The Balancing Act

by Thompson, Alicia; Moceanu, Dominique

• ISBN13: 9781423136323
• ISBN10: 1423136322
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-04-17
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary

Twelve-year-old Noelle Onesti has gymnastics in her blood. Not only does she have natural ability, talent and drive, but back in Romania, her mother was also an elite gymnast. So if there's one girl destined to come home with a gold medal at the Junior National Championships, it's Noelle.  But traveling to and competing at the competition is expensive, and the Onesti family is dealing with some major challenges. Their home is facing foreclosure, their business isn't doing so well, and money is tighter than ever.  Knowing how much a trip to the Junior National Championships will cost, how can Noelle ask her parents to make the sacrifice? Noelle wishes she could talk to her teammates - graceful Christina, quiet Jessie, and spunky Britt - but they're so excited for the trip that she feels like she'll let them down.  She considers reaching out to the older (and super cute) boy at her gym, but she gets tongue-tied just being around him. And with every day that passes, it becomes less and less likely that Noelle will get a shot at competing, much less taking home a gold medal. If asked to choose between her family's happiness or her gymnastics future, of course it she'd pick her family. But will she be forced to make that choice?