Sky Ropes

by Sondra Soderborg

For fans of The War That Saved My Life and Wolf Hollow, this fast-paced and unforgettable story follows one girl's journey to overcome her trauma, discover what friendship really means, and learn that being brave is not always about being fearless.

Breanna is certain of a few things: She is strong, tough, and the greatest prankster in her entire district. She doesn't need to meet new people, not when she already has amazing friends like Pascale and Niraj.

And she WILL NOT be ascending Sky Ropes—the highest ropes course in the state—at her school's required teambuilding camp. No, she's not afraid of heights!

Breanna is determined to get through the week of camp as quickly as possible, while planning the most epic prank and avoiding even thinking of the Sky Ropes. And as the week progresses, Breanna can't help loving her time in nature, fostering a rivalry with the other competitive softball pitcher, and bonding with the other kids. But as much as she likes to pretend that she isn't afraid of anything, Breanna knows that, come Friday, she will have to face the Sky Ropes—and with it, the fear deeply tied to memories of her father's abuse that she has been fighting to push away.

Emotionally rich and tumultuously paced, Sondra Soderborg's debut novel is a story about opening yourself up to new possibilities, understanding what it means to be a true friend, encountering the most difficult truths about your own self, and finding self-acceptance within darkness.

COMPELLING PORTRAIT OF ONE GIRL’S RESILIENCE AND STRENGTH: With poignant storytelling and a genuine voice, Sondra Soderborg conveys a main character with compelling struggles. Readers will relate to Breanna's internal battles while cheering for her during tense moments and reflecting on her moments of clarity through the end.

LOVEABLE CHARACTERS: Readers will love the diverse array of characters each with their own struggles. Personalities clash and feelings overlap in a way that is true to the pre-teen experience. It's a wonderfully nuanced portrayal of tweens that real kids will recognize right away, and that will trigger long-forgotten memories for anyone lucky enough to have survived camp.

TIMELESS STORY: With a classic summer camp setting and fun characters, this book offers an engaging narrative kids will enjoy and evokes a sense of nostalgia parents and teachers will love recommending.

POWERFUL AND RELEVANT: The abuse the main character undergoes at home is explored here subtly and authentically, steeped in the first-hand witnessing the author has done in her time as a child advocate and prison teacher.

AUTHENTIC TO THE CORE: In the tradition of Drama or Real Friends, this book makes you want to keep turning page after page. Readers of all ages will respond to the authenticity running under the fast-paced plot, making this a novel that will be meaningful for a lot of kids.

Perfect for:
Readers who love strong characters
Fans of action and adventure stories, books about friendship, and books set at camp
Fans of literary books for kids
Parents and caregivers seeking resources to help kids talk about anxiety, abuse, and fear
Librarians and educators looking for subtle issue books
Fans of Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Rebecca Stead, and Lauren Wolk

Genres: Middle Grade, Adventure, Abuse

320 pages, Hardcover

First published July 11, 2023

Reviews

[Kelly Lyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Breanna is such a whiny and bratty character. The writing is atrocious and mediocre. The ending is awful and abrupt.

[Ashly Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and am so glad that I did. Soderborg crafts a beautiful coming of age story that I'm sure I would have loved if I had read it when I was in my preteens, but I don't feel that I enjoyed it any less in adulthood. Soderborg's writing flows well and unfolds in a lyrically told story that creates a place the reader can easily disappear into. Whether you are young and currently experiencing camp or if you are older and want to feel nostalgic about the camp you went to when you were young, this is the perfect atmospheric read to pick up. And, now that it's summer there really couldn't be a better time than now to find a copy of this to peruse. Soderborg writes about middle schoolers at camp so well that if you never went when you were a kid this is a great way to experience all the fun! Think the start of The Parent Trap minus the crazy twin story and you're pretty close to what you can expect from this book.

I really enjoyed all the characters, even if Breanna, the main character, is a little annoying at times. I'm thinking what annoyed me about her was her acting like a pre-teen girl, but she is a pre-teen girl, so any character flaws are meant to be there and, even if annoying, add to how her plot and character development. I do think that the topics tackled in this book are a little on the heavier side, but Soderborg writes a meaningful story that is relatable even if it's not directly relatable. We all have something we're scared of, and we all have people in our lives who want to support us while facing those fears. I loved how Breanna came into her own and learned some lessons she'll take with long after she leaves camp.

This story was so atmospheric, and I felt myself melting into the pages like melting in the summer sun. This book was so binge-able that I would definitely consider purchasing a copy for my own physical shelves. I was so immersed in the world Soderborg created and would not hesitate to pick up anything else by this author in the future. This was so close to a five-star read for me, but there were just a few inconsistencies and a little muddled time passage that brought me out of the story here and there. I feel like there was something else that pushed my rating down, but honestly I cannot remember to save my life, and I only think about this book fondly now that I've sat with it for some time.

If you are looking for an easy summer read with a heartfelt message consider adding this one to your TBR, especially if you are looking for that youthful camp nostalgia. I seriously could not get enough of Soderborg's descriptions. I loved it!

I received a free e-copy of this book from Netgalley. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me a copy.

Full review originally published on ashlyreadsbooks.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I was given an advanced reading copy by NetGally and Chronicle Books, but all opinions are my own.* I talk to my students a lot about how books can act as mirrors, windows, and doors when we apply them to our own lives. This book hit me HARD, as it was a mirror for me. On the surface, I don’t have a lot in common with Breanna, the main character. But I did have a borderline abusive father and trauma from that experience that impacted my middle school year. Breanna’s fears regarding her father took me back to that place - a place I thought I’d left behind years ago.

Obviously my connection to the main character impacted my overall perception of this book, but even looking at it from other angles, this book is just excellent. It belongs on middle grade award lists and in elementary and middle school libraries. Students don’t like being preached to about kindness and acceptance, and Sky Ropes delivers that message wrapped up in a fun and fast-paced story that comes across as totally authentic. Diverse characters make up the supporting cast of characters, body acceptance is promoted (LOVE that our main character is described as strong - not chubby - and is proud of it), and characters learn to accept and embrace differences. A subtle message can be found that accepting differences doesn’t have to mean putting up with mean people, which I appreciated. I have students who are bullied who have had the idea of kindness driven into their heads for so long that they feel that standing up for themselves or others is the “wrong” thing to do.

I was 100 pages into this book when I messaged the author on Instagram, thanking her for writing this. By the time I finished this book, I was in cathartic tears. This book is accessible, funny, tender, and important. Read it, and share it with others!

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Breanna and her mother have lived outside of Detroit for quite a while, ever since they left their close knit family in Mexicantown due to her father's addiction to Oxycontin and subsequent behavior problems. She's managed to make a couple of good friends, but is concerned about the middle school trip to a six day team building camp, where they will meet other children from neighboring schools. One of the features of the camp is the Sky Ropes, and since Breanna has a fear of heights instigated by some of her father's actions, she has deleted e mails from her mother's account and buried all of the flyers that came home. Parents can be wiley, however, and her mother has seen her do these things and scheduled her for the camp anyway. Breanna figures that at least she can create epic pranks with her friends Pascale and Niraj. She goes to a lot of trouble to try to sneak contraband items into her luggage, and even finds replacements for things her mother wisely removes. She reluctantly gets along with some of the campers, including several that enjoy softball as much as she does, and even has fun doing some of the activities like nature walks, telling ghost stories, and having water balloon fights. She is at odds with Cami, a mean girl who is determined to undermine Breanna at every turn. Breanna is so obsessed with the Sky Ropes (even though the camp goes out of their way to tell students that they do not have to do anything that makes them uncomfortable, to the point of havin them practive saying "The Sky Ropes aren't right for me". Breanna even makes a pact with another camper that they will NOT do the ropes together! Breanna even breaks into a tool shed with her friends in the middle of the night looking for a chain saw in hopes of damaging the course somehow, but when that doesn't work, several of them, including James, a boy she really likes, try to capture geese so that Niraj can hang signs on their necks with just 1,2, and 4, and set them loose in the mess hall. They are thwarted by the cook. After a disastrous wall climbing activity, Cami taunts Breanna, who decides that she has to do the Sky Ropes course. It doesn't go well, but Breanna learns something about herself, the power of friendship, and dealing with her past.
Strengths: There is certainly a need for books about children who have to deal with parents who struggle with addiction, and I would have liked to know more about Breanna's experiences. The idea of going to a wilderness camp is very appealing, and the details about living arrangements and activities are well described. Breanna is a fierce character who is trying her best to retain frienships as well as her strong appearance, even as she struggles with maintaining it. I liked her interest in softball, and the fact that she was able to make new friends even though she didn't think that she could. I also liked that the camp didn't force children to do activities, even if they were required to be with the counselors for their own safety.
Weaknesses: While there were some good camp details, most of the book concentrated on Breanna's internal struggles, which got to be a bit repetitive. The style of writing felt oddly disconnected.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Toalsen's The First Magnificent Summer or Winget's The In-Between. It is a longer and more contemplative novel.

[David Pace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breanna’s goals in life are “to win, to be tough and funny, but also kind, not like her dad,” but at Camp Horizon, an -end-of-summer camp before school starts, she is acting just like Cami right now, “mean Cami.” Breanna is also absolutely, positively determined to appear to others as fearless—about everything, especially the Sky Ropes ropes course high in the trees, designed for team building.

This middle-age novel by Sondra Soderborg posits Breanna as real, contradictory, and sometimes mean—like her antagonist “Cami” whom she goes head-to-head with on the softball field—and consummately likeable. She’s a prankster, a storyteller and she’s loyal to her friends, both male and female, who join her in this frenetic and fraught gumbo of early adolescence.

The reader learns that Breanna has come to her debilitating fears, especially of heights, honestly. She holds this escapade called her life, on the verge of being a numerical teenager, in two receptacles: the “basket” over her heart where she deposits things that make her feel validated and safe and the seemingly impenetrable “lock box” somewhere behind her sternum where secrets and traumas she cannot fully articulate let alone come to terms with live.

Soderborg knows her subject and loves her but more importantly she respects her. The author’s craft is evocative of youth who are repetitive and appropriately neurotic but infinitely surprising and original at the most unexpected moments. These moments shake the fruit of Breanna’s evolving life tree with definitive thumps to the ground. Like a firm-lipped but supportive summer camp counselor Soderborg pushes her heroine to the heights—literally—while letting the reader into that harrowing, vulnerable place we have all been in at one time as youth and as adults, and very likely as both.

For this reason, "Sky Ropes" is for everyone except for the adult who has little or no real esteem for the “ankle-biters” in their lives, blood or no. It is honest about real contemporary catastrophes that happen both externally and internally without language, but it is never cruel or gratuitous. It is respectful while jettisoning any saccharine triumphalism of what some imagine youth need to believe their life journey “should” be.

Finally, it is a tale of hard-won redemption and healing that is wholly organic and completely (to me) surprising, filled with awe and, frankly, profoundly moving.

A propulsive read, “Sky Ropes” will break your heart, but you will find yourself cheering the delightfully spirited (and, truthfully, at times cantankerous) Breanna to new awareness she can’t imagine because of inchoate fear of real dangers related to past experiences. And also there is the fear of acknowledging one’s very real wounds that are making a racket in that lock box. All of this in an eleven-year-old? Yup.

At a critical point, children require more than didactive and instantly forgettable fantasy tales that unnecessarily let them “off” the proverbial hook of life-as-life-actually-happens. More precisely, letting them “off” the ropes and cables of an obstacle course high in the creaking trees of a Michigan youth camp.

Fortunately, in this eloquently wrought debut, Sondra Soderborg is the trusted camp counselor below and on belay. So go get hooked with Breanna. “Line on! Line off!”

[Sally Kruger]

Breanna has a reputation to uphold. She is known for her guts and toughness. Planning and playing pranks have earned her respect from friends and classmates. Now that she will be in sixth grade in a school that combines kids from a bunch of elementary schools, she'll have to make new friends and make sure they recognize her talents.

All summer she has been dreading the teambuilding camp that takes place the week before school starts. Informational pamphlets have been arriving in the mail. As long as her mother doesn't know about it, she won't be forced to attend so she has been gathering the pamphlets and burying them in the backyard. When the final week of summer vacation approaches, her mother mentions shopping for camp supplies. Oh no! How did her mother know? How will she get out of it?

Now she is at camp faced with new people, uncomfortable situations, and worst of all, the prospect of having to tackle the Sky Ropes. Breanna's fear of heights is all twisted up with the most terrifying event of her life. It involves her father who now has a restraining order that prohibits him from getting anywhere close to her, but that doesn't keep her from nightmares about him and what happened.

How will she keep up her rep as a tough, brave, prankster if she is constantly worried about the Sky Ropes? The camp counselors keep preaching that the camp challenges are by choice, but what if she is the only one who chooses to say "no" to the frightening Ropes?

Author Sondra Soderborg's debut book SKY ROPES explores personal challenge, bullies, and trauma in a way that will have readers connecting to Breanna and her friends. With breath-taking adventures, quirky characters, and fun camp moments SKY ROPES is sure to keep readers turning pages from start to finish.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breanna, the protagonist of Sky Ropes, is a middle school student who seems to be a happy
young woman. At the beginning of the novel, she is portrayed as a good athlete, a prankster,
and a close friend to a couple of other students. There are some clues that her life is a little more
complicated than it seems to be. This begins with news of her school’s team-building camp and
the fact that it encourages the students to participate in a fearsome ropes course. Breanna
doesn’t admit it, but she has a strong fear of heights.

For weeks, she tries to get out of camp by trying to hide it from her mother, but her efforts are
useless, and she is sent to camp with the rest of her classmates. Breanna begins to love the
outdoors, makes some new friends, and plans the ultimate prank. However, things don’t
necessarily go as she thinks they will.

Many of us love a good camp story and Sky Ropes incorporates many of the classic elements
of the genre. Anyone who has worked in education knows that young people like Breanna have
a more complex past than one would think. Breanna’s fear of heights (and many of her other
fears) stem from an abusive father with an opioid addiction. Middle-grade students will relate to
Breanna facing difficulties. The idea that one can be strong while having weaknesses is a
good thing for tweens to realize.

I wouldn’t say that this is an easy read, especially for a child who has gone through abuse,
poverty, or difficult situations in life. However, it is an important book. I recommend Sky Ropes
for all public libraries and middle/ junior high school libraries. Highly recommended for grades
5-8.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for this copy of Sky Ropes in exchange for an honest review.

There is a lot to love about this book. The main character, Breanna, is an outgoing and loyal young woman who has many talents and lots of confidence in some areas, but also suffers insecurities in others areas. She ends up at a week long team building sleep away camp where she must face her fears and come to terms with who she is and who she wants to be. There are a lot of really wonderful and heartwarming moments, and also some important life lessons that are embedded in a very entertaining story. There is also a (mostly) well developed cast of side characters.

A couple of things I didn't love - they way that Breanna's mom basically forces her to go to the team building camp in the beginning when she clearly doesn't want to. It felt unnecessarily harsh, especially considering what Breanna and her mother went through with Breanna's father. Also, Breanna's nemesis at camp, Cami, was written in what felt to me like a very 2-dimensional way. That having been said, this is a book for middle schoolers (10-12 year olds) so I'm not sure that it would have made more sense to build nuanced character arcs for a Cami and Breanna's mom.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and it is completely appropriate for the target age group. I think it would be especially comforting for kids who have been through trauma or who have PTSD.

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trauma from a childhood incident has given Breanna an extreme fear of heights. The teambuilding camp she is attending has a sky ropes course that is the highlight of the week. For Breanna, it is a dreaded activity that haunts her as the week goes by. Counselors encourage campers to embrace challenges, but to choose what works best for them individually. Breanna has a dilemma. Can she stay maintain her tough and fearless image while still deciding not to do the sky ropes activity? Maybe if she pulls off a big prank that will distract everyone. Should she or shouldn't she? The support of friends and adults at the camp will give Breanna what she needs to make it through camp week. Readers will see their own struggles in one or more of the camp kids and find ways to meet the challenges ahead at school and in sports.

Thank you to Chronicle Books and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kaytlin Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 9 year old daughter and I absolutely LOVED Sky Ropes. I read it first - it's been a very long time since I found a book that made me cry and elicited such a strong emotional response to the climactic scene. For a middle grade book about a seemingly low stakes activity (a sky ropes course) Soderborg nailed that scene. I was in tears - and my husband who started reading over my shoulder then finished it without me admitted it brought him to tears too.

I couldn't wait to put in the hands of my 9 year old. She struggles with fear and anxiety sometimes and she loved this book. We had so many wonderful conversations as she read it about friendship and fear and bravery and choosing to be kind.

She said, "What I love about this book is that it feels real. Like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson are fun but you know they're not really real. This feels real!"

[Kenneth Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intense and engaging read that deals with some powerful, important themes that everybody deals with -- fear, social acceptance, accepting and recognizing weaknesses and strengths, etc. Sondra targeted this book for children of middle school age, but as an older adult it was enlightening for me.
The ultimate question that permeates through most of the book is "Will Breanna try the sky ropes?" She's too afraid to, for very real reasons. Yet, she feels the pressure of not wanting to appear a failure or weak. In the closing chapters, Sondra carefully weaves between leading us to think. "no she will not" or "yes she will". As a reader, in one chapter I felt like "yes, she needed to conquer her fears." In the next chapter I was led to think "no, it's okay to have fears." This not only kept the story suspenseful, but it led the reader's thoughts to parallel what Breanna was thinking.

[Patrick Flores-scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucky to read a galley of this one. Breanna is such a strong character, a bold, seemingly confident leader. But she has a secret. She is so afraid. Breanna is a specific, beautifully-drawn, wonderfully-flawed human character. Same is true with her friends. This book is a study of fear--where fears come from, how stubbornly they keep ahold of us, and the lengths we will go to keep our fears from being revealed...and it gives a path for young readers to examine their own fears and move forward in a way that works for them. Makes me wish I was still a teacher. There are SO MANY rich and immediately useful conversations that could spawn from this book re trauma and how we move forward as individuals and how we acknowledge and respond to trauma as caring community.

[LS Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would call this a camp story with many of the aspects you expect - friends, enemies, competitions, nature appreciation, and overcoming fears. But Breanna is experiencing something far more emotional than just fear of the ropes course and it elevated this story to new heights. This book put into words a really important message about how to view situations and turning the narrative into something positive and seeing the circumstances the way you want to see them. I’ve never seen this in a middle grade book and it brought me to tears. Read pages 298-299. “You choose the story you tell yourself.” The SheThor nurse was awesome! The only thing that felt weird to me was that the story was written in third person and felt awkward at times.

[Can Dragons Read? · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet, fast read story about friendship, empathy, personal challenges, and facing fears. I loved how the friendships were formed and how Breanna grew through the book. It has an amazing message about everyone having their own challenges and how that's okay. I do wish there was a little something more to the story, perhaps a more unique ending, but it's a middle grade and because of that I'm less critical. Easily 3.5 stars.

[Kristin Lenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the same reaction as the Jerry Spinelli quote on the cover. "I read. I loved. I fought off tears..." Brianna is a complex character and her fear grips her hard. She struggles mightily, but finds solace in nature and the kindness and support of her friends. This is one of those beautiful stories where the author’s humanity shines through the characters and makes you feel better about our world.

[Angela Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Soderborg captures Breanna's voice perfectly. I love how raw, imperfect, and honest Breanna is as she works to overcome her fears at camp. This unique story helped me better understand girls like Breanna--and I know some. I also love how Soderborg hints at ways to work through anxiety.

This book is ideal for any girl struggling to find herself--particularly those who don't feel that they fit the traditional girly mold.

[Estelle Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted this book and if took me over two years to get around to reading this one but when I finally did I felt so touched and connected by this story. At almost every turn I was crying because I could see myself in her. I can’t relate to a background like hers but I relate to the girl with anxiety wanting to be the brave one. How much I relate to this character is what made me fall in love with this book!

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The further I got into this book, the harder it was to put down. Breanna is such a rich character and reminded me of how difficult and scary it can be to let others see your flaws. The few days away at camp was the perfect setting to introduce an interesting cast of characters, let friendships and rivalries develop and expose Breanna's fears. I loved the friendships and already miss those kids.

[Brigette Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful story. I loved learning more about the protagonist’s history as the book progressed and watching her grow while she spends time at camp. The other campers are interesting, well-developed characters. I can truly say I couldn’t tell how Breanna’s story was going to end, but I loved how it did. Wonderful book.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Pretty good book, the cover is absolutely beautiful 😍

The book itself was pretty good, I enjoyed some parts but some bits just felt really random?

I felt like I was in the world though, I couldn't put this book down. One annoyance I have with this is that the James plot never really got an end? The book kinda just... stopped.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was captivated from the first page. I read SKY ROPES slowly and often reread passages to study how Sondra Soderborg deftly captured the heart of the scene. She created a fascinating cast of characters and put them on an interesting and unusual quest. I highly recommend this book.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I’ve read in a while! It’s living proof that a book with a great message doesn’t have to be littered with foul language and smut. Very refreshing. I am looking forward for more books from her.

[BooksAsDreams (Tiffany) · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are lots of positives: fun, summer camp story, wide cast of characters, adventures. There are themes of trauma, friendship, and resilience. I couldn’t get into it. I don’t know if it was Breanna, but the story didn’t hit the mark for me.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

My least favorite genre of books but it was a gift from someone who knows the author. If you have young teens a very fun story and clever writing.

[Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it but it was pretty sad. It took a while before I started liking it

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Choose the generous story.”

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a good story hidden in what is otherwise a bloated book with an unlikable cast of characters.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute middle grade read.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

the author repeats words to emphasize their meaning but after a while it just felt forced and weird

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Perfect finding yourself/overcoming fears book for 4th-6th grade.