The Sea in Winter by Christine Day (review)

Day, Christine The Sea in Winter. Heartdrum/HarperCollins, 2021 [256p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780062872043 $16.99 Paper ed. ISBN 9780063078222 $12.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780062872067 $8.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-8

Twelve-year-old Maisie, who has been dancing since age four, tore her ACL pushing herself through an en pointe routine for which she was simply not ready. Although Maisie's prognosis for recovery is good, she senses that she's losing friends who are moving along to dance opportunities without her and that she must act now if she's ever to become the next Noelani Pantastico. In her panic she rails against school and her family, while once again pushing physical limitations and denying pain when it sends out warnings. Her physical therapist and her family agree that she can tackle a short hiking trip along the Washington coast, but with her mind spinning in frustration, she stumbles over a tree root and sets her recovery back, perhaps this time too far for a reset. Most of Maisie's tale is compressed into a period of several days over winter break, and as readers share her inner monologue, they're keenly aware that failure to follow professional advice and accept the support of teachers, family, and friends (who have demonstrably not deserted her) is turning her into her own worst enemy. Day lifts the narrative beyond the tribulations of another angsty tween heroine by offering an eminently reasonable path forward, paved with physical healing, emotional therapy, and reconnection with friends. There are also important examples of others who have had to reinvent themselves after crises, particularly Maisie's mother, who lost her soldier husband in Afghanistan, and their Makah nation, who lost and then reclaimed their whaling rights amid opposition from environmental activists. Day's closing note expands on tribal histories on the Olympic Peninsula and how research furthered her understanding of her own Native heritage.