Welcome once more to our book review section. This month I am reviewing Swing Sideways, a middle-grade novel by Nanci Turner Steveson published by HarperCollins in 2016. In Swing Sideways, Annie Stockton and her parents leave the city for a summer in the country where Annie has been promised freedom. It’s a rare gift given her mother controls and over-schedules most of Annie’s life. When Annie meets California who is staying on her grandfather’s farm, freedom goes into over-drive. California takes Annie on wild and secret adventures, at the top of the list the quest to find the ponies California’s mom rode as a child. Once the ponies are found, surely California’s mother and grandfather will reunite. But too many secrets lurk underneath the surface for Annie and California to have a smooth ride. Friendships, parenting and the art of letting go are all examined through Annie’s emotional journey to growing independence.
Because I like to change things up a bit, I asked Nanci Turner Steveson to help me review Swing Sideways. Our conversation is in the video below.
I love the idea of a secret core of a story—it really is what ignites the spark and keeps the writer writing. Thank you for sharing Swing Sideways. The power of a book’s impact on someone else’s life is amazing. I teared up listening. Wonderful interview, Nanci and Kathy! I like how you mixed it up with the video interview Kathy, and as always, enjoyed listening to your accent 💚
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Thanks, Candice. Nanci’s story about how Swing Sideways affected a young girl’s life is very powerful. We never know who we are going to touch with our writing.
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