Whitney, Kim Ablon. The perfect distance.WHITNEY, Kim Ablon. The perfect distance. Random House, Knopf. 246p. c2005.0-375-83243-2. $15.95. JS* The tension and self-doubts experienced by athletes at the top of the national horse riding competition (the under-18 category) are the foundation of a moving, suspenseful sus·pense n. 1. The condition of being physically suspended. 2. a. The state or quality of being undecided, uncertain, or doubtful. b. reading experience for YAs. It's a world Whitney knows about firsthand first·hand adj. Received from the original source: firsthand information. first , which makes the story all the more powerful. The details of the competition itself, of caring for horses, of parental pressure on children to succeed, of fierce rivalry Rivalry Robbery (See THIEVERY.) Rudeness (See COARSENESS.) Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane bully and show-off compete for Katrina’s hand. [Am. Lit. , create the strong structure on which the plot itself rests. The main character, Francie Martinez, is a top competitor. She has grown up with horses: her father is a Mexican immigrant who started as a groom and has risen to be the barn manager for a top trainer. She receives lessons in exchange for being a groom in the stables, which sets her apart from the mostly wealthy riders who are her competitors. Francie never feels good enough and yearns for the praise of the verbally abusive Tending to deceive; practicing abuse; prone to ill-treat by coarse, insulting words or harmful acts. Using ill treatment; injurious, improper, hurtful, offensive, reproachful. , self-centered trainer Rob, for whom winning is everything. Any adolescent in any highly competitive arena, whether it is basketball or gymnastics gymnastics, exercises for the balanced development of the body (see also aerobics), or the competitive sport derived from these exercises. Although the ancient Greeks (who invented the building called a gymnasium , dance or musical performance, will recognize the truth of Francie's story. Whatever a young person perceives as his or her own weakness will surely loom loom, frame or machine used for weaving; there is evidence that the loom has been in use since 4400 B.C. Modern looms are of two types, those with a shuttle (the part that carries the weft through the shed) and those without; the latter draw the weft from a large as the stress of performance mounts. In the course of the story, Francie experiences realistically described relationships and dilemmas: for instance, her close relationship to her father, a single parent who has done a wonderful job raising his daughter, puts her into a difficult position when she sees insurance fraud and immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. violations in the stables her father manages. And her father is so afraid she will repeat her parents' mistakes, he forbids her to date Colby, a boy her age who has come to train at the stables and compete in the same competitions. Obviously, all YAs who love horses and horse stories will eat this up. It also will appeal to a larger group of YA readers who like stories of competition and excellence. Winning takes on a whole new meaning in Whitney's competitive world---the perfect distance may be an individual journey of growth. Claire Rosser, KLIATT J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. S--Recommended for senior high school students. *--The asterisk (1) See Asterisk PBX. (2) In programming, the asterisk or "star" symbol (*) means multiplication. For example, 10 * 7 means 10 multiplied by 7. The * is also a key on computer keypads for entering expressions using multiplication. highlights exceptional books. |
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