On thin ice / by Michael Northrop.

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Title:

Author:

Northrop, Michael

ISBN:

9780545495905

Edition:

First edition

Physical Description:

228 pages

Abstract:

The way twelve-year-old Ked Eakins of Norton, Maine, sees it his life has been stolen from him, piece by piece; first by kyphosis, a spinal abnormality which has made him a social outcast at school and a target for the school bully, by his friends who have recently abandoned him, by his mother who left for the West Coast taking the insurance which might have saved him with her, and by his father who is a gambling addict who has lost the rent money--but Ked is a builder, and using the school's Maker Space he intends to build his life back, and maybe make a few real friends, and save his father while he is at it.

Subject Term:

Kyphosis -- Juvenile fiction.

Fathers and sons -- Juvenile fiction.

Compulsive gamblers -- Juvenile fiction.

Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction.

Bullying -- Juvenile fiction.

Interpersonal relations -- Juvenile fiction.

Friendship -- Juvenile fiction.

Spine -- Abnormalities -- Juvenile fiction.

Gambling -- Juvenile fiction.

Geographic Term:

Maine -- Juvenile fiction.

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library	Juvenile Fiction Book Hardback	120791002771636	J NOR	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

New York Times bestselling author Michael Northrop captures the middle-school experience -- from the hurt to the hope -- in this powerful story of creativity in the face of cruelty. If I did something risky now, something big -- it's almost like it wouldn't even be my fault. Almost like it might even work. Ked Eakins is about to lose everything.He's just discovered that his dad has gambled away their rent money. They're going to get kicked out of their home.But Ked is determined to fight back. He hatches a plan to save their apartment by rebuilding a vintage minibike in his school's maker space, which he'll sell for a profit.Still, the plan is a gamble of his own: Going to maker space forces Ked into the path of a school bully, who torments him about his progressive spinal condition.Can Ked -- with the help of some unlikely new friends -- find a way to fix the bike and save his family from going under before it's too late? New York Times bestselling author Michael Northrop has written a powerful story a boy who -- against all odds -- decides to bet on himself and create something new from broken pieces.

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4--7--Life is hard for seventh-grader Ked Easkins. First of all, he has a degenerative back condition that makes his spine curve. Because of this, he feels like he has lost his best friends Maps, Nephi, and Danny. He is endlessly harassed by a stereotypical bully character nicknamed Landrover. And if that isn't enough for a 13-year-old to endure, his father has just gambled away their rent money. Ked does not let his circumstances get him down for long. He buys the pieces of a sought-after minibike and hatches a plan to use the school's maker space to rebuild the bike in order to sell it. If this plan works, Ked and his dad won't have to move, yet again, to a more downsized place. At times, the odds seem in Ked's favor, but right when it looks like things will work out, they take a downward turn. The topic of bullying is addressed without seeming didactic, and Ked and Landrover end up in a survival situation that helps them understand and change their perspectives of each other. Eventually, Ked is able to fully come to terms with his disability to accept the friendships that have been waiting for him. VERDICT An engaging coming-of-age story; recommended for general purchase.--Jill Baetiong, Bloomingdale Public Library, IL

Kirkus Review

A boy with a rare spinal deformity makes a desperate bet to keep his home."[E]verything you subtract adds up," 12-year-old Ked Eakinsaka "Freakins"remarks, summarizing his life till seventh grade. After Ked was diagnosed with kyphosis, his mother lefttaking her good job and health insurance with herand his friendships dwindled like "a game of musical chairs." Now, Ked lives on "the edge of the edge" of "failing mill town" Norton, Maine, with his dad, who's had his factory shifts cut in halfand gambled two months' rent away. Frantic, Ked himself gambles on restoring and selling a minibike in time to avoid eviction, but roadblocks abound. Northrop depicts the everyday realities of poverty in unvarnished detail: Ked digs through trash cans for redeemable bottles, maximizes half-hour public-library computer sessions, and buys his "good" clothes on sale at the outlet stores. But Ked's pragmatism and determination keep bleakness at bay, and kindness comes from unexpected people. Like Ked's run-down hometown, his frank, introspective narration offers some beautiful moments; a carburetor, for instance, is "small and self-contained, like a heart." The author's portrayal of Ked's dad's gambling addiction and its toll on Ked is unflinching but not without hope. The ending is realistically satisfying, and readers will appreciate Ked's realization that his back is "what [he looks] like," but "[he's] what [he does.]" Most characters appear white; Ked's friend Nephi is a Somali immigrant. A sharp, sympathetic insight into poverty, family, friendship, and forgiveness. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Ked, 12, has a spinal condition that gives him a hunchback. and causes classmates like hulking Landrover to bully him. Like others in his economically depressed Maine mill town, Ked is poor; his mother is gone and his father gambles away their money. Smack in the middle of a pond in their town is a tower, and during the annual ""thin ice days,"" townspeople bet on when it's going to fall. Ked's father needs to win his bet, otherwise they'll be evicted from their apartment. Meanwhile, Ked has his own plan to make a buck; it involves ""borrowing"" the rent money to repair and resell a broken-down minibike. He's counting on using the school's maker-space to repair the bike, but Landrover keeps thwarting his plans. The boys' conflict comes to a head when they find themselves in a dangerous life-or-death situation. This absorbing book realistically conveys middle-school dynamics while respectfully portraying the lives of working poor families. The relationships are complex, particularly between Ked and his father, with flawed but sympathetic characters.--Sharon Rawlins Copyright 2019 Booklist

Excerpts

I drop my tray on the round, empty table in front of me. It clatters loudly. It doesn't matter. The volume in the cafeteria is at jet-engine level. Everyone is talking, everyone is joking. And anyone who was going to stare at me is already doing it. I sit down alone. Everyone says we're never going to use most of what we learn in school. But some of it's important. Right now I'm thinking about math. I'm thinking about addition and subtraction all at once. I'm thinking about how everything you subtract adds up. When Maps left our table last year, there were still three of us: Nephi, Danny, and me. We didn't even take it that personally. We all knew Maps was different. He was an instant star on the middle school teams. He had teammates to talk to and games to plan. And even when Nephi made his move to the makers' table, there was still Danny. There was still someone left. They were never leaving me alone. It was easier for me and, honestly, I think it was easier for them too. They're not bad guys. At least I never used to think so. We all knew the deal: Things change. New classes, new teams, new schedules, and so yeah, sometimes that's going to add up to new friends and new tables. It was almost like a game of musical chairs: one less player each time. You just start up again with whoever is left. But now Danny is gone. Subtract one, like every time before. But this time it leaves me with zero. Game over: not enough players. Danny didn't do anything different than the others. He just did it last. He was my last friend from before, but now he has slipped away like a fish with no one to net it. I'm alone. It happened piece by piece and then all at once. Now, it's down to me and what's left of this sad, soggy piece of pizza. The table is big and round and white, like the beam of a spotlight. Like the number zero. Welcome to the rest of my life, I think. I hate this cafeteria. And it hates me back. Excerpted from On Thin Ice by Michael Northrop All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.