Skating on Mars

Praise for Skating On Mars:

A 2023 Amazon Best Book of the Year So Far A Junior Library Guild SelectionA 2024 Bank Street Best Book of the Year

★”Huntoon… writes beautifully with authority and insight, creating in Mars a fully realized, memorable character; this first novel is an important contribution to the slender body of nonbinary literature, which belongs in every library.” –Booklist, starred review

“Caroline Huntoon’s Skating on Mars is a rallying cry that trans and nonbinary kids belong in sports; it is also a moving story about life’s transitions, big and small. Mars is a kid you can’t help rooting for as they navigate friendships, grief, and their place within the sport of figure skating as a nonbinary athlete. Skating on Mars is an essential addition to the canon of queer sports stories.” –A. J. Sass, author of Ana on the Edge and Ellen Outside the Lines

“Mars gives us a beautiful blueprint for what to do when you’re neither/nor instead of either/or, a sparkling bolt of bold Bowie lightning in a world of black and white. Their story skated into my heart and left a smile on my face.” –Jules Machias, author of Both Can Be True and Fight + Flight

“All the gold medals for this book! Equal parts a fun, joyful story about figure skating and a nuanced, break-your-heart-and-put-it-back-together tale about grief and gender identity, Skating on Mars tackles big questions in an accessible and heartfelt fashion. Caroline’s story had me rooting for Mars from the first spin to the last, triumphant triple toe loop.” –E. L. Shen, author of The Comeback

“This timely, triumphant novel about figure skating, identity, loss, and love will move and entertain readers–and it might just inspire them to find their own ways to change the world. ” –Laurie Morrison, author of Up for Air and Coming Up Short

“The results are in: Skating on Mars is a must-read, all-around winning debut novel. The fierce, spirited Mars will be skating figure-eights in readers’ hearts and minds long after the book comes to an end.” –Michael Leali, author of The Civil War of Amos Abernathy

“We urgently need more books like this in the world: ones that remind us that LGBTQ+ kids are regular kids, with regular kid feelings, struggles, and triumphs. Skating On Mars is a sensitively written story that centers an appealing and realistic non-binary protagonist…An excellent and most welcome addition to the growing (but still too small) collection of well-written and compassionate books about young rainbow humans.” –Lisa Bunker, author of Zenobia July and Felix Yz

“Mars’ identity is examined with nuance, given depth and consideration as life on and off the ice grows both more euphoric and increasingly complicated…a strong sports story and an earnest coming-of-age tale in one.” –Kirkus

“Mars’s passion for figure skating is infectious, and their fight to stake out their own place in a system not built for them proves both gently affirming and joyful.” –Publishers Weekly

Caroline Huntoon has always loved to tell stories, but it took a while for that love to translate to writing books. After graduating with a B.A. from Barnard College, Caroline spent three years making magic at the happiest place on earth, before moving to Michigan to become an English teacher and theater director. It wasn’t until earning an M.A. from The Bread Loaf School of English that they finally started writing stories for young people. Now they live in Ypsilanti, Michigan with their child, Winifred. Caroline writes across genres, but their work often circles back to themes of loss, identity, friendship, and validating the messy and wonderful lives of young people.