Joss: Touch the Sky

American Girl: Joss #2

by Erin Falligant, Maike Plenzke (Illustrator)

Joss Kendrick is always looking for new ways to soar. So when her cheer team needs a new flyer, she can’t wait to step up (literally). Her high-flying skills on her surfboard and skateboard make her a natural for the role. But when her skateboarding act at the talent show turns into a total catastrophe—make that a dogtastrophe—Joss loses her confidence all around, even at the cheer gym. The cheer competition is coming up fast, though, and her team is depending on her to nail a tricky stunt. The problem is, Joss doesn’t trust them not to drop her. She wants to do an easier stunt, but if she plays it safe, can her team still win? And if they don’t, will her team ever forgive her?

Genres: Middle Grade, Contemporary, Childrens

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 26, 2019

About the author

As an American Girl author and editor, Erin Falligant has developed books across a number of series, including Angelina Ballerina, Hopscotch Hill School, and American Girls Short Stories. While writing Braving the Lake, a story with more than 20 endings, she had great fun imagining the many paths the story could take. She views the Innerstar University™ books as “wonderfully challenging to write and a great teaching tool for readers, who can read the stories again and again to find out how the decisions they make lead to different outcomes.” Ms. Falligant has a master's degree in child clinical psychology and coaches Girls on the Run, where she helps girls build self-confidence and create paths of their own near her home just outside of Madison, Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story but not as good as the first one. This one had a similar conflict and resolution as the first book too. I just didn’t care as much this time around. Just something about the writing in the first one.
This one was also basically all about cheerleading and very minimally about surfing. But again joss is trying to win something and resolve problems with friends.

[Neva · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book. its so interesting. i even read it in 2 days. i totally recommend this book to everybody as well as the first joss book. joss is a surfer and a cheerleader but this book is mostly about cheer. i hope that you enjoy this book as much as i did.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joss, the 2020 American Girl of the Year, continues her story in Joss: Touch the Sky. She faces a loss of confidence just before the big cheer competition. She learns lessons about disappointment and failure and trusting your team. It’s a great story and my 11 and 13 year old sons really enjoyed it. I recommend it to anyone who likes American Girl books. It makes a great family read aloud!

[Eva B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joss full series review:
While I think it's super cool that there's a deaf GOTY, Joss's story was pretty by-the-books and didn't feel very unique to me outside of that element. Her constant thought of "I'm only doing cheer to get better at surfing, guys!" was funny to me though

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joss Kendrick is the 2020 American Girl Doll of the Year. She is the first hearing impaired American Girl doll. She also surfs and is a cheerleader! The book that she comes with, Joss, is about surfing. Touch the Sky, which is sold separately, is about cheerleading.

My nine year old daughter bought Joss and she was excited to read this book. I’d never actually read one of the many, many American Girl books before and I was pleasantly surprised. This wasn’t a hastily dashed off, gimmicky book. It was well written and substantial. Joss is dealing with some serious stuff, like fear of failure. Also, she and her friends compete in a talent show and through a serious of missteps, end up winning first prize. Joss struggles with the fact that they won, even though they didn’t really deserve to.

My favorite thing about this book is the Joss’s hearing loss is totally normalized and I think hearing impaired little girls will be appreciate that too. This is not a book about Joss struggling to overcome her hearing loss. She is well-adjusted, her friends know how to adapt their actions when around her (making sure they are facing her when talking to her, etc.) and it’s basically a nonissue. This is book is about Joss having normal problems that all little girls have.

My daughter and I both enjoyed this book. It’s made me want to read more American Girl books, especially ones that go with the historical dolls as I’ve heard they are particularly good. Touch the Sky is a great book for any child, whether or not they own the doll or are hearing impaired.

[Olivia Thames · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I knew within the first few pages that the second book in the "Joss: American Girl Girl of the Year 2020" that this was going to be a predictable plot, with semi predictable dialogue, it did not deter me from finishing the book and learning something along the way.

Joss continues to show that although everyone can have a variety of 'setbacks' in life, they do not have to define them or limit them entirely. Her deafness, her self-doubt, and her self confidence (which can be blaring at times compared to those around her) hardly slow her down to the point of quitting the things she loves to do. Jossis like any other child her age; the additional attributes either make her unique, or make her belong.

I am glad that the book did a good job in addressing how we question and talk about fear at that age, and at any age. It is a taboo subject, and the resolution from talking about can vary depending on how with whom we share our feelings with. I am glad that Joss took that risk, and learned from it. I hope this will encourage readers and their parents to discuss fear in a healthy way, and to find an answer in how to live with it but not dwell too much in it.

I will be looking forward to the next book in the series, should there be one. While the goals of Joss, from a sleepover in the gym to a thrilling day with friends and family, seems familiar for most characters of her age range, I hope to continue to learn about the big picture things from her journey too.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book because, as a person with hearing loss, I wanted to see how it was portrayed in this book. Generally, it was done well--there was some minor confusion for me because Joss is described as deaf in her left ear, but she wears her hearing aid in her right ear so......I"m guessing she's also had hearing loss in her right ear? That threw me. But the rest of it was well done, with the description of the portable microphone for her cheer coach, to the way words can get lost in conversation, and the use of ASL.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had more cheer in it which my girls liked. Nice illustrations. Typical AG story/conflict/resolution. The thing I dislike about this year's girl is her name! I rather say Jocelyn than Joss. I keep saying Josh instead which is annoying when you're reading aloud. lol...

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, I think Joss' story is...fine? It's soooo centered on the activities she's involved with; like, obviously it would be. But her stories seem like she does nothing else. She only has an activity personality, no other interests.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing it gives an important lesson, which is to trust each other. This book was definitely one of my favourite books.

[Scarlett Denson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good book but it ended sooner then i wanted it too . i liked the first one better !

[Mari Bianco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Joss’s debut story, but it wasn’t terrible. Definitely could’ve skipped this one, but my eight-year-old daughter loved it.

[Emma Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Hayden Byler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It is a great book! I borrowed this book from my sister, and I just got into it instantly! I definitely recommend this book!🏄‍♀️

[Charleigh Frederick · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing second book!

[Beth E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, like the first in the series, highlights Joss's competitive nature.

In fact, it featured many of the same things as the first book: friendship, surfing, cheerleading, competition, and an excellent depiction of hearing loss.

I liked that Joss's team came in second at the end of the book. No one can win all the time.

But overall, this book was so similar in tone to the first book that I wished it had touched on some new themes or fleshed the characters out some more.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joss: Touch the Sky was still enjoyable but maybe not quite as good as Joss's first book. The plot is less complex but still stretched out to the same length, so it feels a bit repetitive. Not as deep as the first book.

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joss's second book focuses more on cheerleading than surfing. I enjoyed this book just as much as the first. After a bad experience surfing tougher waves, Joss's confidence is shaken and it's affecting her at cheer practice. She wants to do a cheer move called the elevator for a cheer competition but she's afraid of falling. Joss must regain her confidence and trust that her team has her back. Joss also must learn to work with her team instead of doing her own thing. I really like how this book encourages readers to share their fears with people they trust and how it's OK to take baby steps or say no if you don't feel comfortable doing something

[piper · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

Going into this book I thought it would be cheesy but I was very wrong! This book is a really good book. A simple short read for young readers. This book is the second in the series. It follows Joss and her friends and she comes over anxiety, pressure, trust, and new fears. All in all totally recommend for an easy read!

[AurorainBookland · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book Joss has more challenges with Cheer, there is more cheer leading than surfing and more friendship issues when the talent show doesn't go as planned.
It was a really fun book just like the first one and it was nice to get to see Joss grow more.