"Grace is singularly focused on academics, running, and more, until her ambition gets in the way of family, friendships, and romantic interests, requiring her to redefine success. A knockout upper middle grade novel featuring an uber-competitive young teen trying to find her identity apart from 'being the best.' "
School Library Journal
Winning is everything to Grace and (she thinks) her dad. But she didn't get into the exclusive summer writing intensive, former friend Jonah wins the creative writing award and his GPA beats Grace's by half a point, winning the 8th grade Top Scholar award. What’s an overachiever who fails to achieve? To fill her days, Grace trains to run a half-marathon at the end of summer -- another chance to beat Jonah and feel better about herself. Is Grace willing to win at any cost?
"Mistakes are proof that you need to improve,…. But maybe mistakes are just…unavoidable."
What a fantastic upper middle grade novel. Keeping Pace is a heartfelt story about learning what it means to win at all costs and discovering whether it’s worth it or not.
In this story the main character, Grace, has been trying to get better grades than her former friend Jonah. She wants nothing more than to be named the top scholar of her eighth grade class. When Jonah beats her, she feels like all of her hard work wasn’t worth it. No longer knowing what goals to work toward, she signs up for a marathon she and Jonah always planned to run together. It’s through this that she discovers who and what really matters.
This book has such well rounded, relatable characters. There were so many things conveyed in Grace’s story that people of all ages can take something away from. The idea that putting in the effort and trying your best counts for something is a great reminder for young and older readers alike.
Overall, this was such a great story about life lessons, friendship, and overcoming insecurities.
A rich, captivating story.
"Life is a marathon, not a sprint."
Don’t tell that to Grace Eller, whose one-track mind is focused squarely on academic achievement. When she’s bested for both the creative writing and “Eighth-Grade Top Scholar” awards by friend-turned-rival Jonah Perkins, her sense of self is battered. What’s an overachiever who fails to achieve? With help from older sister Celia and cousin Avery, Grace comes up with a summer goals list. She’s poised for a journey of self-exploration: Babysitting Teddy (her dad’s girlfriend’s 4-year-old son), taking an ungraded creative writing class, learning to embrace her naturally curly hair, and training for a half-marathon are all activities that uproot Grace from her comfort zone. She discovers that opening herself up to new experiences allows her to let other people in and empowers her to redefine success on her own terms. This well-paced novel is a balm for readers who may be struggling with senses of self that are narrowly defined by grades or athletic performance. The supportive sibling and cousin dynamics enrich the narrative by finding the complementary middle ground in a juxtaposition of opposites. The authentically awkward navigation of a blossoming romance fuels Grace’s journey of emotional development, while an amicable post-divorce parental relationship tenderly reveals the uncomfortable truth that parents are people, too. Most characters are cued white; there’s racial diversity among the background characters.
An insightful read that highlights the struggles and strides young people make toward self-awareness.
(Fiction. 10-14)
"One of the best upper middle grade books I’ve read this year. Every single aspect was great: the plot, the characters, the writing, the mix of humor and sadness, the pacing. All great."
Grace is driven and thrives on goals. When she doesn’t get top scholar at middle school graduation (and instead her former friend Jonah gets the accolade) and also doesn’t get into the writing intensive she was hoping to, she begins to feel adrift. She needs new goals and plans for this summer, so her cousin/friend Avery and her sister Celia help her develop a list, which includes goals that are not just academic, things like make a new friend and get a haircut.
Grace doesn’t necessarily want to do all of the items listed (especially not kiss someone “extra points if it’s Jonah”), but her summer does start to take shape. She’s babysitting for the son of her dad’s new girlfriend, taking a writing class through the library, making a new friend, and training for a half marathon. It’s this last item that helps her reconnect with Jonah, who is also training for the half marathon. Through their runs, they start talking again, getting close like they used to be, and hanging out at times other than just training.
But, because life is never simple, especially not at 14, things repeatedly veer off track. There’s fights with her cousin, weird stuff to work through feeling about her dad, ups and downs with Jonah, and lots of reevaluating what it means to be so incredibly focused on achievement. Not only is that focus maybe limiting her life (and stressing her out), but there’s the small problem of having to figure out how to interact with PEOPLE and see them for all they are, because friendship and caring are not measurable achievements the same way passing a math test is. And Grace is a good friend. She’s a caring person. But she’s also 14 and figuring it all out. I admired how she could make mistakes and learn from them and apologize or change course. That’s a hard lesson for any age.
Full of supportive, well-rounded secondary characters (who, importantly don’t just support Grace but challenge her and help her see her way through things), this look at identity, relationships, and goals is a great read with the important reminder that you are more than just your accomplishments.