Keeping Pace by Laurie Morrison (review)

Reviewed by: Keeping Pace by Laurie Morrison Cassidy Russell Morrison, Laurie. Keeping Pace. Amulet/Abrams, 2024 304p Trade ed. ISBN 9781419768750 18. 99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781647009977 17. 09 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 6-8 After Grace fails at her goal of winning the Eighth-Grade Top Scholar Award and doesn't get into the creative writing intensive she applied for, she has zero plans for the summer before high school. Worse yet, the scholar award went to Jonah, End Page 258 her former best friend. Their relationship is a complicated one: it abruptly ended when her parents divorced at the same time his dad passed away, and Jonah went to a different school for a few years. Things have remained tense, but now, as a peace offering, he has asked if she wants to train for a half-marathon together. The two are working to repair their relationship and come to terms with their potentially romantic feelings for each other until Grace hurts Jonah's feelings (possibly irreparably), and she suffers another disappointment that might make running the half-marathon impossible. Morrison deftly captures the anxiety of being an achievement-oriented teen girl ("I mess up everything that isn't school, so I have to be great at school") while also creating realistic secondary characters who highlight ways to deal with success or the lack of it, from Grace's cousin's struggles on an elite soccer team to Grace's father constantly putting his work before his family. The depth offered by several subplots highlights the theme of how people determine success, which is further explored through Emily Dickinson's poetry and an optical illusion metaphor that allows Grace to realize that there is more than one way to look at any situation. As Grace and Jonah navigate their feelings for each other, they learn relatable lessons about different ways to show up for people and about both the healthy and unhealthy ways to compete—plus they share an absolutely swoon-worthy first kiss. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois