This second book by Christine Day is as beautiful and layered as her first one, I Can Make This Promise. The Sea in Winter features Maisie, who is struggling with a huge personal loss. After years of ballet training, Maisie has injured her knee, a setback that has left her feeling isolated from her friends and the world of dance that she loves. As she works to get back into dancing condition, she also struggles with her feelings about friendships, her family, and her own heritage. Her mother is Makah and her father, who died in Afghanistan when Maisie was a newborn, was Piscataway. As Maisie wrestles with her conflicting feelings, her family (including her stepfather and brother) journeys into Olympic National Park to hike into historic Makah territory. The stories she hears from her mother, the support from her stepfather, and the adoration of her younger brother, along with text missives from her friends at home, all guide her along the path she needs to take into true healing.
This is a beautiful story that many young people will relate to after the traumas of 2020. Themes of grief, recovery, trauma, therapy, loss, and letting others help us are all timely and relevant in today's world, and I am grateful for this book that will help young people experiencing loss as well as teaching them more about the indigenous people of our nation.

Rating 4.5. This is the second book I’ve ready by Christine Day. The Sea of Winter focuses on Maisie’s, a middle school student, personal struggle of dealing with a life changing event deterring her aspirations and passions. The book is a quick read, but the author does a great job in correlating her Mother’s and Maisie tribal struggle in helping Maisie deal with her personal struggles. The one thing I enjoyed of Christine Day character development is Maisie's parent. As an indigenous reader, I was delighted to see a positive portrayal of an indigenous couple’s parenting style, which is not displayed in majority of our Indigenous books. I believe we need more of these positive portrayal for our Indigenous children and young adult readers.

Middle school is hard enough with the changes children go through; however, for Maise she is dealing with an ACL injury from ballet. Forced to take a break from ballet, her emotions are as wounded as her knee. Set in the backdrop of Seattle, Maise, her mom, her brother, and her stepfather go on a roadtrip to Neah Bay. What this book does right: the complex relationship between parent and child, how the family's Indigenous values help Maise heal, loneliness, and therapy to help with tumultuous emotions, Christine Day's writing is absolutely flawless and draws the reader in. Children and adults will enjoy this story! 5/5 stars.

Christine Day's second book, The Sea in Winter was outstanding. As someone who has dealt with injuries that prevented me from reaching some of the goals of my youth, I could relate to the main characters' internal struggles.

I loved Maisie's blended family, her friendships, and the Indigenous history shared by her stepfather throughout. Students passionate about dance and relationships will definitely be hooked quickly by this great story.

A beautiful, heartwarming story about Maisie Cannon who is recovering from a knee injury from dance. She wants nothing more than to dance again, but that is not the only pain she faces. A story that delves into emotional distress, loneliness, hope, and therapy. What I loved most was the relationships between the characters, especially Maisie and her step-dad.

This book lives up to all its hype. The vivid descriptions draw the reader in, as Maisie heads out on journey. We feel her pain in her knee, and her sense of being adrift without ballet. Readers can sense the love in the family, that Maisie feels, yet at the same time feel the void that she feels. This book is especially important now, as so many people are having to navigate life without activities that were a part of their identity. This book validates the feelings that so many children are going through, that they may not be able to name. Along the way, it takes us on a beautiful adventure, teaches a bit of history, and gives a path forward.

I loved this story, partly because Maisie's passion was so palpable, but also because the frustration, impatience, and longing to return to something she loved is so relatable. Many young athletes will face a setback at some point in their lives, and learning how to deal with the realities of it and looking outside the narrow path one has chosen is a valuable learning experience. I also really loved her relationship with her family, and how supportive her mom and step-dad try to be. There is a lot of love in this family, clearly visible even through the hurt and anger. I also really enjoyed Maisie connecting to her family heritage. Her mom is Makah, her father was Piscataway, and her step-dad, Jack, is from the Elwha Klallam Tribe. Jack knows a great deal about the Pacific Northwest history, and through his stories, and the stories of her mom during their hiking trip to her area where she grew up, there is a lot of valuable Native history taught through this story.

I will definitely be adding this book to my collection in the new year.

How do I even begin to put into words the emotions I experienced, and am still processing from this book? After injuring her leg in ballet, Maisie, struggles with not only her physical recovery, but also her emotional recovery. She describes it best when she talks about the "bruises all over her heart." Maisie's journey is mirrored by the journeys of her Native American mom and step-dad and all of their stories teach us about resilience and finding yourself.

I truly enjoyed this OwnVoices book and would recommend this book to middle grade readers, particularly those struggling with loss. I appreciated that the book addressed that loss isn't only reserved for when someone passes away, but also the loss of hopes and dreams, life paths, and friendships.

With thanks to NetGalley and Heartdrum for an early copy in return for an honest review.

This is lovely book about inner strength, being flexible, and finding yourself. I love that is a current day book about a Native American family that all kids can relate to.

A really beautifully written story with real situations, feelings, and outcomes. I appreciated Day’s “mini-stories” Maisie’s stepdad relates during their hikes. I found them cleverly inserted and tremendously interesting. Maisie’s ballet injury is described with a realism and rawness that makes the reader feel the pain, both physical and emotional.

Such an emotional story. I think many people, both young and old, could relate to this story. Life often does derail our desires, and then we need to find new ones to pursue. Maisie dreams of becoming a ballet dancer , but is sidelined by an injury. It happens to many young athletes, sadly, but life goes on for most as they find new ways to continue to enjoy their passion, or discover others. Maisie's family try to help her see that change is a constant everywhere. Maisie endures pain, physical therapy, more pain, and begins to learn... It's really not a pity party book at all, though it sounds depressing, it's really quite uplifting in the end. Good lesson to be learned at all ages. Life throws stuff at us and we get derailed, but then we see things anew and change, hopefully for the better! Wonderful story! Kudos to Ms. Day!

Incredibly moving story about a contemporary young indigenous girl whose lifelong dreams of being a ballerina are under threat from a serious and possibly career-ending injury. Most of the novel focuses not on the pain or physical limitations of the injury but, instead, the emotional and mental turmoil as the MC struggles to determine who she is if she is not a ballet dancer. There's some excellent side characters including the MC's remarkably tolerant stepfather whose lessons about the history of his tribal community and their efforts to adapt to the changes brought on by settlers provide a steady but not too-on-the-nose commentary about resilience. I would love to read more by this author, either about this family or others.

THE SEA IN WINTER is about a young girl named Maisie who used to be a ballet dancer, but suffers an injury which takes her many months to recover from. She not only has to recover physically, but also mentally, as the entire process puts her through a lot. Though the premise is a bit dreary and there are certainly parts that are sad at times, it is a heartwarming story with important messages.

Maisie feels a bit isolated and frustrated when her injury takes so long to heal, and when reading I really felt those emotions on her behalf. Maisie’s emotions are very realistic, and the writing is very strong in that the reader feels everything that she is going through. It feels in many ways like we are in her head as she is dealing with these things.

The familial relationships in this story were a delight to read, as I loved how supportive her parents were being. They were trying their best in a tough situation.
Overall, a very thoughtful novel which shows how to persevere even when the circumstances are grim, and the importance of love and family.

THE SEA IN WINTER is a lovely book for middle grade readers. Maisie is such a likable heroine and I enjoyed her journey as she struggles to heal from a physical injury impacting her ballet dreams. Maisie's hopes and dreams are sympathetically conveyed and I was pulling for her from the start. Her interactions with family and friends seem very realistic.

This is also a page turner. Day does a nice job of hinting at what might happen on the family trip; that sense of nervous dread keeps us turning pages.

Ultimately, this is a story about psychological healing, a message which I loved and which fits the story very well. The ending feels slightly rushed and I would have liked to see more of Maisie's interactions with her therapist and learn along with her how to overcome anxiety and depression. I understand MG readers might not want that level of "digging deep."

I almost rated THE SEA IN WINTER 5 stars. However, I knocked off 1 star because Maisie's little brother, Cooper, is kind of annoying to read about. Also, the historical legends and stories seem out of place or forced. They could've been incorporated more subtly into the narrative.

I will definitely look for more books by Christine Day. Highly recommended for fans of contemporary literary MG.

The synopsis may sound really depressing, the way We Are Okay does, but it really isn't as depressing as it sounds. It's not one of those books that tries to be sad just for the sake of being sad. It's so much more than that.
One of the main reasons I requested it was because it takes place near where I grew up, and while reading, I instantly recognized nearly all of the places the characters went to (Port Angeles and its motels, the Seattle/Bainbridge ferry, Neah Bay, etc.)

Maisie was once a talented ballet dancer, but one day in practice she attempted a move en pointe she wasn't ready for and tore her ACL. Four months later, she has mostly recovered, but still isn't allowed to come back to class, and has to watch her friends Eva and Hattie constantly message her about the auditions and summer intensives they've been invited to. Because her only friends were from ballet, she is lonely at school and doesn't know who to turn to for help.
During some time off school in February, Maisie's family decides to take a road trip from Seattle to Port Angeles, where they'll challenge many hiking trails and dig for razor clams. Maisie admires her half-brother Connor's constant enthusiasm for everything and hopes he will never grow up to be a "storm cloud" like her. Despite her depressed feelings at the beginning of the trip, she later uses the time to reconnect with Eva and Hattie, trying to be happy for them and their accomplishments rather than jealous and bitter.
Her mother also encourages her to see a therapist when they get back, as well as trying out a new skill (such as creative writing) that she can do instead of dancing. I liked that Maisie didn't ever give up on dancing entirely or decide that she would never be able to go back. She's unsure exactly when it will be okay for her to, but is open to any possibility.

There are times when a second novel doesn’t live up to the debut work, but Christine Day did it again. This novel was wonderful. Maisie is recovering from a ballet injury and struggling not only physically but mentally and emotionally. She feels distant from her family and friends and tries to walk the path of recovery on her own. Maisie’s family, their tribal identities, and the strong sense of place only make this middle grade novel better. A point toward the end that I particularly appreciated was Maisie’s mom discussing her own work with a therapist and Maisie beginning that same work. I can’t recall when I’ve seen that portrayed before (although I’m sure it exists), but it was such an important detail. I loved Maisie’s story and can’t wait to get it in the hands of our patrons.

I received this e-ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this story. Maisie is struggling after an injury sidelines her from ballet. As she works toward recovery, she is having difficulty seeing herself as someone other than Maisie the dancer. Her grief is one many young dancers and athletes will relate to, and I hope many of those readers find their way to this book.