Enjoyable Read
Skate School: Ice Princess is the first in a new boarding school series, with a second, On Thin Ice, due in December and two more titles planned for 2010. Fairy Flowers author Kay Woodward injects just the right amount of levity into the sometimes cutthroat setting of an elite training school. Frankie is a prototypical heroine: talented, conflicted and plucky. Madame von Berne is an Eastern European taskmaster whose focus on stroking and basic skating would make Natalia Dubova proud. From a skating point of view, Ice Princess is surprisingly realistic. A light, enjoyable read, the new Skate School series holds its own against other entries in the "boarding school" genre. It is sufficiently skating-savvy to appeal to knowledgeable skaters without confusing non-skaters. Though there are several boys featured, the story's focus is on Frankie, and a hint of romance will likely ensue the readership consists of the targeted girls, age 9+.
Genuine Delight
With writing as fresh and clean as the ice on which her plucky heroine leaps and twirls to success, Kay Woodward's story of a boarding school nestled in the Swiss mountains, where Olympic hopefuls are trained as world-beating figure-skaters, is a genuine delight, and very much more Noel Streatfeild (Ballet Shoes) than Francine Pascal (Sweet Valley High). All the elements you would expect to find in a ripping yarn for gels are there: a homely but good-hearted central character whose natural talent has yet to be nurtured; an exotic mentor with a chilly exterior but mysteriously passionate past; a spoiled, vain, unprincipled rival - and of course, a glittering prize to be won through determination and Doing The Right Thing. Yet somehow, Skate School manages to be original, non-clichéd, entertaining, and totally up-to-date. Cool!
Compulsively Cool Read
Lovereading loves Skate School:Capturing the glamour, heartache and triumphs of Junior Olympic figure-skating, this stunning new series whisks readers off to, quite literally, the coolest boarding school on earth. This is a gripping new boarding school series with added ice, Skate School combines ambition, competition, friendship and fun. This compulsively cool read is sure to inspire budding sports stars everywhere - just in time for the Winter Olympics!
If you enjoy this read the second in the series On Thin Ice
http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/book/4807/Skate-School-1-Ice-Princess-by-Kay-Woodward.html"Skate School books promise to be the 'coolest' read in town..."
Check out the glowing new review here: http://www.lep.co.uk/bookreviews/Skate-School-Ice-Princess-.5827955.jp
Skate School is a hot pick!
Hot Brands Verdict With the Olympic Flame being lit today (22nd October) for the Winter Olympic Games 2010, this is a perfect story of ambition and the trials and tribulations of what’s involved in competitive sport, this will be loved by all fans of ice-skating. Great contemporary read !
http://www.hotbrandscoolplaces.co.uk/october-2009/childrens-autumn-book-supplement.html
