Ana on the Edge--"I don't want them to think girl, but I don't want them to think boy either"

Title: Ana on the Edge

Author: A.J. Sass


LGBTQ+ Representation: Main character is nonbinary, secondary characters are gay and transmasculine.


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Twelve-year-old Ana-Marie is a junior figure skating champion. Yet she does not feel comfortable when her new skating outfit has a skirt: she doesn’t feel girly. Ana meets Hayden, a transgender boy who assumes Ana is also a boy. Ana finds comfort in a boyish identity but isn’t sure it fits how she feels either. Will living her truth ruin her skating career?


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): What sticks with me a lot about this book is how super mature and responsible Ana is, especially for a twelve-year-old. She and her mother, who has sacrificed to help Ana become a successful skater, have a great relationship. 
    

I really liked reading the scenes between Ana and her mother. Even when Ana's mother does not understand what being nonbinary means, she is supportive and I like how the adults do not claim to have all the answers. 

Another adult, Ana's skating coach, acts as a positive influence. I have to admit I was apprehensive that the coach (and then the choreographer) in the book would be "the bad guy."

Ana's interactions with her friends are interesting to read. I think it's important for kids (and adults!) to read stories that have to do with making and keeping friends. Ana is able to work things out with her best friend from skating and make new friends also. 

Ana's relationship with Hayden is more complicated since she is not honest with him upfront, but again I was impressed with Ana's maturity in the situation.

I enjoyed learning about figure skating too. I knew absolutely nothing about it before reading this book. I liked Ana's creative solution to her skating routine.

This book is on the 2021 Rainbow Book List. 


My final takeaway (in 75 words or fewer): This story explains well how someone can feel uncomfortable with identifying as male or female and why they might identify as nonbinary. I liked the relationships between Ana and her mother and Ana and her friends. The author of the book also identifies as nonbinary.


Memorable quotes/passages from the book: 

• "The day keeps getting better! Mom packed bao. A steamed bun filled with bean paste, the bao is technically my dessert. But since I'm old enough to help pay for my training now, I should also get to decide what order I eat things in. The bao comes first" (pg. 49).
    
• "And this one's ana, which means 'I.' You can use that if you're a girl or a boy" (pg. 203).
     
• "I'd rather be the brave hero instead of the person who needs saving" (pg. 210).
     
• "It's not about how my body works . . . It's how I feel and what people think I am when they see me. That's why I cut my hair shorter and wear the clothes I do. I don't want them to think girl . . . but I don't want them to think boy either" (pg. 213).

Other reviews: New York Times and Cannonballread.

If you liked this book, you should read Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens and I Wish You All the Best.

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This book is available here: https://library.greensboro-nc.gov/

Learn more about the Rainbow Book List here: http://www.ala.org/rt/glbtrt