The opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing will air tonight in primetime at 8pm on NBC. If you love figure skating, skiing, snowboarding, bobsled, curling, hockey, and other winter sports, the next two weeks are going to be fun! Find more information about how and when to watch the Winter Olympics here. And for books to get you in the Winter Olympics mood, read on…
Picture Books:
Glory on Ice: A Vampire Hockey Story by Maureen Fergus. 2020. After centuries alone in his old castle, Vlad is ready to try something new. When he hears the local hockey team gushing about how they’ll crush and destroy their opponents in the next game, he knows he’s found the activity for him! Vlad immediately gives the game his all, but he soon realizes that super-human powers don’t mean much in hockey without a mastery of the basics. After weeks of practice, he’s finally ready for the big game…but can a hundreds-of-years-old vampire really learn new tricks?
Ice Breaker: How Mabel Fairbanks Changed Figure Skating by Rose Viña, illustrated by Claire Almon. 2019. In the 1930s, only white figure skaters were allowed in public ice rinks and to compete for gold medals, but Mabel Fairbanks wouldn’t let that stop her. With skates two sizes too big and a heart full of dreams, Mabel beat the odds and broke down color barriers through sheer determination and athletic skill. Mabel became the first African-American woman to be inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
Max and Marla by Alexandra Boiger. 2015. Max and Marla are best friends. And aspiring Olympians! With their eyes on the prize, they know exactly what it’ll take to reach sledding success: preparation, practice and perseverance. So when rusty blades, strong winds and difficult slopes get in their way, Max and Marla realize true joy lies not in winning but in friendship.
Middle Grade:
Ana on the Edge by A.J. Sass. 2020. Twelve-year-old Ana-Marie Jin, the reigning US Juvenile figure skating champion, is not a frilly dress kind of kid. So, when Ana learns that next season’s program will be princess themed, doubt forms fast. Still, Ana tries to focus on training and putting together a stellar routine worthy of national success. Once Ana meets Hayden, a transgender boy new to the rink, thoughts about the princess program and gender identity begin to take center stage. And when Hayden mistakes Ana for a boy, Ana doesn’t correct him and finds comfort in this boyish identity when he’s around. As their friendship develops, Ana realizes that it’s tricky juggling two different identities on one slippery sheet of ice. And with a major competition approaching, Ana must decide whether telling everyone the truth is worth risking years of hard work and sacrifice.
The Comeback by E.L. Shen. 2021. Twelve-year-old Maxine Chen is just trying to nail that perfect landing: on the ice, in middle school, and at home, where her parents worry that competitive skating is too much pressure for a budding tween. Maxine isn’t concerned, however–she’s determined to glide to victory. That is, until she finds herself in competition with Hollie, a gifted new skater, and at school is getting teased by a bully for her Chinese heritage. With her world akilter, will Maxine crash under the pressure? Or can she make a comeback?
Extreme Babymouse by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm. 2013. Grab your board! The powder’s fresh and Babymouse is hitting the slopes in the 17th installment of the popular, award-winning graphic novel series by Matthew Holm and three-time Newbery Honor winner Jennifer L. Holm! (Uh, snowboarding, Babymouse? Is that really a good idea? You don’t exactly have a good history with . . . er, being outside). Will Babymouse make it off the bunny slope? Will this winter be extreme–or just extremely lame? And does locker really have a cousin?
What Are the Winter Olympics? by Gail Herman. 2021. Although fans the world over have been fascinated by the modern Summer Olympics since 1896, the Winter Olympics didn’t officially begin until 1924. The event celebrates cold-weather sports, displaying the talents of skiers, ice skaters, hockey players, and, most recently, snowboarding. Like its summer counterpart, the Winter Games are dedicated to bringing together the world’s top athletes to honor their talents and see who gets to stand on the medal podium. Gail Herman covers it all in a wonderful read–the highs, such as the 1980 US hockey team’s unexpected gold medal grab, as well as the lows, including the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan figure-skating scandal in 1994.
Teen:
Check Please Vol. 1 by Ngozi Ukazu. 2018. Eric Bittle is a former Georgia junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and amateur pâtissier. But as accomplished as he is, nothing could prepare him for his freshman year of playing hockey at the prestigious Samwell University in Samwell, Massachusetts. It’s nothing like co-ed club hockey back in the South! For one? There’s checking. Second, there is Jack–his very attractive but moody captain.
Every Reason We Shouldn’t by Sara Fujimura. 2020. Sixteen-year-old figure skater Olivia Kennedy’s Olympic dreams have ended. She’s bitter, but enjoying life as a regular teenager instead of trying to live up to expectations of being the daughter of Olympians Michael Kennedy and Midori Nakashima… until Jonah Choi starts training at her family’s struggling rink. Jonah’s driven, talented, going for the Olympics in speed skating, completely annoying… and totally gorgeous. Between teasing Jonah, helping her best friend try out for roller derby, figuring out life as a normal teen and keeping the family business running, Olivia’s got her hands full. But will rivalry bring her closer to Jonah, or drive them apart? Warning: Contains family expectations, delightful banter, great romantic tension, skating (all kinds!), Korean pastries, and all the feels.
On Top of Glass: Stories of a Queer Girl in Figure Skating by Karina Manta. 2021. Karina Manta has had a busy few years: Not only did she capture the hearts of many with her fan-favorite performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, she also became the first female figure skater on Team USA to come out as queer. Attending a high school with 4,000 students, you’d expect to know more than two openly gay students, but Karina didn’t meet an out-lesbian until she was nearly seventeen–let alone any other kind of queer woman. But this isn’t just a story about her queerness. It’s also a story about her struggle with body image in a sport that prizes delicate femininity. It’s a story about panic attacks, and first crushes, and all the crushes that followed, and it’s a story about growing up, feeling different than everybody around her and then realizing that everyone else felt different too.
