Spinning

Locations
Call Number: Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Walden, Tillie
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Walden, Tillie	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Walden, Tillie	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Walden, Tillie	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Walden, Tillie	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Walden, Tillie	4-week checkout	Due 05-18-2025
Malletts Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Walden, Tillie	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Walden, Tillie	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Walden, Tillie	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Walden, Tillie	4-week checkout	Due 05-04-2025

Ignatz Award winner Tillie Walden's powerful graphic memoir captures what it's like to come of age, come out, and come to terms with leaving behind everything you used to know. It was the same every morning. Wake up, grab the ice skates, and head to the rink while the world was still dark. Weekends were spent in glitter and tights at competitions. Perform. Smile. And do it again. She was good. She won. And she hated it. For ten years, figure skating was Tillie Walden's life. She woke before dawn for morning lessons, went straight to group practice after school, and spent weekends competing at ice rinks across the state. Skating was a central piece of her identity, her safe haven from the stress of school, bullies, and family. But as she switched schools, got into art, and fell in love with her first girlfriend, she began to question how the close-minded world of figure skating fit in with the rest of her life, and whether all the work was worth it given the reality: that she, and her friends on the team, were nowhere close to Olympic hopefuls. The more Tillie thought about it, the more Tillie realized she'd outgrown her passion--and she finally needed to find her own voice.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

School Library Journal Review
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Summary / Annotation
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Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Not their best submitted by dntanzer on August 29, 2019, 8:08am Definitely not my favorite from this author (On a Sunbeam). This is a solid memoir told in graphic novel form. I found it a little boring and also surprisingly dark. If I had read this before their other works I might've liked it more but I had very different expectations.

Moving Bildungsroman submitted by Meginator on August 21, 2021, 8:42am This graphic novel is a nuanced, highly personal coming-of-age story framed around Tillie Walden’s involvement in, and gradual disillusionment with, competitive figure skating. The simple color pallette renders everything in shades of purple, often with large darker spaces, but occasional shocks of bright yellow light illuminate several key scenes in an arresting visual metaphor. The effect works really well, and Walden’s ability to render expressions carries some of the weaker panels. The narration is a bit overly present, but the end result is a feeling that the reader is processing Walden’s experiences alongside with her, making for a surprisingly intimate experience. This book has a few little flaws here and there, but the overall effect is enchanting and not easily forgotten- Spinning is excellent.

A Moving Story submitted by mknappe on August 19, 2022, 12:45pm A deeply personal look at growing up as a queer girl in the world of competitive figure skating. The beautiful visual lend to a moving story that I could really relate to. I wasn't able to put it down but I wish the ending was more fulfilling.

I loved this graphic novel submitted by caroline.north89 on July 22, 2024, 10:28am I love this graphic novel so much

sorrowful queer girlhood submitted by landone on August 2, 2024, 9:53am I love Tillie Walden’s art style and storytelling ability so much. Very sorrowful queer girlhood story that made me cry a bit at times. I feel like I learned a lot about figure skating too, which is cool.