I’ve longadmired writers like L.M. Montgomery and Jan Karon for their abilityto describe what I call the Adventure of Everyday Life. In theirwriting about ordinary people in everyday life circumstances, they’reable to unveil the reality that there are no ordinary people, andeveryday life offers opportunities for us all to respond well orpoorly to the chance to grow in grace and charity. Novelist Fiorellade Maria can be added to that list with her newest novel My Family and Other Skaters. Thoughreleased as a work for youth, this story can be enjoyed by all ages,and especially by those who appreciate the Adventure of EverydayLife.

deMaria is an experienced novelist who has written in a variety ofgenres. She’s no stranger to stories with sober, even heavy themes.This is her first foray into youth fiction, and in the judgment ofthis fellow author, it’s a smashing success. The protagonist isRosaria, or Rose (though occasionally known to friends and siblingsas “Rosie Rose!”), who is eleven and lives in a ramshacklemansion with her parents, five siblings, a St. Bernard, a pet alpacanamed Paddington (yes, there’s a story there), and a yard full ofchickens. The most important thing about the house is that it’s atwo minute walk to the town ice rink, because the whole family isdeeply into – and I mean deeplyinto – figure skating. Rosaria caught the skating bug from watchinga Torvil and Dean performance, and proceeded to infect the entirefamily, from her older brother Hugo down to her three-year-old twinsisters. Skating and rink life are the activity center of thisbustling family, though the bustle is only made possible by therock-solid foundation of faith and family commitment, which islow-key and understated.

There’sno Big Plot to the story, in the sense of major crises or dramaticlife upheavals. What occur are a series of what some might call minorincidents, such as when the family of Rose’s good friend Giuliana,who is also Hugo’s skating partner, decide to move back to Italy.Or when Rose’s mother decides to leverage her kitchen skills andproximity to the rink to open a cottage industry catering to hungryskating parents. Or when a homeless veteran needs a place forChristmas dinner. What happens is ordinary life, viewed through theeyes of a vivacious, effervescent eleven year old who love skating,her family, and pretty much everything else. What’s so charming isthat de Maria brings the reader into the center of all that everydayrichness, so you can live it alongside Rose, her friends, and herfamily.

Ina world that’s getting jaded with the antics of even superheroes(“No, we’re not just saving the world! This time...this timewe’re saving the entire universe!Really!”), we need stories that restore our perspective. Authorsand screenwriters are trying to provide the next Jack Reacher or JohnWick, but I think we need someone who can bring out the adventureprovided by a snow day. de Maria delivers this in a refreshing andwholesome story that is well written while avoiding simplesentimentality. My only dispute is that the story is offered as beingfor youth. While I’ll be certain to order copies for mygranddaughters, I contend that anyone who loves to visit places likeAvonlea and Mitford will love Skatersas well.

Asan author myself, it’s always delightfulto see another author strike a rich creative vein, one that bringsout their artistic best. For all de Maria’s prior accomplishments,I think My Family and Other Skatersshowsher at her finest. I can only hope that this is the first in a stringof stories about Rosaria and her wonderful family.