Breaking the Ice

Silver Blades #1

by Melissa Lowell

Nikki, Danielle, Tori, and Jil are four talented skaters who share one special dream—competing in the Olympics someday. And they're going to try to make it all happen in Silver Blades, the best skating club around!
Nikki Simon is thrilled when she makes the Silver Blades skating club. But Nikki quickly realizes that being a member of Silver Blades is going to be tougher than she thought. Both Nikki and another skater, Tori Carsen, have to land the double flip jump. But how far will Tori go to make sure that she lands it first?

Genres: Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Sports, Contemporary, Figure Skating, Chapter Books

133 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1993

Reviews

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a figure skater this book is pretty awesome!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun re read of a book I read in middle school - definitely want to read the whole series now, oops!

[Miss Lovely · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best books i've read recently!
i'm in college, and i thought this book would be too childish or too simple. however, it is wonderful!

i love reading about how hard nikki has to work, and everything she is going through as she joins the club.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book holds so much nostalgia for me! I’ve had the first six books since elementary school and I recently found them on my shelf. I remember loving them when I was 10 and I look back on them fondly!

[Kinsey]

I absolutely LOVED this series as a tween and thought a snow day would be the perfect time to reread them

[P S · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5
Read as a teenager/young adult who was a child athlete. Here was my review.


One of the best books i've read recently!
I thought this book would be too childish or too simple., but it wasn't.

It is wonderful!

i love reading about how hard nikki has to work, and everything she is going through as she joins the club. Amazing. All while navigating teenage life.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Nikki Simon's father receives a promotion to Seneca Hills, Pennsylvania, Nikki is ecstatic. Seneca Hills is the home of the exclusive skating club, The Silver Blades. Nikki hopes to win one of seven openings during tryouts. During the practices before tryouts, Nikki meets Jill Wong, Danielle Panati, and Tori Carsen the only other 7th graders in the club. Nikki skates beautifully during try-outs only failing to land the double flip and makes the club. As her private lessons begin, her relationship with Tori worsens. Tori's mother, who pushes her daughter to be the best, starts praising Nikki's talent. Tori becomes quite jealous. When Nikki forgets to tell Tori about a early practice, Tori accuses her of forgetting on purpose. Then Tori tells Jill and Danielle that Kathy, Nikki's trainer, told Mr. Weimer, the head of The Silver Blades, that Nikki is hopeless. Overhearing her, Nikki is devastated and decides to quit before the first USFSA test. Jill and Danielle talk her into staying. Before the test, Tori confesses to lying about Nikki. During the test, both girls land the double flip. Nikki also becomes friends with Kara, one of the most popular girls in school. Kara urges Nikki to join the dance committee. Nikki soon finds that she doesn't have enough time to practice, do homework, and organize decorations for the dance. Kara, somewhat exasperated by Nikki's devotion to skating, tells her that she will do all of the legwork if Nikki will get Kyle Dorset, a hockey player, to take Kara to the dance. Nikki tries to drop hints about Kara to no avail. When Nikki puts an unsigned note in Kyle's practice bag he sees her and thinks that Nikki wrote it for herself. He asks her to the dance. Nikki dreads telling Kara that she failed. Fortunately by dance-time, Kara has her sights set on a "gorgeous" 9th grader.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thrilling tale of a girl who gets into a skating club and gets bullied.

Wait a second... this isn't Skate School.

Yeah Nikki and the rest are tons more realistic than Skate School. Silver Blades is a CLUB not a school. This somehow makes it more believable, even though Jill does go to the Ice Academy in book 4, you can see that it was hard work to get there, not a chance meeting with the director.

Nikki has a hard time settling in, a harder time than Frankie did because Tori REALLY bullies her, whereas Scarlett just makes a few snide remarks. Nikki overcomes it and becomes friends with Tori, unlike Frankie but she's an unlovable eejit.

[Ava Voors · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book wasn't very realistic. A girl who is getting pushed by her mother wouldn't risk her own safety to get back at a girl who just happens to be a better skater. Also, her mother wouldn't have point out a girl who is an amazing skater if she thinks her daughter is the best. You just don't see that very often.

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this (and many other Silver Blades) titles when they first came out. I was a young figure skater and so excited that there was a skating series for readers around my age. I have such fond memories of this series!

[aixin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very entertaining book on ice-skating. I learnt a lot from it. It also has a lot of lessons, determination is one of them.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book series in the back of my bookshelf, and I decided to re read it. Really makes me miss my skating days. I'd love to put on a pair of skates and get out on the ice!!

[Laura]

ice skating

[Ana Banana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book about how to deal with friendship problems and with jealousy

[Julie Marian Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have that book

[Lilly]

Read as much as I could of this series as a kid. I remember liking it.