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It's All or Nothing, Vale
CCBC Review:
Puerto Rican American middle schooler Vale’s identity is largely tied to being an ultra-competitive, nationally ranked junior fencer. But an accident has left her with the lasting effects of a serious leg injury. Vale has not only lost valuable time fencing, but she may be facing a lifetime of chronic pain. The fact that she’s still healing on her first day back at training isn’t the only thing that worries her; she was once the best among her training peers, but now there’s a new fencer, Myrka (Cuban American), who’s as good as Vale was pre-accident. This verse novel deftly traverses Vale’s emotional landscape as she experiences feelings on many fronts. She wonders whether she is now disabled—a topic explored with sensitivity and nuance. She is jealous of Myrka, who has considerable fencing skills despite an attitude not nearly as competitive as Vale’s own, and on whom she is also developing a crush. Her complicated feelings extend to her loving, supportive parents and big brother Luis Manuel, whose suggestions about her recovery are well-meant but sometimes misguided or make Vale feel unseen. A new friend at school becomes someone in whom Vale can confide about her fears of life without fencing and process her budding crush on Myrka. The poetic text zings with Vale’s frustrations, grief, and growth in the face of uncertainty in the present and going forward. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: 9-13
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Accidents and Injuries
Change
Competitiveness
Jealousy/Envy
Lesbians
Love and Romance
Physical Disability
Puerto Ricans
Sports
Diversity subject:
Latine
LGBTQ Character/Topic
Physical Disability/Condition
On CCBC Booklists:
Great Middle School Reads
LGBTQ Lives in Selected Children's and Young Adult Books
Publisher:
Random House
Publish Year: 2025
Pages: 252
ISBN: 9780593810927
CCBC Location: Fiction, Arango