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Golden Girl
A snowboarding prodigy tries to reclaim her standing as the “Golden Girl” at her elite winter sports academy in this brand-new M!X novel.
Lexi Miller—a.k.a. “Golden Girl”—is the snowboard cross queen. As the most promising student at her elite Vermont ski and snowboard school, Mountain Academy, Lexi is a shoo-in for the Olympic-level trial team. That is, until a freak fall during a snowboard-cross competition crushes her dreams and puts her future at stake.
A year later, Lexi’s back at school, physically healed, but still mentally scarred. Every time she straps on her snowboard, severe panic attacks set in. To make matters worse, her best friend has turned her back on her, her archenemy on and off the slopes is determined to make her life miserable, and everyone is treating her like an outcast.
The only person who seems to understand is Logan Conrad, a “staff rat” whose mother works on the mountain. Lexi finds herself drawn into his world just off the mountain, and discovers she has a knack for singing—something her new friends encourage. But Lexi’s dad—who also happens to be her coach and lead instructor at school—has different ideas about his daughter’s new friends and talent.
Will Lexi ever be able to figure out what exactly happened on the mountain a year ago while trying to balance her own dreams with the dreams her father has for her?
Lexi Miller—a.k.a. “Golden Girl”—is the snowboard cross queen. As the most promising student at her elite Vermont ski and snowboard school, Mountain Academy, Lexi is a shoo-in for the Olympic-level trial team. That is, until a freak fall during a snowboard-cross competition crushes her dreams and puts her future at stake.
A year later, Lexi’s back at school, physically healed, but still mentally scarred. Every time she straps on her snowboard, severe panic attacks set in. To make matters worse, her best friend has turned her back on her, her archenemy on and off the slopes is determined to make her life miserable, and everyone is treating her like an outcast.
The only person who seems to understand is Logan Conrad, a “staff rat” whose mother works on the mountain. Lexi finds herself drawn into his world just off the mountain, and discovers she has a knack for singing—something her new friends encourage. But Lexi’s dad—who also happens to be her coach and lead instructor at school—has different ideas about his daughter’s new friends and talent.
Will Lexi ever be able to figure out what exactly happened on the mountain a year ago while trying to balance her own dreams with the dreams her father has for her?
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 15, 2015
6 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Mari Mancusi
66 books2,304 followersMari Mancusi grew up where the north wind meets the sea (otherwise known as Massachusetts), but has since made her home in the great state of Texas, mostly due to her love of summer. (And tacos.) A former Emmy Award winning TV news producer, today she is the author of more than two-dozen books for kids, teens, and adults, mostly of the sci-fi/fantasy variety. In addition to writing, Mari loves traveling, video games, and cosplaying. She is also Mom to an eight year old Frozen superfan who, when recently asked by her teacher to describe her hero answered: “My Mom!” (Okay, fine, she said Kristin Bell.)
You can find Mari online at www.marimancusi.com. She knows several Samanthas.
You can find Mari online at www.marimancusi.com. She knows several Samanthas.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 2, 2016
Fluffity fluff, and not in a bad way. Lexi is basically a Mary Sue of a character—she's the top student at school; she can sing; she's attractive; she's had a setback, but it was because she was sabotaged, not because she made a mistake—but I couldn't really bring myself to mind.
I picked this one up for the boarding-school element, but unfortunately it didn't really deliver there. That is, it's a really interesting setup for a school (intense classes for part of the year, and then classwork ramped waaaay down during the winter sports season), but because we don't see Lexi in class it sometimes feels like a winter sports camp instead; because her father lives on campus and is forever popping by her room or taking her out to dinner or whatever it sometimes feels as though she's still home. (I'm sure I noticed this primarily because boarding school is the reason I read the book in the first place, so take that for what it is.)
Either way...it's still fluffity fluff, and for that it'll do nicely.
I picked this one up for the boarding-school element, but unfortunately it didn't really deliver there. That is, it's a really interesting setup for a school (intense classes for part of the year, and then classwork ramped waaaay down during the winter sports season), but because we don't see Lexi in class it sometimes feels like a winter sports camp instead; because her father lives on campus and is forever popping by her room or taking her out to dinner or whatever it sometimes feels as though she's still home. (I'm sure I noticed this primarily because boarding school is the reason I read the book in the first place, so take that for what it is.)
Either way...it's still fluffity fluff, and for that it'll do nicely.
February 27, 2018
WARNING:SPOILERS!: I loved this book so much! It taught people that no matter what other other's wishes are you should always do what makes you feel happy. I totally shipped Logan and Alexis. Even though Alexis was under so much pressure with snowboarding she was able to tell her dad how she felt about singing along with snowboarding. I also enjoyed this book because of the mystery involved with Alexis's accident. At first we all assumed it was Olivia. Ugh Olivia. But then we find out it was actually Becca, her best friend but it wasn't her fault. She lost her balance and made Alexis fall. I will definitely reread this book. I recommend for ages 8+.
December 2, 2019
Adult rating: 3 stars
Kid rating: 5 stars
I'm always looking for books to fill an under-represented niche. In this case, it's winter sports. Not many good books out there. There's a few good ones about ice skating, but you have to look hard to find any fiction stories with skiers and snowboarders. This one fills the need perfectly.
Alex is the golden girl at her upscale boarding school for kids training to be in the Olympics. Olivia is her arch-rival. When she suffers a terrible fall during a snowboarding competition, she's sure Olivia had yanked on her jacket right before the fall. She's out the rest of the season, but tells no one what happened. After spending the rest of the year in Florida with her mother, she's not keen on returning to Vermont. Fear has set in and she's not ready to face the pressure. Her parents think otherwise.
School is worse than expected. Her best friend has dumped her and she's afraid of the mountain. The only glimmer of hope is her new friend Logan. His parents can't afford the Academy, so he sneaks onto the slopes at night to get free practice time. One of those nights he meets Alex. He introduces her to his public school friends who have a band in need of a lead singer. Alex sings a few tunes and realizes she has a talent she never had the chance to explore with her busy training schedule. Now she has to figure out whether snowboarding is still her dream, and why her best friend wants nothing to do with her.
This book will appeal to tween girls whether they participate in winter sports or not. It has all the hallmarks of a good middle grade realistic fiction story. Romance. Friendship. Competition. Sports. Drama. There's many good lessons to learn, especially about coming clean when you've done something wrong, getting back in the saddle when you fall off the horse, fighting for a worthy friendship, understanding the circumstances that influence bad decisions, following your dreams, and recognizing the qualities in a great guy. Definitely buying this one.
Kid rating: 5 stars
I'm always looking for books to fill an under-represented niche. In this case, it's winter sports. Not many good books out there. There's a few good ones about ice skating, but you have to look hard to find any fiction stories with skiers and snowboarders. This one fills the need perfectly.
Alex is the golden girl at her upscale boarding school for kids training to be in the Olympics. Olivia is her arch-rival. When she suffers a terrible fall during a snowboarding competition, she's sure Olivia had yanked on her jacket right before the fall. She's out the rest of the season, but tells no one what happened. After spending the rest of the year in Florida with her mother, she's not keen on returning to Vermont. Fear has set in and she's not ready to face the pressure. Her parents think otherwise.
School is worse than expected. Her best friend has dumped her and she's afraid of the mountain. The only glimmer of hope is her new friend Logan. His parents can't afford the Academy, so he sneaks onto the slopes at night to get free practice time. One of those nights he meets Alex. He introduces her to his public school friends who have a band in need of a lead singer. Alex sings a few tunes and realizes she has a talent she never had the chance to explore with her busy training schedule. Now she has to figure out whether snowboarding is still her dream, and why her best friend wants nothing to do with her.
This book will appeal to tween girls whether they participate in winter sports or not. It has all the hallmarks of a good middle grade realistic fiction story. Romance. Friendship. Competition. Sports. Drama. There's many good lessons to learn, especially about coming clean when you've done something wrong, getting back in the saddle when you fall off the horse, fighting for a worthy friendship, understanding the circumstances that influence bad decisions, following your dreams, and recognizing the qualities in a great guy. Definitely buying this one.
August 18, 2023
Cute and very accurate. The pressure these young people face there parents living through them unfortunately is not a new story.
September 10, 2024
It is the best book I have ever read the is the biggest plot twist ever would recommend for girls around 10-12
August 9, 2016
13-year-old Lexi was one of the best snowboarders at the elite private school Mountain Academy. That is until she crashed hard during a race, breaking a leg, and was out of school until the next fall healing and working on physical therapy. But getting back into school isn’t as easy as she thought, panic attacks make it difficult to practice, despite her father’s confidence and support. Plus, her best friend Becca is acting weird - she’s actually joined the friend group of Lexi’s archenemy Olivia (who caused the fall in the first place). Now Lexi is battling more than just her physical injuries - she’s even doubting her commitment to Olympic Gold.
This is a great, action packed sports book! Full of girl drama, teen angst, boyfriends and snowboarding, this clean read is gripping and exciting. Part of the Aladdin Mix series, this stand alone novel about friendship, forgiveness and winter sports is a hit.
This is a great, action packed sports book! Full of girl drama, teen angst, boyfriends and snowboarding, this clean read is gripping and exciting. Part of the Aladdin Mix series, this stand alone novel about friendship, forgiveness and winter sports is a hit.
December 22, 2015
Golden Girl has something I love in a book: unpredictability. The directions she took this book in were so unexpected, yet it all came together in a perfect way. This is what great fiction is about! Lexi is the most promising young snowboarder in her snowboarding school...until an accident sidelines her. But it wasn't an accident at all...it was sabotage. The book chronicles her return to the slopes after the accident, including how she finds her way and figures out who her true friends are. Children (and adults) can learn a lot from Lexi's kind heart and inner strength.
April 21, 2016
Actual rating: 1.5 stars.
I was reading this book for work, or else I would have stopped reading within the first ten pages. Overwriting, awkward dialogue, cardboard characters, clunky construction--I really didn't care about any of the characters or relationships much, and I had guessed many of the twists before they came (if they can really be called twists), and I'm usually not as good at guessing if I'm very absorbed in the story.
On the bright side, I still enjoyed the happy ending (which--why, when I didn't enjoy the build-up? I don't know).
I was reading this book for work, or else I would have stopped reading within the first ten pages. Overwriting, awkward dialogue, cardboard characters, clunky construction--I really didn't care about any of the characters or relationships much, and I had guessed many of the twists before they came (if they can really be called twists), and I'm usually not as good at guessing if I'm very absorbed in the story.
On the bright side, I still enjoyed the happy ending (which--why, when I didn't enjoy the build-up? I don't know).
January 28, 2017
13 year-old Lexi Miller returns to her prestigious New England snowboarding school one year after an accident on the slopes and a lengthy recovery. She has to face the mean girl, losing her best friend, and countless pressures. A chance meeting with kids her own age who live in town opens up a new world of possibilities to Lexi. Everything seems to come easy for Lexi, no matter what she tries. This is a slight, fluffy coming-of-age novel.
March 24, 2016
This book was absolutely WONDERFUL!! My friend recommended it to me and I'm so glad she did. This book contained so much feeling and it made me cry, laugh, smile at all the right times! The book answered all my questions yet it left me wondering about everything! This book was perfectly 5 stars and I would definitely want to read this over and over again!!!
February 20, 2016
This book is so good. The ending is the best! Mari Mancusi did such a good job. The book is based on a real life problem that can happened. I had to find the theme of this book and I thought it would be Overcoming Challenges.
September 26, 2016
The theme of this book is that you can try new things, don't be glued to just one.
September 25, 2018
this book is about skiing.🗻🗻🗻🗻🗻🗻🗻🗻
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May 28, 2019It was a really really good book and i recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews