Saturday, January 18, 2014

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill -- ESSENTIAL

Morrill, Lauren Being Sloane Jacobs, 354 pgs. Delacorte Press, 2014. $17.99.

Violence: PG; Language: PG-13 (45 swears; no 'f'); Sexual Content: PG.

Sloane Devon Jacobs and Sloane Emily Jacobs run into each other -- literally -- while in Canada for summer sports camps. When they discover they each want to escape their own lives, they decide to switch places. Now Sloane Devon is off to Sloane Emily's figure skating camp, while Sloane Emily gets to learn ice hockey at Sloane Devon's hockey camp. But keeping up their ruse is not the only thing these girls have to challenge them over the summer. For one thing, there are boys. And competitive skaters at each camp. And, well, learning that there's more to both figure skating and ice hockey than being good on the ice. But maybe running away from themselves is the way to find out who they truly are.

This is a fun, fast, heart-warming, satisfying, and romantic read that would appeal to girls who enjoyed such books as Anna and the French Kiss and Dairy Queen. Both Sloanes learn a lot throughout the book, but they still retain who they are at heart, which makes their transformations more believable. The details about both figure skating and ice hockey added plenty of color and interest to the world of the story without being overwhelming; Morrill clearly knows her stuff, and her love of sports comes through in every page. Yes, it takes quite a bit of suspension of disbelief to go with the incredible premise, but it's worth it for the enjoyable adventure and the many laugh-out-loud lines.

MS, HS -- ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: Caryn

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