A. J. Sass

Twelve-year-old Jewish Chinese-American Ana is a champion figure skater who lives with her mom, who works hard to pay for lessons, costumes, and choreography. But there are a lot of changes happening this summer: Ana is switching rinks, away from her best friend Tamar; she meets Hayden, who is trans, and he mistakes her for a boy; and she gets to work with a new choreographer, but the Sleeping Beauty program Miss Lydia develops for Ana doesn't feel right for her. Ana struggles to figure out why she feels so uncomfortable wearing a skirt and having people think she's a girl, when she IS a girl...right? Through Hayden, she learns about pronouns in English and other languages, and learns the term nonbinary, but it takes her some time to tell her coach Alex, her mom, Tamar, and Hayden. Like many young, disciplined athletes, Ana is more mature than many other kids her age, and ultimately she finds a way to tell the truth and mend fences with old and new friends.

See also: Different Kinds of Fruit by Kyle Lukoff

Quotes

"Whenever I need to ask my mom for something, I make sure she's in a really good mood first. Then I tell her why it's important to me, so she knows I'm serious. Maybe you could do something like that with your parents?" (Ana to Faith, 192)

I'm still hiding who I am from all the people who matter. (218)

It may be the perfect size for me, but it definitely doesn't feel like a good fit. (223)

I know lying is never okay, but maybe sometimes it's necessary. (228)

Every choice I make costs something. (284)

How long will I have to keep pretending if I never speak up? (303)

"Sometimes the people we love form ideas about who we are that don't fit with the reality they've just discovered." (Alex to Ana, 314)… (mer)