In this quiet graphic-novel memoir, 11-year-old Tillie must adjust to new coaches, teammates, and routines when her family moves from New Jersey to Austin, Texas. A competitive solo and synchronized figure skater, Tillie practices at the crack of dawn and endures grueling, day-long competitions on the weekends. While skating is the unifying activity throughout, this is a memoir about Tillie grappling for control in multiple aspects of her life. When Tillie begins a romantic relationship with another girl and Tillie’s mother finds out, Tillie decides to selectively come out to friends, family members, and mentors. Although she has friends at her new school, she must endure the persistent bullying of a classmate. Most of all, Tillie realizes that although she likes winning, she does not enjoy skating. Finding the courage to quit the sport into which she has invested years of time and energy and to pursue a different passion—art—is hard: It means bringing the momentum of her life to a halt and beginning a new path. Walden’s narrative skillfully unfolds at a comfortable pace, and her uncomplicated, monochromatic illustrations complement the emotional heft of the story. (Age 13 and older)

Tillie Walden's Eisner Award winning graphic memoir Spinning 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.

This title has Common Core connections.

A New York City Public Library Notable Best Book for Teens
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2017
A 2018 YALSA Great Graphic Novel
A 2017 Booklist Youth Editors' Choice