Vale’s ongoing struggle with limitation after an accident has left her with chronic pain is such an important story. I especially appreciated how the author brought out that nearly everyone is going to experience disability at some point in their life.

Vale juggles pain, an intense competitive streak that’s already ended one friendship and may end a growing crush on her classmate, and learning to find joy in life.

As someone with an autoimmune disease that limits me. I loved how the author dealt with ongoing challenges, not making them magically disappear, but developing Vale's resilience.

You know what is so great about the time we live in? Middle grade books cover SO MANY TOPICS and feelings and events, so that kids can read these books and be able to form their own wide range of thoughts and emotions, see themselves represented, and be given more tools for maturing. And then on the flip side, it gives adults like me vessels that help heal my inner child (and even my outer adult).

It's All or Nothing, Vale, is about a young Puerto Rican girl who is a competitive fencer. She has recently been in an accident that has caused her to have chronic pain in one of her legs. She is forced to reconcile this new life with her desire for fencing greatness, and is super frustrated when she can't hang like she used to. Then a new girl joins the team, and she is everything Vale thinks she herself needs to be.

This book was equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful. As someone with chronic pain, watching her learn that your value isn't tied up in what your body can accomplish, and that there are more things in life that can fill you with joy, was so relatable and validating. I'm in my 30s and needed a book like this at this time in my life. I needed this book when I was younger, too! So I am extremely impressed with the grace and emotion that this story was written with.

Highly recommend for everyone. Loved it.

Thanks to Random House Books and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

I don’t read middle grade stories often, but the cover and synopsis of It's All or Nothing, Vale drew me in. Vale is a middle grade fencer who we meet after she’s been in an accident and is trying to get back to the fencing star she was before. She grapples with not being the same as she was pre-accident, trying to reconcile who she is when for so long she was a nationally ranked fencer and now she may be disabled. And of course, coming to terms with her new life is complicated by first crushes and family dynamics (no matter how much they love her) and made easier with new friendships.

As a novel told in verse, it’s hit and miss for me if the story can portray the deep emotions necessary for the subject. Here, I need not worry. This story is infused with emotions; you can feel what Vale is feeling. There is such a depth and a rawness that I wasn’t expecting from a middle grade book and it took me back to being a pre-teen and teen.

Arangos verse novels are always beautiful and this was no different. An honest portrayal of a character learning to come to terms with disappointment and redirection in her life. With so many kids pushed into high stakes sports, I think young readers will relate to Vale’s struggles in this book. Highly recommend.

It's All or Nothing by Vale has my heart. I felt like I was walking in Vale's shoes, and every step of the way, I just wanted to give her a hug. After a life-changing accident, Vale is navigating her way back to her passion: fencing. And let me tell you, I know nothing about fencing, but I loved following her journey. The intensity of the sport has me wanting more.

The way her accident is handled, along with the emotional exploration of what it means for Vale, was both powerful and poignant. She repeatedly asks her physical therapist, "When do I get to stop seeing you?" Watching her grapple with those difficult conversations, and seeing her come to understand herself, was both heartbreaking and inspiring.

I would recommend this book to anyone. It pulled on my own memories of moments when I didn’t know what to do next, and I believe everyone can gain something from it. The prose was wonderful—short yet powerful, much like the sport of fencing itself. It left a lasting impact on me, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Vale is a 12 year old competitive fencer trying to recover from an accident that left her seriously injured and in intense physical therapy. The physical and mental challenges she grapples with will pull at your heartstrings. This middle grade novel in verse also tackles the normal everyday issues of a middle schooler than many students - not just student athletes - will relate to.

Vale is a champion fencer on the way to becoming a national winner. Vale is under a lot of pressure from her parents, is an extremely competitive kid, and lacks any identity beyond the role of fencer. When Vale suffers a serious injury the road back to being a champion comes under question. And Vale's sense of self-worth is pretty much shattered. That is the novel's strength as most kids who play a sport will not be a professional or achieve world championship status. Vale is also finding her way in friendships and first romance. The parents are pretty stock characters, the stereotypical pushy parents hoping for college scholarships and national recognition. Other supporting characters add to the story but don't have much depth. Novels in verse are often hard to sell to kids. This is a good book, not a great book. It is nice to see a book that deals with fencing and not the usual sports. And, to see Vale navigate her way through a challenging time.

"Middle grade novel in verse" is arguably one of my favorite genres to read, and Andrea Beatriz Arango is one of the *best* at writing this genre. Vale is one of those truly special characters whom I believe both young readers and adults will love and be able to relate to. Her perfectionism and fiercely competitive nature are some of her greatest strengths, but after sustaining a life-altering injury, she discovers that the fear of failure that comes along with her drive may also be one of her biggest weaknesses.

After returning to fencing for the first time after her accident, Vale must confront some difficult questions, including: Am I still worthy of love if I'm not the best at my sport? Is this what disability looks and feels like? Is disability even a word I would use to describe my experience? How can I let the people I love in?

Andrea Beatriz Arango skillfully infuses her poems with complex thematic layers, including friendship, family, young queer love, and disability. This is a must-read for students and teachers alike, and I have every intention of adding it to both my curriculum and classroom library.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Children's for my advanced reader copy.

Novels in verse fly off our library shelves and Vale’s story is one our students will love. The family dynamics are realistically portrayed and their support of Vale in her struggles is heartwarming. Vale herself is complex, kind, and introspective but also quick tempered and frustrating- just like real middle schoolers! Highly recommend!

Another slam dunk by Andrea Beatriz Arango! A fencing female protagonist is original and important as are LBGTQ+ characters with disabilities. This novel in verse is a quick and emotional book that will be part of my classroom collection.

The book tells the story of a girl who is coming back to the sport of fencing after an accident that has left her with pins in her leg and chronic pain. She returns to a team that includes her ex-bestfriend, Stephanie, and a new fencing star, Myrka. This was a great skeleton of a story but it needed more. I wanted more backstory about her falling out with Stephanie and why her friend held such resentment for her even after the accident. I also wanted more development of Vale's crush on Myrka. It felt like they lived in a time period when comp-het doesn't exist, and we are not there yet especially in the Latinx community. I can understand the author not wanting this to be a coming out book, but in doing so she neglected an important point in the story.

While I personally like reading books such as this that include Spanish phrases, I wish there were footnote translations for our readers who do not understand Spanish.

Arango's writing gets stronger and stronger with each book. In It's All or Nothing, Vale, our main character must reevaluate her identity which was previously tightly wrapped around her fencing ability, but after a terrible accident she's left unmoored and lost. Who is she if she's not a fencer? Vale must learn to let go and step into an uncertain future - which includes confusing feelings around the word disabled - but includes the help of her family, a new friend, and a new crush!! Arango's writing is as sharp as her former fencing champ!

I love this author's books and I was eager to get my hands on this! This was no exception, as I loved it too! This was a great exploration of young people putting pressure on themselves in sports and what happens when something that was an identity maybe can't be one anymore. This is explored through Vale, who is injured in an accident and struggles to fence how she used to previously. Her journey is emotional and told in a lovely verse.

I enjoyed this MG novel in verse. Valentina/Vale is a competitive fencer, but after a serious accident leaves her leg mangled, she is struggling to make a comeback despite the pain in the fencing arena. Her identity is wrapped up in being a fencer, so the book follows her through the struggle of finding out if she can make it to the top spot again or if she will find her identity and happiness through another activity. On top of struggling with normal teenage things like messy friendships and crushes, she struggles with her family and the pressure she feels from them to be a great fencer. Vale has to learn to trust others and herself throughout the story.
I read an ARC through NetGalley, and this book will be published in February 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Random House Books for Young Readers, and Andrea Beatriz Arango for the opportunity to read It's All or Nothing, Vale in exchange for an honest review.

After reading Something Like Home, I knew I would have to read Arango's newest novel-in-verse: It's All or Nothing, Vale. This novel follows Valentina, a Hispanic girl whose whole life is about fencing and competitions.

After an accident leaving her with a leg injury, Vale fights to get through physical therapy and "get back to normal" as fast as possible. Being only twelve, the perspective that injuries such as hers are a life-long care commitment makes it hard for her to cope when everything she knew before is competition and winning.

When a new girl joins their fencing class, shortly after Vale returns, the girl demonstrates a new level of competition that Vale hasn't experienced before. With days where she needs to use a cane or can't even walk, everything she cares about is threatened by the newcomer, Myrka. When Myrka asks Vale to hang out, she considers it an opportunity to learn about her enemy, but she finds that she actually connects with and has fun with the other girl. She even experiences feelings that she never expected to have toward another girl!

Her ultimate anchor is her brother, Luis Manuel, or Manu for short. She tells Manu everything and reaches out to him as her saving grace when she needs to talk about fencing or feelings. Vale has a lot to learn about what is truly important in life.

I thoroughly enjoyed following Vale on her journey in this novel. It is a great example of how accidents change who we are and are often something out of our control, which can be frustrating and depressing. It also shows the value of trying new things, because one may never know what they might like until they try. It also emphasized the message about the value of both family and friendship. Vale compares and contrasts her parent's treatment of her both before and after the accident. She also explores friendships that were both pre and post.

I enjoy the verse style and found in an enjoyable way to break down Vale's story and her healing journey for a younger reader. This novel is meant  more for a middle Grade audience, but is a gem to be enjoyed by young adults and adults as well. The lessons within are thoroughly worthwhile.

I absolutely cannot wait to have this book in my classroom library. Iveliz Explains It All was such a powerful book and memorable reading experience that I did go into this new text a little worried that my hopes/expectations for the book would be too high. However, Andrea Beatriz Arango has woven another beautiful middle grades novel in verse told in such an authentic and vulnerable voice. Though I wasn't sure if the premise would be too specific for engaging middle school readers, the struggles that Vale experiences are so personal in that way that becomes universal.

There are many students I already have in mind to read this book, and I'd also include it in my 7th grade book-in-verse book clubs. Thank you so much to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

E ARC Provided by Netgalley

In this novel in verse, Valentina Camacho was in a motorbike accident four months ago, and had to have extensive surgery to repair her ankle. She has good days and bad, and is very frustrated that not even Dr. Claudia can tell her when she will be 100% again. She has physical therapy, and is finally allowed to return to fencing practice. Before the accident, fencing was Vale's life; being so involved in it is what caused her to fall out with former best friend and fellow fencer Stephanie. Vale's mother, who is now obsessed with finding things to help Vale's leg feels better, used to have an "all or nothing" attitude, and constantly told Vale that she could be a great Puerto Rican fencer if she just worked hard enough. Returning to practice is difficult. She's not greeted overly warmly, and her leg doesn't feel great. Not only that, but there is a new girl, Myrka Marero, who is said to be almost as good a fencer as Vale was. Even though Myrka is friendly, Vale feels that she is not at fencing to support her teammates or make friends, although she does agree to go with the group for ice cream whne Myrka asks, but mainly because Samantha is snarky and says that Vale won't go. At home, Vale does have a supportive older brother, but he is also frustrating because he is good at many things, while Vale only has fencing. He helps in many ways, like running baths for her to soak her leg, or giving her coloring books to distract her. Her father tries to help by teaching her to salsa dance, and accompanies her on runs when she is allowed to go back. She also has a new friend at school, Amanda, who supports her and confides in her about her cruch on Mohamed. Even though she has all of these good things in her life, Vale obsessed about her ankle and fencing. Frustrated by a lack of rubric for her recuperation, she even asks her doctor is she is disabled, but her doctor won't tell her one way or the other. Vale thinks that the coach is babying her, and after she has a good day and a successful match against Myrka, she overhears teammates saying that Myrka let her win, and fights with her friend. This is especially devastating, because she and Myrka have become friends, and Vale has a crush on Myrka that is reciprocated. Eventually, Vale admits that she is not finding joy in fencing, and that she needs help dealing with her grief over here injury. She steps away from competition, although she does enjoy helping with the children's mini Musketeers group, finds a mental health therapist, and manages to reclaim her relationship with Myrka.
Strengths: I am writing this seven weeks after ankle surgery, so I definitely feel Vale's pain. I didn't even break anything (had a tendon repaired), and am well aware that I will not run until August of 2025. But I have other interests, and I'm old. Vale wants to get back to fencing in the most desperate way, and every ache and pain that gets in her way is maddening. This is certainly well expressed in all that she feels and does. Her obsession with fencing even impacts her friendships, and this is also something that I have seen as a coach; when your friend beats you, it is HARD. Vale feels shame for losing, and even for being in pain, and finds it hard to even accept help from her friends and family. Middle grade literature could use a lot more books concerning recuperating from sports injuries, and it was fun to add another book about fencing to my sports collection, along with the Bagleys' Duel or Rhodes' Black Brother, Black Brother.
Weaknesses: I wish that this had addressed the core problem more; the fact that Vale's mother put away to much pressure on her, and that middle school kids shouldn't pin all of their hopes on athletics. I see too many children who can see no further than professional sports as a career path, and it's sad to see them spend so much time on one interest, especially when (as happens too often) this causes injuries. It was just painful to read Vale's thoughts about how being good at fencing was the only thing that gave her life meaning.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed this author's Something Like Home or Iveliz Explains it All, or who want books about recuperating from sports injuries, like Preller's Shaken or Day's The Sea in Winter.

It's All or Nothing, Vale tackles a subject not often found in middle grade fiction--career ending sports injuries. For many late elementary and middle school students, activities that they've done for most of their childhoods are all-consuming, and it's hard for them to see a life outside of their chosen sport. For Vale, that sport is fencing. And she was the best. After an accident, Vale has to come to terms with her new disability and the potential loss of her fencing supremacy.

It's All or Nothing, Vale is told beautifully in verse and will definitely appeal to the 4th and 5th graders in my elementary school.

I think this is a great book. It follows a really dynamic protagonist and the supporting cast really helps to show her development and the story growth. It has so many great lessons and the writing style is great.

A fast-paced internal deep-dive into the mind of a young girl who is reckoning with a huge and fundamental shift in her identity. The tenderness and attention to detail is matched by the gripping character development.