What do you think?
Rate this book
Students Across the Seven Seas
The Finnish Line
When Nordic ski jumper Maureen "Mo" Clark set foot in Finland, she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, escape from her famous skier father's shadow and a chance to jump in the renowned Lahti Ski Games. But Mo quickly realizes that balancing practice and classes is more challenging than she expected. So when a gorgeous bad boy teammate offers coaching assistance—for a little publicity in return—how can she refuse? Surely she can work in a few extra practices somewhere between studying for calculus and sightseeing in Finland? Amid snowmobiling and dog-sledding, ice hotels and Northern lights, Mo begins to discover what strength and perseverance—the Finnish sisu—is all about. Now it's up to her to take that final jump and cross the finish line in style.
205 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2007
12 people are currently reading
741 people want to read
About the author
Linda Gerber
15 books293 followersLinda Gerber recently returned to life in the Midwest after four years in Japan where she served as the RA for SCBWI Tokyo. Her books include SASS: Now and Zen, SASS: The Finnish Line, Death by Bikini, Death by Latte, Death by Denim and the upcoming novel, Trance.
She currently lives and writes in Dublin, Ohio, blissfully ignoring her husband, four kids, and one very naughty puppy"
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
January 5, 2020
Ugh! A wishy-washy, lying main character, and family drama that wasn’t really addressed detracted for me. I really liked the descriptions of life in Finland and the background about women’s skiing.
December 21, 2014
This book was on my wishlist for ages -- I finally broke down and bought it myself when it fit a challenge so perfectly. I'm so glad I did! It is designed for teens, but it was a fun and fast read for me. I loved all the little cultural bits about Finland, the little snippets of the Finnish language (which I was so happy I remembered most of the words in this book from my brief period of studying it) and plus it had romance and priorities and discrimination and competition... some more difficult topics to address amid the fun and the fluff.
I'm really torn on whether to get other books in this series. On the one hand, I love the idea of these books. But on the other hand, the series has many different authors, and it seems like the quality varies quite a lot based on the reviews I see here. I may give a few a try, we'll see.
I'm really torn on whether to get other books in this series. On the one hand, I love the idea of these books. But on the other hand, the series has many different authors, and it seems like the quality varies quite a lot based on the reviews I see here. I may give a few a try, we'll see.
August 25, 2008
i didnt like this book as much as some of the others, but i still really liked it. I dont like much of the sports stuff but i did find this one pretty cool. i liked learning a little bit about ski jumping.
July 26, 2021
Such a nice book to read about Mo's adventure in Finland - also full of Finnish cultures! I love reading an athlete's story and Mo is a ski jumping athlete! What a coincidence to read this whilst Tokyo Olympics is currently happening! <3
From this book though I understand that women participation in ski jumping has always been a problem.
Ski jumping has been a part of the Olympics Winter Games since the first games in Chamonix Mont-Blanc in 1924, but only 90 years later, women could participate in ski jumping games in the Olympics. That, with the fact that only for the individual normal hill both in 2014 and 2018 games whilst men have always been able to compete in all individual normal hill, individual large hill and team large hill.
We have lived in a crazy world indeed.
From this book though I understand that women participation in ski jumping has always been a problem.
Ski jumping has been a part of the Olympics Winter Games since the first games in Chamonix Mont-Blanc in 1924, but only 90 years later, women could participate in ski jumping games in the Olympics. That, with the fact that only for the individual normal hill both in 2014 and 2018 games whilst men have always been able to compete in all individual normal hill, individual large hill and team large hill.
We have lived in a crazy world indeed.
February 14, 2024
3 1/2-4 stars The Finnish Line- Extremely arrogant male character, Mo actually doesn’t have a remarkably bad attitude at the beginning but does feel “smothered” by her famous ski dad and once again lies to people, going behind their backs and messing everything up, but she’s not alone in the creation of the tumultuous plot. There’s a keynote of prejudice towards a Romani student athlete. The book doesn’t tell you much about Finland, but what it does is simultaneously interesting & boring, if that’s even possible. The majority of the book is about the athletics and trials of women’s ski jumping, which I did find enjoyable to read.
October 23, 2018
Oh the drama! Mo has a lot of problems, most she brings upon herself. But she is a teenager so I can forgive her of most things. I wish there was about 50 more pages in this book so I could get a better sense of who the characters were and could learn more of their inner thoughts. Instead everything seemed a bit to easily solved. I don't know that we even really got a description of most characters. I just wanted depth so I could enjoy the fluffy parts more.
September 24, 2018
EDIT: On 9/16/2018, Linda Gerber replied to my email about the use of the slur against the Romani people. As expected, she was very understanding and kind. I have to hand it to her for acknowledging her mistake, which is something not everybody would do. I have obtained her permission for me to reproduce her words here:
"Thank you for your email. Ignorance is no excuse, but as you guessed, at the time the book was written I did not understand the background of the word gypsy. Certainly no offense was intended. I agree that it's a term many people are unaware of its use as a racial slur as I was. I do appreciate your concern. Please be assured that it is a term I no longer use. Your note was a good reminder, however, to be mindful of all language we use--especially in print. So thank you again. "
Okay, let's get this out in the open: We all judge books by their covers. And I judged this book by its cover, and I was wrong. The cover irritated me. I didn't like her makeup. I didn't like her perfect hair. I...actually just didn't like her face in general. She was too pretty. Too doll-like. She didn't look like a character; she looked like a caricature. The art is good. But I just didn't like the design.
The summary didn't sound like anything I'd be interested in. A typical girl-meets-boy story, only with sports. Ugh.
But I actually found I liked "The Finnish Line." It was fun learning about Finland in 2007 instead of Finland in 1980, which was when the Finnish language book I checked out from the library was published. It was fun reading about a girl who wasn't much younger than I was in 2007 (I was 21, she's around 16). Furthermore, she is actually the kind of girl I aspire to be. Let me explain.
I am a crabby woman. When people are mean to me--or sometimes when they even just disagree--it's hard for me to not take it personally. It's hard for me to not say something mean right back to them, or clamp up and speak coldly to them. I want to be able to handle my adversaries with grace and not stoop to their level. And I'm trying to work on that.
Mo Clark has flaws. She pushes away her clingy but well-meaning family. She focuses more on her ski jumping than on her studying, to an extent that she almost gets kicked off the team. She even lies to her host family about where she's spending her after-school time.
But she has a good heart, and she never does anything out of maliciousness, nor does she twist the knife when she wounds someone. And when someone lies spreads a bad rumor about her to try and sabotage her budding relationship with Leevi Patrin, she turns down any opportunity to get back at them. She does something else that's very noble (and ultimately rewarding), but I'm not going to spoil that for you. :)
However, I can't quite write a perfectly glowing review about this book. There's a big problem here, and it starts with a G.
Leevi Patrin is Romani. Now, I applaud the author for bringing anti-Romani prejudice to light, because many people in the U.S. are unaware that it even exists. Romani are often misrepresented in works of fiction; they're portrayed as thieves, drunks, lawless. Romani women are typically sexualized, even in children's films, like "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." The Romani people are portrayed as wandering because they're "free spirits," rather than because they have historically been used as scapegoats and run out of their homelands.
But this book uses the G-word to describe Leevi and the other Romani. I understand that some Romani do choose to identify that way, and I also admit that it's mostly prejudiced non-Romani Finns who use that term. However, I think it might have been better if that word had been left out altogether. After all, the Romani still face prejudice whether or not that word is used. Fortunately, the words romani (in Finnish) and "Roma" in English are also used.
Of course, I can't speak with 100% authority. I'm not Romani, and for all I know, perhaps the author is. Or maybe she felt she drew a hard enough line between those who used the slur and those who didn't.
I'm also unsure on how good a portrayal of a Romani youth Leevi was. He was obviously meant to have a "bad boy" appeal, but he wasn't actually bad, just a little wary of his classmates and of the exchange students, which was understandable, given how he and his family had been treated. But the "rebel Romani boy" trope is overdone, although not as much as the "sexy Romani girl/woman." What is this, "Wuthering Heights"?
There's nothing else negative for me to say about "The Finnish Line"; I only gave it four stars because I didn't adore it like my five-star books. But it was still a very good book. I learned a lot about ski jumping and also about, well, skis. Most of the characters were likable, especially Riia, who doesn't speak English too well but has a very kind heart and a bubbly personality. There are no villains, either--even antagonistic characters are complex and are not without understandable, if not always justifiable, motive.
It was an easy read, and a comforting read, at that. It was nice to read a story where misunderstandings don't ruin live. I would definitely suggest that anyone who likes to read about other countries or sports give this one a try.
"Thank you for your email. Ignorance is no excuse, but as you guessed, at the time the book was written I did not understand the background of the word gypsy. Certainly no offense was intended. I agree that it's a term many people are unaware of its use as a racial slur as I was. I do appreciate your concern. Please be assured that it is a term I no longer use. Your note was a good reminder, however, to be mindful of all language we use--especially in print. So thank you again. "
Okay, let's get this out in the open: We all judge books by their covers. And I judged this book by its cover, and I was wrong. The cover irritated me. I didn't like her makeup. I didn't like her perfect hair. I...actually just didn't like her face in general. She was too pretty. Too doll-like. She didn't look like a character; she looked like a caricature. The art is good. But I just didn't like the design.
The summary didn't sound like anything I'd be interested in. A typical girl-meets-boy story, only with sports. Ugh.
But I actually found I liked "The Finnish Line." It was fun learning about Finland in 2007 instead of Finland in 1980, which was when the Finnish language book I checked out from the library was published. It was fun reading about a girl who wasn't much younger than I was in 2007 (I was 21, she's around 16). Furthermore, she is actually the kind of girl I aspire to be. Let me explain.
I am a crabby woman. When people are mean to me--or sometimes when they even just disagree--it's hard for me to not take it personally. It's hard for me to not say something mean right back to them, or clamp up and speak coldly to them. I want to be able to handle my adversaries with grace and not stoop to their level. And I'm trying to work on that.
Mo Clark has flaws. She pushes away her clingy but well-meaning family. She focuses more on her ski jumping than on her studying, to an extent that she almost gets kicked off the team. She even lies to her host family about where she's spending her after-school time.
But she has a good heart, and she never does anything out of maliciousness, nor does she twist the knife when she wounds someone. And when someone lies spreads a bad rumor about her to try and sabotage her budding relationship with Leevi Patrin, she turns down any opportunity to get back at them. She does something else that's very noble (and ultimately rewarding), but I'm not going to spoil that for you. :)
However, I can't quite write a perfectly glowing review about this book. There's a big problem here, and it starts with a G.
Leevi Patrin is Romani. Now, I applaud the author for bringing anti-Romani prejudice to light, because many people in the U.S. are unaware that it even exists. Romani are often misrepresented in works of fiction; they're portrayed as thieves, drunks, lawless. Romani women are typically sexualized, even in children's films, like "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." The Romani people are portrayed as wandering because they're "free spirits," rather than because they have historically been used as scapegoats and run out of their homelands.
But this book uses the G-word to describe Leevi and the other Romani. I understand that some Romani do choose to identify that way, and I also admit that it's mostly prejudiced non-Romani Finns who use that term. However, I think it might have been better if that word had been left out altogether. After all, the Romani still face prejudice whether or not that word is used. Fortunately, the words romani (in Finnish) and "Roma" in English are also used.
Of course, I can't speak with 100% authority. I'm not Romani, and for all I know, perhaps the author is. Or maybe she felt she drew a hard enough line between those who used the slur and those who didn't.
I'm also unsure on how good a portrayal of a Romani youth Leevi was. He was obviously meant to have a "bad boy" appeal, but he wasn't actually bad, just a little wary of his classmates and of the exchange students, which was understandable, given how he and his family had been treated. But the "rebel Romani boy" trope is overdone, although not as much as the "sexy Romani girl/woman." What is this, "Wuthering Heights"?
There's nothing else negative for me to say about "The Finnish Line"; I only gave it four stars because I didn't adore it like my five-star books. But it was still a very good book. I learned a lot about ski jumping and also about, well, skis. Most of the characters were likable, especially Riia, who doesn't speak English too well but has a very kind heart and a bubbly personality. There are no villains, either--even antagonistic characters are complex and are not without understandable, if not always justifiable, motive.
It was an easy read, and a comforting read, at that. It was nice to read a story where misunderstandings don't ruin live. I would definitely suggest that anyone who likes to read about other countries or sports give this one a try.
November 5, 2018
I loved this cute story. Mo is a nordic ski jumper and travels to Finland there an exchange program. She is going to train with a team there and makes new friends. She stay there the whole year and eventually falls in love with a boy she skis with. She has to deal with improving her ski jumping, drama, and her new school.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2022
3.5 rounded to 4 because I learned a lot about ski jumping, Finnish culture and Finland, in general. It was a quick read, aimed at a teenage audience, so there was the expected teenage angst and drama, but overall an interesting read.
May 26, 2017
(Temporary short review) by far the best and most substantive of the S.A.S.S. comedies I've read so far.
December 25, 2018
Review to come!
November 14, 2022
Prob really 3 1/2 stars just because the heroine is a proud, annoying, ungrateful rule breaker but fun easy read w interesting things about Finland culture etc.
February 6, 2025
Cute story overall, but felt like I wanted to skim some parts. Would be enjoyable if you were really into skiing/winter sports. .
March 2, 2022
This really wasn’t enjoyable at all, didn’t lift my mood while reading, and it dragged on, making me want to give it one star, but I feel bad doing that…I thought this would be good. A cute, fun winter rom com. Not enough com, and definitely not enough rom. :/
August 25, 2012
Mo Clark set foot to Finland for the Scholar and Athlete Exchange to work on ski jumps. Also, to escape from the shadow of his well-known family, especially her dad. She is very excited to join the Olympics. Though women athletes are not allowed to play for the Olympics (which I didn't know until I read this book), Mo works really hard for the women to be recognized.
Her host family is very nice and accommodating except their daughter and Mo's roommate, Kirsti. She somehow took care of Mo because they have a responsibility to look after her. They had sauna together, ran outside, rolled in the snow naked. These things made them somehow close to each other.
Mo is very excited to jump in the Lahti Ski Games. She's a good ski jumper back in Utah but of course she has to practice her jumps in a new environment. She is not very interested in her classes because she always thinks about the practice (after class), her jumps, her progress. Good thing she has friends Riia and Tapio (who didn't know they have mutual feelings until the last chapters of the story) to help her in translating their professors's instructions -- they talk Finnish in school.
And then she met Leevi, a bad-looking guy who is one of the best ski jumpers in their school but mostly ignored by other students because he is a Gypsy. Though always alone, he doesn't look lonely. He is the kind of guy who seems to not minding other people as well. He is cute, too! Mo kind of likes him but the people around her said she must not talk to Gypsies because they have bad reputation in the place.
Mo didn't mind that. One time, Leevi caught Mo's attention since she has not been doing well in their practice. He offered her a service in which he will teach him how to focus more and some techniques to jump and not jump short. Mo agreed on that.
Since then they meet before their practice but everyone doesn't know about it. Except Kirsti but she acts like she didn't know about it. Mo and Leevi slowly have feelings for each other. A lot of things happened especially when they have their field trip in Kemi, northern part of Finland. But in the end it ended so well.
During the Lahti Ski Games, Mo got to the top three. Kirsti got the first place. Things between Mo and Kirsti are now okay. Also, Riia and Tapio finally knew they're feelings for each other (thanks to Mo!) and of course, Mo and Leevi kissed and made up.
Now that things are doing pretty well, Mo had to leave for Utah. Now that she got used to Leevi, she had to leave him behind. But Leevi said, "There are no endings, only beginnings".
Mo rode a plane going home to Utah when she saw a letter in her pocket that says: Just wanted to let you know I got a scholarship to the Colorado Mountain College so I'll be training for Steamboat Springs. See you on the circuit. That made her smile. Truly, that was just the beginning.
---
The story is so cute. I honestly fell in love with it that I shouted at the last part because it was just so cute!! Hahaha So much for the love story, this book is an eyeopener. I learned some facts about Finland and Ski jumping. Also, some facts about Gandalf of Lord Of The Rings. But you have to read the book if you want to know about it! This book is definitely a good read! :)
Her host family is very nice and accommodating except their daughter and Mo's roommate, Kirsti. She somehow took care of Mo because they have a responsibility to look after her. They had sauna together, ran outside, rolled in the snow naked. These things made them somehow close to each other.
Mo is very excited to jump in the Lahti Ski Games. She's a good ski jumper back in Utah but of course she has to practice her jumps in a new environment. She is not very interested in her classes because she always thinks about the practice (after class), her jumps, her progress. Good thing she has friends Riia and Tapio (who didn't know they have mutual feelings until the last chapters of the story) to help her in translating their professors's instructions -- they talk Finnish in school.
And then she met Leevi, a bad-looking guy who is one of the best ski jumpers in their school but mostly ignored by other students because he is a Gypsy. Though always alone, he doesn't look lonely. He is the kind of guy who seems to not minding other people as well. He is cute, too! Mo kind of likes him but the people around her said she must not talk to Gypsies because they have bad reputation in the place.
Mo didn't mind that. One time, Leevi caught Mo's attention since she has not been doing well in their practice. He offered her a service in which he will teach him how to focus more and some techniques to jump and not jump short. Mo agreed on that.
Since then they meet before their practice but everyone doesn't know about it. Except Kirsti but she acts like she didn't know about it. Mo and Leevi slowly have feelings for each other. A lot of things happened especially when they have their field trip in Kemi, northern part of Finland. But in the end it ended so well.
During the Lahti Ski Games, Mo got to the top three. Kirsti got the first place. Things between Mo and Kirsti are now okay. Also, Riia and Tapio finally knew they're feelings for each other (thanks to Mo!) and of course, Mo and Leevi kissed and made up.
Now that things are doing pretty well, Mo had to leave for Utah. Now that she got used to Leevi, she had to leave him behind. But Leevi said, "There are no endings, only beginnings".
Mo rode a plane going home to Utah when she saw a letter in her pocket that says: Just wanted to let you know I got a scholarship to the Colorado Mountain College so I'll be training for Steamboat Springs. See you on the circuit. That made her smile. Truly, that was just the beginning.
---
The story is so cute. I honestly fell in love with it that I shouted at the last part because it was just so cute!! Hahaha So much for the love story, this book is an eyeopener. I learned some facts about Finland and Ski jumping. Also, some facts about Gandalf of Lord Of The Rings. But you have to read the book if you want to know about it! This book is definitely a good read! :)
January 14, 2016
First the review. than I'll think about the number of stars to give.
Well, I absolutely love the setting and the sport part. I think that the description of Finland seemed pretty sound, even if I've never been to Finland myself. I loved the descriptions of the different places: the snow garden, Kemi, the Ski museum...
I also loved the fact that the protagonist chooses to sky jump. We had some sky jumpers in Italy and it was quite interesting to read about how the IOC refused to give them permission to take part to the Olympics. I still wondered why it is way much more dangerous for women as it is for me... It's like synchronized swimming, I guess: Why people up there are so stuck up when it comes to accepting males synchronette... During the last World Championships in Kazan it was quite interesting to watch to mixed duet. Italy got two medals with Giorgio Minisini.
Back to the book. I didn't like the main character, Mo. I don't share her point of view, I guess. I mean, I'm one of the least competitive skaters around here... Much to my coach's dismay. So I can't quite figure out what goes on in Mo's mind.
I also don't feel anything towards the male protagonist, Leevi. I don't know but I fear that it wasn't properly characterized. It was like a shadow, with very few lines and tons of meaningful silences.
So, I guess 3,5 quite cover it. The setting and the sport part are really beautiful but, unfortunately, the protagonists are a bit on the weak side.
And yeah, I did take some Finnish classes back in the day but I don't think that one would be able to follow school lessons in Finnish after only ten weeks...
Ready for more S.A.S.S.
Well, I absolutely love the setting and the sport part. I think that the description of Finland seemed pretty sound, even if I've never been to Finland myself. I loved the descriptions of the different places: the snow garden, Kemi, the Ski museum...
I also loved the fact that the protagonist chooses to sky jump. We had some sky jumpers in Italy and it was quite interesting to read about how the IOC refused to give them permission to take part to the Olympics. I still wondered why it is way much more dangerous for women as it is for me... It's like synchronized swimming, I guess: Why people up there are so stuck up when it comes to accepting males synchronette... During the last World Championships in Kazan it was quite interesting to watch to mixed duet. Italy got two medals with Giorgio Minisini.
Back to the book. I didn't like the main character, Mo. I don't share her point of view, I guess. I mean, I'm one of the least competitive skaters around here... Much to my coach's dismay. So I can't quite figure out what goes on in Mo's mind.
I also don't feel anything towards the male protagonist, Leevi. I don't know but I fear that it wasn't properly characterized. It was like a shadow, with very few lines and tons of meaningful silences.
So, I guess 3,5 quite cover it. The setting and the sport part are really beautiful but, unfortunately, the protagonists are a bit on the weak side.
And yeah, I did take some Finnish classes back in the day but I don't think that one would be able to follow school lessons in Finnish after only ten weeks...
Minä olen Soobie. Minä olen italialainen... if I remember correctl.
Ready for more S.A.S.S.
January 4, 2015
Ski jumping! It's too bad this didn't come out closer to the 2014 Olympics, because it might have gotten some extra attention because of that -- given that women's ski jumping was for the first time introduced to the Olympic stage. Here, Mo is a ski jumper with aspirations of greatness, but she knows her options are limited because it's not a high-profile sport, especially for women.
In Finland, though, she can hopefully push through to a new level, and get out from her parents' overprotectiveness while she's at it. Mo's an appealing character -- she makes mistakes, and does some dumb things, but she's also pretty self-aware and willing to admit when she's wrong. There's romance, but it's not her focus -- and, hurray, the author managed to impart some info about Finland over the course of Mo's stay without being textbook about it.
There are a number of loose ends here (parental problems in particular -- for multiple characters), but it's a cute, fun read...which is just as well, since (on top of the two others I've read) there are another eleven books in the series.
More general look at the series here.
In Finland, though, she can hopefully push through to a new level, and get out from her parents' overprotectiveness while she's at it. Mo's an appealing character -- she makes mistakes, and does some dumb things, but she's also pretty self-aware and willing to admit when she's wrong. There's romance, but it's not her focus -- and, hurray, the author managed to impart some info about Finland over the course of Mo's stay without being textbook about it.
There are a number of loose ends here (parental problems in particular -- for multiple characters), but it's a cute, fun read...which is just as well, since (on top of the two others I've read) there are another eleven books in the series.
More general look at the series here.
July 19, 2009
Another in the S.A.S.S. series, this one itnroduces Maureen (Mo) Clark and her semester in Lahti Finnland. Mo is a ski jumper, and she has come on a Scholar and Athlete Exhange to work on the ski jumps in Finnland, but also to escape the shadow of her father, and the rest of her famous skiing family. But when Mo arrives things aren't that great. Her host family is nice, but their daughter and her roommate, Kirsti, is not so excited to have Mo around. And then when Mo finally hits the slopes, she finds herself literally coming up short (as in the length of her jumps) to everyone else. And then there is cute but remote Leevi, who jumps the farthest and has the worst reputation. A good book to read in the hot hot hot Florida summer!
November 15, 2014
I found this enjoyable to begin with, but there were a few parts where I lost interest, particularly the parts about skiing history. The ending is heart-warming and I was quite sad when I finished the book, as I wanted to know what happens next! I didn't think Kirsti (Mo's "friend") was a particularly likable character. She stirred a lot of trouble between Mo and Leevi and Mo didn't seem to mind? Unsure if that's just poor writing or whether Mo was meant to be portrayed as a forgiving and understanding character.
Anyway, this is perfect for fans of Finland! I loved the way the Finnish scenery and culture was described. I've always wanted to go to Helsinki, and to the north of the country, and this book has made me want to go even more - which I didn't think was possible!
Anyway, this is perfect for fans of Finland! I loved the way the Finnish scenery and culture was described. I've always wanted to go to Helsinki, and to the north of the country, and this book has made me want to go even more - which I didn't think was possible!
August 24, 2015
I read this book quite awhile back, but I still remembered how it touched me in a certain way. A girl is alone in Finland trying to live her dream; she learns about the Finnish sisu and then gets her happy ending.
It's really inspiring to read a book about a teen finding herself in a foreign land and learning something valuable from it. This just makes me want to read all the books from the series, but so far, this is the best.
It's really inspiring to read a book about a teen finding herself in a foreign land and learning something valuable from it. This just makes me want to read all the books from the series, but so far, this is the best.
September 3, 2014
At first, the book didn't catch my interest as much as most of the others in the series have. However, after a couple chapters, I became very intrigued by the sport that the main character was always talking about - ski jumping. The story revolved mostly around that, along with schoolwork and friendship issues, but the ski jumping and what the main character was doing to make her dream of it work out became very interesting.
April 25, 2008
I learned quite a bit about skiing and Finland from this book. But then, I know almost nothing about skiing and Finland, so more than nothing is still something.
This was not one of my favorites from this series, but I'm not sure why. It follows the same formula, but didn't quite capture my interest.
This was not one of my favorites from this series, but I'm not sure why. It follows the same formula, but didn't quite capture my interest.
December 29, 2011
I was interested in this book since the author had worked with Women's Ski Jumping USA. It is a cute book and an easy read. I also enjoyed reading about ski jumping and the references to Park City. It said it was for young adults, but I think it would be okay for girls if they are reading at a higher level. I can't wait until I can give it as a gift to my nieces.
June 4, 2008
This is actually a young-adult book but it was given to me for the Finnish connection. I was REALLY impressed with the accuracy of the cultural references! The story was very fun and enjoyable, too ;)
May 18, 2009
Learning about women's ski jumping was eye opening. I had no idea the women were not allowed to compete in the Olympics. I didn't really relate with the characters, but did like how they grew throughout the book. I could relate to the cold weather, though!
September 10, 2010
I didn't appreciate the middle of the book when Leevi set the deal. I think Mo shouldn't take the deal. Leevi did it for her family name. But the book turns out to have a happy ending, and I like happy endings.
May 25, 2011
I feel like I've been to Finland! I've never thought about how hard Olympians must work until I read this book. I never realized the dedication and persistence that they had. For me, this book was a real eye opener and I enjoyed every minute of it.
December 11, 2011
Pg. 7- "Her dad had always said that Finns were silent brooding types."- Her dad seems to be very stereotypical. He says and acts like he knows everything. The book so far hasn't been that good, I hope it redeems itself soon.
May 8, 2015
I'm mad because I've written a review of this book but then my internet connection screwed up and I lost it. So, whatever. I've lost my train of thought about this book. Too mad to think and write it all over again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews