Almost Flying

13 year-old Dalia's world is turned upside down when her father tells her, out of the blue, that he's got a girlfriend and then in short measure adds that they're getting married. And that his fiancee has a college-aged daughter. It seems like hate at first sight for Dalia and Alexa (the college daughter), but when Alexa wants to go on a week-long trip to ride rollercoasters in several states, Dalia, who wants to do that very thing, decides to go along. And she brings her new friend, Rani, too.

Dalia goes through a *lot* of emotions on the trip while she figures out her feelings for Alexa and for Rani. And sometimes it feels like too much fret and angst, although the story is a good one. Maybe it's a case of me not being a middle show more grader; they may relate much better to such hormonal turmoil. Overall, though, I enjoyed it very much. show less

Thirteen year old Dalia loves roller coasters although she's never been on one. She meets Rani at the summer swimming pool and they become fast friends.

She suddenly learns that her divorced dad has been seeing his girlfriend, Vanessa, for six months and it's serious. She dreads the thought of meeting her, but it's inevitable. Vanessa has a college age daughter, Alexa, who has been planning a week long amusement park trip with her friend. When Vanessa asks her to cancel so she can bond with Dalia, she's totally upset. But then Dalia comes up with the idea of joining Alexa and possibly bringing Rani along.

Will Alexa and Dalia bond? Will Rani become more than a best friend? Will Dalia get to ride roller coasters? Read it and see. Almost show more Flying is a fun book and the only ups and downs are on the roller coasters. show less

Great middle grade novel! It deals with LGBTQ life in a meaningful way. Fun and fast read.