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Balancing Act
Thirteen-year-old Carli lives on her family's guest ranch in Colorado. She's a talented gymnast, but her parents are too busy running their business to give her much support. Carli develops a strong bond with her new coach, who believes that he can help her achieve her goal of Olympic glory. Carli dedicates herself to the vault, uneven bars, and balance beam, but just as she starts to excel, her parents decide that she needs to help out more on the ranch--putting her gold medal dreams in jeopardy.
- GenresSportsYoung AdultFiction
146 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2008
137 people want to read
About the author
Donna King
25 books14 followersDonna King is a pen name for best-selling author Jenny Oldfield.
Jenny was born and brought up in Harrogate, Yorkshire, she says that even as a child she wrote stories and made tiny books, complete with illustrations. At school her favourite subjects were English, although she preferred creative writing to comprehension, and Art.
Jenny went on to study English at Birmingham University, where she did research on the Bronte novels and on children’s literature. She has worked in a food shop, delivered newspapers, been an auxiliary nurse in a children's hospital, cleaned houses and taught English in schools, colleges, and a men's prison. She has also taught modern dance.
She writes novels for both children and adults and, when she can escape from her desk, likes to spend time outdoors. Jenny still lives in Yorkshire and says that she loves the countryside and enjoys walking, gardening, playing tennis, riding and travelling with her two daughters, Kate and Eve
Jenny was born and brought up in Harrogate, Yorkshire, she says that even as a child she wrote stories and made tiny books, complete with illustrations. At school her favourite subjects were English, although she preferred creative writing to comprehension, and Art.
Jenny went on to study English at Birmingham University, where she did research on the Bronte novels and on children’s literature. She has worked in a food shop, delivered newspapers, been an auxiliary nurse in a children's hospital, cleaned houses and taught English in schools, colleges, and a men's prison. She has also taught modern dance.
She writes novels for both children and adults and, when she can escape from her desk, likes to spend time outdoors. Jenny still lives in Yorkshire and says that she loves the countryside and enjoys walking, gardening, playing tennis, riding and travelling with her two daughters, Kate and Eve
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 6, 2017
Mmm. Two and a half stars. This ends up being pretty generic middle-grade fluff—Carli's a middle-school gymnast with Olympic aspirations, but her dreams are threatened by her parents' lack of interest in sports and their desire to have Carli's help around the ranch closer to full-time.
If this were YA, it would be a flat two stars; I'm rounding up rather than down because this is pretty short, aimed at a younger audience, and just isn't really intended to have that much depth. Still, I'd have liked to see more here—nobody, including Carli, is really given room to be a fully realised character, and although gymnastics is a major theme of the book, none of the tension comes from gymnastics itself (it's all more along the lines of 'Carli is amazing look how amazing Carli is').
Oh well. Knocking things off the to-read list!
If this were YA, it would be a flat two stars; I'm rounding up rather than down because this is pretty short, aimed at a younger audience, and just isn't really intended to have that much depth. Still, I'd have liked to see more here—nobody, including Carli, is really given room to be a fully realised character, and although gymnastics is a major theme of the book, none of the tension comes from gymnastics itself (it's all more along the lines of 'Carli is amazing look how amazing Carli is').
Oh well. Knocking things off the to-read list!
February 4, 2010
AWFUL.
I picked this up because it was literally the only in-print novel about gymnastics that I could find. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece, but, even as a sweet children's story about triumph over adversity, it fails miserably.
Balancing Act is about 13-year-old Carli's struggle to balance her love for gymnastics with her parents' insistence that she work long hours on their ranch in Colorado. We don't learn much about Carli except that she likes horses! and the outdoors! and she speaks! with lots! of exclamation points! (In fact, every character seems to feel! the need! to urgently! relay! information!)
The characters are all 2-dimensional. Carli's parents, in particular, are so lacking in nuance that their predictable third-act change-of-heart feels completely unearned. Of course, the idea that maybe Carli shouldn't be working 2-3 hours a day for her parents' business is never addressed. Child labour is awesome!
In general, the novel is completely lacking in dramatic tension, apart from a bizarre twist near the end that has nothing to do with gymnastics. Donna King makes no effort to weave more than a perfunctory knowledge of the sport into the novel, and let's just say that the ending truly beggars belief.
I thought perhaps the novel, with its American setting, had been poorly "Anglicized" for an English audience. But no. Donna King is an English author and, boy, it shows. King seems to know even less about Colorado than I do. Did she do any research for this novel?
I picked this up because it was literally the only in-print novel about gymnastics that I could find. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece, but, even as a sweet children's story about triumph over adversity, it fails miserably.
Balancing Act is about 13-year-old Carli's struggle to balance her love for gymnastics with her parents' insistence that she work long hours on their ranch in Colorado. We don't learn much about Carli except that she likes horses! and the outdoors! and she speaks! with lots! of exclamation points! (In fact, every character seems to feel! the need! to urgently! relay! information!)
The characters are all 2-dimensional. Carli's parents, in particular, are so lacking in nuance that their predictable third-act change-of-heart feels completely unearned. Of course, the idea that maybe Carli shouldn't be working 2-3 hours a day for her parents' business is never addressed. Child labour is awesome!
In general, the novel is completely lacking in dramatic tension, apart from a bizarre twist near the end that has nothing to do with gymnastics. Donna King makes no effort to weave more than a perfunctory knowledge of the sport into the novel, and let's just say that the ending truly beggars belief.
I thought perhaps the novel, with its American setting, had been poorly "Anglicized" for an English audience. But no. Donna King is an English author and, boy, it shows. King seems to know even less about Colorado than I do. Did she do any research for this novel?
August 12, 2011
Balancing Act was the first one of Donna King's books that I put on my to-read list, but the last one I have read (so far). It is just as good as the other ones and still has lessons and sports thrown into one book. I hope she does a volleyball or track one. Anyway, Carli is a talented gymnast. There is a problem, though. She doesn't seem to have enough time to devote herself to improving, and her family is not rich. It is up to Carli to determine a way to do what she loves while still being with the people she loves. Interesting, short story that would probably be of more pertinence to an actual gymnast. I hope to read more of King's books in the future because they are fun and entertaining, without the swears that seem to keep popping up in the books I read. I'm sure that middle schoolers will love the ways that King's protagonists always find a way to keep going in the sport they love.
August 10, 2010
A really easy read. I love gymnastics and all, but whenever gymnastics come to a story, well... Stories of gymnastics or of any sport aren't usually very interesting... Because there is nothing really to talk about in a story. And it isn't as easy to visualize it if it's only words. The experience is much better if you're actually SEEING it or watching it, but in a story... Well there's not much to say, and is not much of a story.
But this book shows actual situations in real life of the balance between life and gymnastics or any dedicated sport. It gets more interesting near the end, but overall.... Not much to say about it.
But this book shows actual situations in real life of the balance between life and gymnastics or any dedicated sport. It gets more interesting near the end, but overall.... Not much to say about it.
November 18, 2014
This book was about a girl that knows that she wants to achieve her dreams of being a gold medal gymnast, but in order to do that she has to spend more time training at the gym. But she struggles with both school and home chores, she needs to balance everything equally.
I thought this book was really typical and anticipated. Also is wasn't really realistic(because I am a gymnast myself) and was way more dramatic than it needed to be. On the positive side, there was a lot of issues that the main character had to face and I liked how the author describes them so well.
I thought this book was really typical and anticipated. Also is wasn't really realistic(because I am a gymnast myself) and was way more dramatic than it needed to be. On the positive side, there was a lot of issues that the main character had to face and I liked how the author describes them so well.
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February 17, 2016
I read this book on my train ride home and it was a quick and easy read. It kept me interested since, I have done gymnastics for about 15 years and that I have also been a coach for over ten years now. However, I felt like they could of continued the story. It was like they just wanted to keep it short and simple and did not want to continue the story. I left it up to my imagination to the rest of the story.
May 30, 2013
i think that balancing act is a very good book. Even though carlis parents can't help her with her gymnastics because they are to hung up with their business carli is still able to get though it herself .
May 10, 2010
such a great book
September 23, 2013
I love dancing and gymnastics is bacicaly the same thing. this book was a good one
July 5, 2014
this book was a little hard to understand at the start for me. and then it seemed a bit simple and straight forword when her other books have more complicated plots.
March 23, 2015
It was a little short. Would've liked if they'd gone into more detail about Carli's gymnastics. An then also carried on after the competition as well.
June 10, 2009
This book looks good and Donna's books are usually from a sports point of view. Wish me luck!
April 3, 2012
i think is ok
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews