugar and Ice" is good fun and its predictability gives it an old-fashioned, comfortable feel -- a first read almost feels like a re-read. Plus, I learned something about beekeeping and Fibonacci numbers -- a nice side benefit :)(less)

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Dec 10, 2010 Ms. Mulhern Gross rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: forty-book-challenge

Earlier this week I finished reading a fantastic middle grade/tween book and I can not recommend it enough. Kate Messner’s Sugar and Ice is a book you should be handing to all of your middle grade readers. It’s just perfect! Reading it, I was transported to Lake Placid and could almost feel the snowflakes in the air and smell the maple syrup on Claire’s family farm.

Claire Boucher loves to ice skate. She skates on the cow pond as soon as it is safely frozen over and she loves coaching the little...more Earlier this week I finished reading a fantastic middle grade/tween book and I can not recommend it enough. Kate Messner’s Sugar and Ice is a book you should be handing to all of your middle grade readers. It’s just perfect! Reading it, I was transported to Lake Placid and could almost feel the snowflakes in the air and smell the maple syrup on Claire’s family farm.

Claire Boucher loves to ice skate. She skates on the cow pond as soon as it is safely frozen over and she loves coaching the little kids down at the town rink. However, she does not compete, since she freezes up in front of judges. Instead, she just skates because she loves it. When she performs as the lead in the town’s Maple Festival, she catches the eye of a scout from Lake Placid. He is looking for local skaters who are talented enough to join him at the Olympic Center. When he approaches Claire and offers her a scholarship to train with him and other talented skaters, she assumes her parents will turn it down. And she is ok with that. But when her parents shock her by saying yes, because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Claire finds herself in a whole new world. She is not naturally competitive and the other skaters around her live and breathe skating. Is Claire ready to leave her life behind and step into the spotlight? And does she have time to skate and stay on top of the homework in her advanced math class?

Messner is a master at capturing the tween brain. (Probably because she spends so much time with them as a mother and teacher!) Claire is easy to relate to and you are immediately drawn into her world. Readers don’t have to be ice skaters, beekeepers, of Fibonacci-lovers to fall in love with Sugar and Ice. The characters are strong and well-drawn, the setting is gorgeous, and the ice skating competitions will leave you on the edge of your seat.
As a teacher, I loved Messner’s references to other books (Hattie Big Sky, Twilight, Need). I was also thrilled to see that Claire loves math and has a fascination with Fibonacci. Her school project is woven seamlessly into the plot and I found myself constantly learning something new. It’s so awesome to read about a female main character who loves math and it proud of it. It even helps her connect with the cute boy in her ice skating group! Hopefully, this will also catch the minds of tween readers.

And finally, this book can also be booktalked as a mystery. While at Lake Placid, Claire’s belongings are sabotaged. Throughout the book you are left wondering who is doing these awful things. I’ll admit, I was pretty sure I knew who was doing it and I ended up being wrong. It was a great twist.
Highly, highly recommended for middle grade readers. I’ve already passed my copy on to my 6th grade sister- the highest compliment I can give a middle grade novel these days!

*ARC courtesy of the publisher(less)

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Jan 02, 2012 Susan Crean rated it 4 of 5 stars

Claire is a smalltown girl who loves to skate. She lives on a maple syrup farm with her large close family and has a best friend named Natalie. She is given what other people refer to as "the opportunity of a lifetime" to train with an Olympic caliber coach. The training isn't the only thing that is tough.
This book got better and better as it went on. Of course, I was hooked by the great writing on page 1 (fabulous example of personification: "Even with the sun shining, spring wasn't ready to cl...more

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Dec 08, 2010 Mary Ann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4th, 5th, 6th, courage, friendship, girls, realistic, sports

Do you ever wonder how hard to push your child to follow their dream? If they had an opportunity to really pursue an interest, how much would you encourage them to do that - whether it was training with an outstanding coach, or taking extra classes. Sugar and Ice, a new novel by the wonderful author Kate Messner, explores one girl's decision to follow her love of ice skating and accept a scholarship to a prestigious training center. A wonderful holiday present would be to give Sugar and Ice alon...more Do you ever wonder how hard to push your child to follow their dream? If they had an opportunity to really pursue an interest, how much would you encourage them to do that - whether it was training with an outstanding coach, or taking extra classes. Sugar and Ice, a new novel by the wonderful author Kate Messner, explores one girl's decision to follow her love of ice skating and accept a scholarship to a prestigious training center. A wonderful holiday present would be to give Sugar and Ice along with a winter scarf and hat set and a set of ice skating lessons.

Claire Boucher loves to skate every year in her small town's Maple Show, first helping the little kids at her local ice rink perform, and then skating with her friends and having fun with her routines. But Claire's life changes completely this when she is spotted by a big-time skating coach and offered a full scholarship to the prestigious Lake Placid training center. Claire adjusts to her new routine, where skating lessons take up every ounce of free time. Homework is squeezed in during breaks in the locker room, and on long car rides up to Lake Placid. But it's harder to adjust to a new group of friends.

Kids will love exploring what it means to start competing in major shows, how Claire has to figure out how to skate in her head and master the butterflies in her stomach, and how to handle the mean, super-competitive girls she's now skating with. My favorite image that I'll take away from this story is Claire describing that the butterflies in her stomach are still there, but now they're flying in formation.

Girls' Outerwear Cherokee® Pink Fleece Peruvian Hat Gloves And Scarf Set 8-16Messner creates a story where the characters feel like friends you've had a long time. Claire is full of layers and readers get to see many sides of her personality. The plot moves along at a good pace, keeping you interested and yet allowing you to see Claire's dilemmas and frustrations develop. Each of the supporting characters feel like real people, not just parts of the story or cogs in the wheel. It's a lovely story I'd highly recommend, to skaters and non-skaters alike.(less)

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Jul 12, 2012 J rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-school-fiction, realistic-fiction

Don't judge this book by its cover! What looks like a novel for 3rd or 4th graders is a solid upper middle school story of a country girl who is given a shot at big league figure skating. Claire lives on a farm in upstate New York where maple sugaring is a big deal, but her passion is skating on the cow pond. She's discovered by an Olympic coach and offered a scholarship to train in Lake Placid. If you've ever wondered what it takes to be an Olympiad, this book will set you straight. Messner doe...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Susan P rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: j-fiction, potential-booktalks

I really liked this! Claire has grown up skating on the pond behind her house, and helping to coach younger kids in her small town where her family owns a farm that produces maple syrup (thus the title of the book). After she is spotted by an elite coach at a local competition, she is invited to attend an exclusive training camp for up and coming skaters on a full scholarship. Claire has always loved to skate, but skating competitively is a whole other ball of wax. The other girls are viciously...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Taya added it

Claire Boucher has a dream of being a professional ice scatter but her life is already all about skating on the frozen cow pond at the annual Maple Show in Mojimuk Falls. But all that changes when she is done skating the professional coach Andrei Grosheva offers Claire a scholarship to train with Lake Placid ice scatting rink. Then when claire is a mouth into the lessons there comes a toss into a world of mean girls on the ice, where competition is everything to the skaters. Claire realizes that...more

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May 03, 2011 Carol Owen rated it 5 of 5 stars

What I was expecting: a girl overcoming her fears and skating her way to the top, going on to become the next skating sensation. What I got: a very sensitive story about the trials and difficulties a young girl faces after receiving a scholarship to train at Lake Placid. These trials and difficulties include the reality of juggling an already busy schedule, maintaining old friendships and engaging in new, giving up things she loves, and dealing with the stress of competition, especially when som...more

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Nov 27, 2010 Laura Pauling rated it 5 of 5 stars

Enter the life of Claire as she enters the world of competitive ice skating. Struggle with her as she deals with jealous and not-so-nice skaters, a grueling schedule, and a lot of time away from home and her friends. Eventually, Claire will have to make a choice.

An incredible journey as Claire experiences the ups and downs of a competitive sport. You will hear the crackle of the tension and feel the deep emotions of what athletes endure to move ahead in their sport. I connected to Claire and lov...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Kristi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wouldn't have picked this book up if it had not been recommended to me. Ice skating is not my thing and I just assumed I wouldn't really connect with it, but I did.

Claire is a good student who enjoys spending time with her family, friends and her small town. I loved how she stayed true to herself under all the pressure of skating and her scholarship.

The other characters in this book are great too. You get to see how each girl (and one boy) react to pressure and where it takes them. Claire ma...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Sana El Manahi rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the greatest books EVER written. This author is amazing. I love how she always describes everything so perfectly

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Jan 05, 2011 Anne Beier rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: acceptance, acting-out, bullying, changes, coming-of-age, confidence, coping, discovery, family-issues, female, friends, j, money-issues, moral-issues, realistic-ficiton, secrets, sports, skating, competiton

This book is far more sophisticated than the cover. Clarie is scouted for a skating scholarship in a minor competition and is then coached by a top coach with other very competitive skaters. She is bullied, but in a psychological way. It becomes obvious who that bully is mid-way through the book. She works with a sports psychologist which I wish they had spent more time with in the story. It became an interesting relationship and an important part of the plot. In the end, Claire really discovers...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sugar and Ice by Kate Messner follows thirteen year old Claire as she receives a scholarship to work with a prestigious figure skating coach. Claire, thrust into this high stress environment has to learn to deal with a crew of backstabbing girls and trying to figure out a way to balance her new schedule with the rest of her life.

Messner does a fantastic job with creating a world that readers can get lost in. Claire's love of skating and her fight for confidence makes her a character that girls c...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids, sports, strongfemalecharacters, realistic, 2011reads

Booktalk: All most people can think of in Mojimuk Falls is how to escape, but Claire loves her small, rural, New York town . She loves her family’s maple sugar farm, she loves her best friend Natalie, she loves doing math league at school, but most of all she loves ice skating. Whether it’s skating club with Natalie, junior coaching, or just skating on the cow pond, Claire feels at home and free when she’s on the ice. What Claire doesn’t love is competitions. Even though she’s the best skater in...more Booktalk: All most people can think of in Mojimuk Falls is how to escape, but Claire loves her small, rural, New York town . She loves her family’s maple sugar farm, she loves her best friend Natalie, she loves doing math league at school, but most of all she loves ice skating. Whether it’s skating club with Natalie, junior coaching, or just skating on the cow pond, Claire feels at home and free when she’s on the ice. What Claire doesn’t love is competitions. Even though she’s the best skater in Mojimuk Falls, the one time Claire tried to compete, she was too scared to even get on the ice. Luckily the town’s big Maple Show isn’t a competition, it’s just an ice skating exhibition, so Claire’s thrilled to be doing the Maple Princess Solo.
After a perfect solo, Claire is surprised to be approached by Andrei Groshev, a former Olympic skater, with the offer of a Silver Blades Scholarship – the chance to train at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid for free. It’s a huge opportunity – this is training on a national level with a world-class coach – but Claire is sure her parents won’t have to time for the long commute while managing the busy farm. To Claire’s surprise her parents make some sacrifices and before she knows it, she’s training with Coach Groshev in Lake Placid.
Only, it’s not like skating at home. Claire’s talented, but the other girls in the program are super competitive and some are downright mean. There are always extra practices which mean no time to see Natalie, no time for math league, no time for junior coaching. Competitive ice skating becomes Claire’s entire life. With her parents determined to do whatever it takes to make Claire’s skating dreams come true, a best friend who’s not talking to her, and a coach who’s constantly pushing her harder, Claire feels pulled in all directions. As the pressure mounts it becomes clear though that only Claire can decide: What life will she choose? Skating star or normal girl?

I really liked learning about skating and beekeeping and the relationships rang true. The little bit of mystery that surrounds the mean girl bullying worked, too. This is a solid choice for late elementary and middle school girls.(less)

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Feb 05, 2011 Kellee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction, website-review-done, my-best-read-in-2011-not-pub-in-11

This book was described to me as mean girls on ice. And it is, but it is also so much more.

The main character Claire is from a small town in New York and loves to skate for fun when, at a show, a Russian coach from Lake Placid offers her a scholarship to train at the Olympic Center. This could change Claire's life, which is why she accepts. This acceptance leads to great sacrifice though- friendships, family time, school, etc. Is it worth it? And on top of that, some of the girls at the center...more

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Dec 15, 2010 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fabulous story. Within the first three paragraphs, I was already exclaiming to my dogs, who love to hear about the books I’m reading, about the incredible voice in this book. I could hear Claire and her mom talking in the sugarhouse, smell the sweet maple syrup cooking, and feel the chill in the air. The imagery was beautifully done.

As was the story itself. Claire is offered the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to train with an awesome coach and skaters who are the cream of the crop. Despite some...more Fabulous story. Within the first three paragraphs, I was already exclaiming to my dogs, who love to hear about the books I’m reading, about the incredible voice in this book. I could hear Claire and her mom talking in the sugarhouse, smell the sweet maple syrup cooking, and feel the chill in the air. The imagery was beautifully done.

As was the story itself. Claire is offered the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to train with an awesome coach and skaters who are the cream of the crop. Despite some trepidation and uncertainty, she takes it and sets off down a path she never expected. I don’t recall reading if Kate Messner competed in sports or anything when she was younger, but this book certainly reads as if she did. She does an amazing job detailing the intense mental and physical pressure athletes and high-caliber competitors face every day as well as showing the dedication and sacrifice it takes to be elite.

Claire herself is a great character and an excellent role model for girls. She’s kind, brave, and willing to work hard for what she wants. Plus, she loves math—there’s a whole sub-plot revolving around Claire’s math project which involves Fibonacci numbers. Though I’m more of an English chick, I really enjoyed Claire’s fascination with Fibonacci numbers and how she even connected them to skating (I love when everything intersects like that in books).

There were so many things I loved about this book: how supportive Claire’s parents were, the flirtation between Claire and a cute skater boy, the sports psychologist who helps Claire when she has trouble with her jumps, Claire’s best friend and her love and care of her honeybees, the description of the skaters on the ice, and Claire’s new skating friend and her love of fantasy and paranormal novels. All these elements blend beautifully into the overall story.

If I had to fuss about something, it would be that the “bad” guy was a little obvious. Well, to me, at least. It’s probably because I’ve had experience with uber-competitive girls and have been stabbed in the back by them so, when Claire’s saboteur is revealed, I wasn’t too surprised. However, I’m thinking that the girls who read this novel will be surprised, (thus negating my complaint).

One of my favorite books of 2010, SUGAR AND ICE is a sweet spin with a perfect double toe loop around the ice.(less)

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Nov 03, 2010 Betsy rated it 4 of 5 stars

They say to write what you know. We’ve all heard that line. It’s bounced about countless writing groups. But there’s an unspoken rule amongst children that’s as pervasive as it is harmful: Read what you know. If you’re a soccer fan, only read soccer books. If you like ballet, get a whole bunch of ballet books. Librarians, teachers, and parents can spend countless hours fighting against the sometimes innate understanding some children have acquired that dictates that they can’t read about anythin...more They say to write what you know. We’ve all heard that line. It’s bounced about countless writing groups. But there’s an unspoken rule amongst children that’s as pervasive as it is harmful: Read what you know. If you’re a soccer fan, only read soccer books. If you like ballet, get a whole bunch of ballet books. Librarians, teachers, and parents can spend countless hours fighting against the sometimes innate understanding some children have acquired that dictates that they can’t read about anything outside of the realm of their own (limited) experience. This might be understandable if you were dealing with a writer that played by his or her own rules and failed to let child readers in on the fun, but it’s absolutely ridiculous when you’re dealing with a book like Kate Messner’s Sugar and Ice. Authors that commit to creating worlds that are outside the experience of your average everyday kid and yet are accessible enough for ALL children to enjoy are rare, but they’re out there. Sugar and Ice is out there. And you don’t have to be a fan of ice skating, Fibonacci, beekeeping, or sugar tapping to enjoy it (though it probably wouldn’t hurt if you were).

For Claire Boucher life is pretty simple. Practice skating on the local cow pond. Help out at the small ice skating rink when possible. And for fun, do a segment during the local competition’s Maple Festival. All that changes when Claire’s routine for fun catches the eye of big-time muckety muck trainer Andrei Groshev. Groshev has a deal for Claire. He’s offering her a scholarship to train with other students like herself for huge ice skating competitions. In return, Claire will have to sacrifice the life she’s always known. Not a natural competitor, Claire accepts then almost immediately wonders what she’s gotten herself into. Most of the kids are nice, but some are jealous of her talent. She hardly has time to do schoolwork as well as training, and worst of all someone is sabotaging her equipment and confidence. In the end, Claire needs to determine if she’s got what it takes to be a serious contender, or if she’s just gonna go back to her cow pond and forget any of this ever happened.

Let’s go back to what I was saying earlier about authors who commit to distinct, one-of-a-kind worlds. In the case of this particular book, Ms. Messner has brought the world of competitive ice skating to real and vibrant life. I think a lot of kids have shared in the experience of watching ice skaters during the Olympics leap, and often fall, in their attempts to nab the gold. There's a very real drama there. But even if you’re dealing with a child who has only the haziest understand of ice skating, Claire’s life is going to ring true for them. That’s because Ms. Messner commits to the bit. She’s going to use emotional situations that everyone can relate to and then work in real facts about skating in the gaps. The result is that even though I don’t know a triple lutz from a double axel, I can follow this story. The result is that the reader gets the same experience they would have if they read something like Jane Smiley’s The Georges and the Jewels about horse training. You don’t have to know, or even be interested in, the material when things start. What’s important is that the author takes a hold of your heart from the beginning and doesn't let go. Messner does this beautifully.

Such writing usually begins with a main character you can believe in. Claire Boucher’s voice is written in the first person throughout this story. Claire is the kind of girl who doesn’t like professional competition, so right there Messner had the goal of keeping Claire from sounding whiny. This is a difficult thing to do. If your protagonist has to overcome an obstacle and they keep talking about it, the danger is that your readership is going to get fed up with her and throw the book against a wall. Fortunately for everyone, Ms. Messner makes you really like Claire long before her insecurities take hold. She even works in little details about Claire that affect your view of her, like the fact that what really gets our heroine’s blood running hot is skating to the Indiana Jones theme song. I appreciate the non-girlyness of that choice. It’s a kickin’ sequence and you feel a little jolt of hope after it’s done.

As I read the story, I was fascinated to find that I expected everything to have been wrapped up on page 186. This is partly because I didn’t really realize that the book is part journey, part mystery. Booktalkers of this title might want to play up the mystery aspect when selling it to kids. I mean somebody is messing up Claire’s outfits and doing everything possible to keep her from competing. The fact that Claire points the finger at the wrong person for much of this book is just a red herring. The real culprit is far sneakier. I’d love to interview some kid after they read this book to see if any of them guessed the identity of the real bad guy.

Librarians reading the book will appreciate the references to everything from School House Rock to Hattie Big Sky. Kids reading the book will appreciate that the author knows how to speak to more than just ice skating fans. Don’t get me wrong... for fans of ice skating this book is nothing short of a dream come true. If I don’t see a copy of this book in every single ice skater’s gym bag by the end of December I will eat my proverbial hat. But there’s a lot of rich writing at work here, above and beyond the obvious plot elements. It’s got a relatable heroine, three-dimensional villains, a rags to riches element, some convincingly exhausting sequences, and an ending that will probably catch a couple folks by surprise, both in terms of the villain’s reveal and the heroine’s final decision. Publishers like to bandy about the term “strong middle grade” to describe books, but it’s not always accurate. Consider this book, then, a definite contender in the “strong middle grade” ring. A title that remains in your mind long after you’ve put it down.

For ages 9-12.
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Dec 18, 2010 Steph Su rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bea10, best-of-10, own

If all middle grade were written as well as this, I think I just might read middle grade forever. Kate Messner’s second novel is just as fun, heartfelt, and engrossing as her first. It sent me in ecstacies of delight over how much I loved it!

I don’t know much about either collecting sap or ice-skating, but SUGAR AND ICE made me wish I were Claire. She is a delightful protagonist, full of love for her friends, family, and passion, but also young enough to experience the vulnerabilities of dealing...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com

Claire has so much going on with her skating, coaching young skaters, school work, working on her family's farm, and hanging out with her friends. One day, all that changes when a famous Russian coach sees her skate at the annual Maple Show. She lands a double toe loop, impressing him greatly.

He offers her a scholarship to skate at the school in Lake Placid for the summer. Claire can't believe it. She almost doesn't take the scholarship. The drive...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Colby Sharp rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this book was another great example of why Kate Messner is the the Swiss Army Knife of children's literature. Much like in Gianna Z. Kate manages to completely nail the bully in this book. The bullying in this book is much different than in Gianna Z, but I feel like Ms. Messner nails a bully like only a teacher can.

This is a great book about chasing "your" dreams. The book makes you really think about whose dreams you are chasing and if they really are "your" dreams.

Awesome read!

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Mar 20, 2011 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mean-girl, sports-girls, 6-9-grade-sports

Set in the world of skating, hockey for most boys and figure skating for girls,this book does an excellent job of showing the reader the pressure Claire is under. The bratty pack-like girls that train with the top Russian coach, the struggle to maintain friendships in her pre-Lake Placid training life...these things make you feel for the likable Claire.
The imagery of the ice, maple and cold-weather food made me HUNGRY while I was reading this....I love when a book helps you decide what to make...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Ms. McC rated it 3 of 5 stars

I downloaded this book to read on my new eReader!
Claire is a figure skater from Northern New York. As I live across the lake in Vermont, it was fun to read about familiar places and events and Claire wins a skating competition and a scholarship to train in Lake placid.

While dreams are coming true for her, she slowly realizes that everything has a price, even dreams. She needs to decide if the price is one that she is willing to pay.

2011-2012 DCF nominee)

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Feb 26, 2012 Dani rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a really good book and a very quick read. It is about a 12 year old girl named Claire who loves figure skating and gets a scholarship to train with an Olympic medal winning coach at a famous ice rink. The book follows all her troubles that involve things from competitive skaters to her mental block with certian skating skills. The book is very interesting since it is about a sport that isn't incredibly talked about, and it also is very inspiring.

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Dec 21, 2010 Barbara Maguire rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sugar and Ice included so many elements of competitive skating-- rivalry, parental support, losing school and friend time to name a few. I've always loved watching skating and it felt like I was reading the true story of Claire. I was really surprised by some plot twists, which just added to the story. I love that this book is a good, solid read without a lot of things to worry about as far as passing it on to middle grade readers. Great read.

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Dec 30, 2010 Franki Sibberson added it

Shelves: middle-grade-novel

A great read. Loved the story and the characters. This is such a great story and one I think middle grade kids wll relate to. There is so much to think and talk about. What is worth working for, finding your passions, etc. I am thinking that Andrei Groshev belongs on 100 Cool Teachers list. I would love this as a read aloud but am thinking it might be best as a book club book. I can't wait to read more by Kate Messner.

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About Kate Messner

Kate Messner is an award-winning author, TED 2012 speaker, and former middle school English teacher. Her books for kids include THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z.,SUGAR AND ICE, and EYE OF THE STORM (Walker/Bloomsbury Dec. 2010) the MARTY MCGUIRE series (Scholastic), SEA MONSTER'S FIRST DAY, and OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW (Chronicle, Books). Kate also wrote SPITFIRE and CHAMPLAIN AND THE SILENT ONE, bot...more

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