BOOKS YOU’LL FLIP OVER

Three high-flying novels about the powerful world of gymnastics.

Winterland

By Rae Meadows

Head Over Heels

By Hannah Orenstein

You Will Know Me

By Megan Abbott

KAREN NEWFIELD

First and foremost a reader, she has reviewed hundreds of books on her blog www. readingandeating. com. And, more recently, this new Keys resident has also begun writing.

In the Soviet Union of 1973, Anya is a little girl with a big dream. When she turns 8 years old, she receives a knock on her door. Would it be ballet or gymnastics? With the assistance of her father, she prepares and is selected for the local sports school to become a gymnast. Anya wants to represent her country and help her family living in the remote mining village of Norilsk, their grim and grueling days filled with hardship. Food is scarce, the weather is bitter and her mother, a once-famous ballerina, mysteriously disappeared three years ago. Anya’s competitive edge comes naturally, and throughout her gymnastics career there is no room for error. The author expertly depicts the biting wind and below-Arctic temperatures along with the astonishing training, both mentally and physically, that these young women endure. “Winterland” takes the reader back to some of the most memorable years of gymnastics in the U.S.S.R. With mesmerizing detail and a wonderful cast of characters, this superb novel scores big.

Like many girls in the gym, Avery Abrams had but one goal: to be an Olympic gymnast. Unlike most, she truly was extraordinary and a promising career was on the horizon. She trained and surrendered her entire childhood – no junk food, few friends, no sleepovers and home-schooling. Avery and her parents sacrificed the simple things that most people take for granted. When she tragically injured herself at the Olympic trials, her chance to lead the girls team disappeared. In a flash, her career was over. After trying college gymnastics, she admitted her heart was no longer in it, and her life proceeded to spiral out of control for seven long years. Moving back home to the small town she grew up in, this former superstar is now forced to face the ghosts from her past and figure out her future. One day coach Ryan – a former gymnast she crushed on throughout her teenage years – convinces Avery to assist a promising young athlete for the upcoming Olympics, and she admits she is ready to begin the healing process. Funny and well-written, this adorable rom-com is filled with dreams and the crushing reality of competition. Definitely an all-around winner.

WATCH TIP: “Raising The Bar” on Netflix. A hopeful teen gymnast moves to Australia with her mom, making new friends and renewing her love of the sport. Familyfriendly with lots of life lessons.

You can practice more than anyone, suffer more discipline than all the others, but there is always one girl who is better. Devon Knox is number one. Every minute of the Knox family’s lives revolves around the schedule, cost and future of Devon’s gymnastic competitions. Her parents Eric and Katie are completely immersed in this world, with their little boy Drew quietly observing from the sidelines. Shortly before a gymnastics competition, a young family friend is killed in a hitand-run car crash, throwing the Knox family into chaos. Through investigations, hidden diaries and violent gossip that seem to tie Eric to the young man’s death, Devon’s mom does not know whom to believe, and protecting her daughter comes with a steep price. With dizzying twists and turns and a minor Tonya Harding scandal matched with brutal competitiveness, this peek into the world of gymnastics is a 10.