Kelly joins a new gym run by the Olympic coach, but she’s unsure of herself in the shadow of her “bubbly, / beautiful, confident” best friend, Jenny. Through Jenny, she meets Brandon, a cute boy she believes she doesn’t have a chance with since she’s “‘stocky.’ / And sad.” Kelly is devastated over the recent death of her beloved half brother, Michael, while he was camping with Todd, her other half brother. Her household is filled with tension—unkind Todd seems to resent it when Kelly’s grief spills over: “Todd is handsome and / charming. // To other people.” In short lines of unadorned free verse, Kelly speaks about her feelings (including guilt over experiencing happy moments when Michael’s life is over), the gym where she trains, a new gymnastics friend, family dynamics, and her growing involvement with Brandon. Shelton carefully portrays the tough world of competitive sports that Kelly wants to enter. Her fragile emotional state coupled with her drive to get onto the competition team supply this verse novel for striving readers with enough interest to keep the pages turning. Characters largely present white.
