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    Sliding On The Edge
    Sliding On The Edge
    Sliding On The Edge
    Ebook266 pages5 hours

    Sliding On The Edge

    By C. Lee McKenzie

    4/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Scarred. Scared. Alone. Can sixteen-year-old Shawna Stone overcome her inner suffering and transcend the past?

    Shawna has spent the first sixteen years of her life in Las Vegas and learned to handle anything from a Las Vegas hustle to skipping out on the rent. Damaged inside and out, she's survived with a tough, hardened attitude. When her mother abandons her, with only a bus ticket and the name and number of stranger to call, this troubled , desperate teen finds herself on a California horse ranch with Kay Stone, the steely, youngish grandmother she's never known.

    Kay overwhelms Shawna with rules and daily barn chores, and Shawna baffles Kay with her foul-mouthed anger and shrugging indifference to everything--except the maltreated horse on the ranch next door. But it's worse than even Kay suspects: Shawna's driven to cut herself by Monster, that strange voice inside her head. Kay struggles to keep the ranch going and fears that unless she helps this girl, she could lose her last living family member.

    As this unlikely pair struggles to co-exist, will they overcome their suffering and transcend the past? Blurbs from authors:

    “Sliding on the Edge is the compelling, courageous chronicle of one girl—destined to be a no one—who fights back against her secret grief and pain and finds her life.”

    Judy Gregerson, author of Bad Girls Club

    “C. Lee McKenzie’s extraordinarily moving novel accomplishes a rare feat: It manages to be a coming -of-age story for both its troubled teen protagonist and the grandmother who takes her in. But Sliding on the Edge’s beating heart is Shawna Stone: a girl you can’t help rooting for, even when she doesn’t see much point in rooting for herself. Readers won’t likely forget her.”

    Dan Ehrenhaft, author of The Afterlife and Tell It to Naomi

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherC. Lee McKenzie
    Release dateJan 18, 2013
    ISBN9781301620593
    Sliding On The Edge
    Author

    C. Lee McKenzie

    C. Lee McKenzie's background is linguistics with a specialty in intercultural communication. She's now a novelist who writes young adult and middle grade books. ALLIGATORS OVERHEAD, her first middle grade novel, received a sterling Kirkus review. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/c-lee-mckenzie/alligators-overhead/. Alligators Overhead is Book 1 in the Adventures of Pete and Weasel. The Great Time Lock Disaster is Book 2, and Book 3 is Some Very Messy Medieval Magic. Take a look at the Video on Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h59dYGrVQvs] It's all about fun and magic. Her Young Adult books include Sliding on the Edge (2009, Westside Books) and The Princess of Las Pulgas (2010, Westside Books). Double Negative (chosen the top ten YA in Ezid Wiki), Sudden Secrets, Not Guilty, and Shattered (Indie Book Award winner) are her most recent young adult books, published by Evernight Teen. The eBook anthology called Beware The White Rabbit (2015) includes her story called They Call Me Alice. Two & Twenty Dark Tales (2012) includes her short story, Into The Sea of Dew. Premeditated Cat is her contribution to The First Time (2011). She has dabbled in a bit of horror with Heartless in the anthology A Stitch in Crime. Specialties Intercultural communication in the classroom and on the job. Editing and writing.

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    • 3/5
      "Shawna Stone, sixteen, has learned to handle anything from a Las Vegas hustle to skipping out on the rent. Scarred inside and out, she's survived with a tough, hardened attitude. When her mother abandons her in Vegas, with only a bus ticket and the name and number of a stranger to call, this troubled, desperate teen finds herself on a California horse ranch with Kay Stone, the steely, youngish grandmother she's never known. Kay overwhelms Shawna with rules and daily barn chores, and Shawna baffles Kay with her foul-mouthed anger and shrugging indifference to everything--except the maltreated horse on the ranch next door. But it's worse than even Kay suspects: Shawna's driven to cut herself by Monster, that strange voice inside her head. Kay struggles to keep the ranch going and fears that unless she helps this girl, she could lose her last living family member. As the unlikely pair struggles to co-exist, will they overcome their innner suffering and transcend the past?" -Summary from book jacket My Review: The novel switches between Shawna and Kay's POV. I really enjoyed reading Shawna's chapters more than Kay's. I thought Shawna had a genuine voice, even if she did have a bit of an attitude. Shawna's thoughts and behavior were completely understandable, though, considering how her life had been and how her mother treated her. Her mother was a very selfish woman, putting her own needs ahead of her daughter's every time, and verbally (sometimes even physically) abusing Shawna. I thought the relationship between Shawna and her mother was one of the most interesting aspects of the novel and I would have liked the author to explore Shawna's feelings about her mother more than she did. There was so much going on there, but it was barely touched on. Instead, the novel focuses mainly on the new realtionship between Shawna and her grandmother Kay. Kay was such an enigma to me. I didn't really have her figured out until I had nearly finished the book, and even then she didn't quite grow on me. Kay had a lot of problems herself and I believe she may have been even more messed up than Shawna. But even though I could understand Kay's reasons for her withdrawal and depression and could tell that she did truly care about Shawna when I was reading from her POV, I didn't like how Kay remained so cold and distant on the outside. She didn't ever show any love or concern for Shawna for months after Shawna moved in, yet she was confused as to why Shawna never warmed up to her or the ranch. I thought the novel ended too abruptly and I would have liked more closure. I still had a lot of questions about Shawna, and I was disappointed that the book ended right when Shawna and Kay started to actually get along and open up to one another. Honestly, with how complicated both Shawna and Kay's lives were, this book could have been twice as long. I thought it was a good read though. Well-written and thought-provoking. *I won this book from Goodreads giveaways
    • 4/5
      Shawna is a troubled girl who has had to build a tough exterior due to how she grew up. Her Mom left her to fend on her own a lot, but when her Mom clears out their apartment with her boyfriend, a note telling Shawna to go to her Grandmother's house, to a complete stranger. Under Kay (her Grandmother)'s love and structure, Shawna begins to open up. Kay runs a ranch with horses, who helps to open Shawna's heart as well. There is also a farm "hand" with personality and wise advice. Shawna's journey was painful and raw, but I felt like I could connect with her, understand her reasons for acting the way that she does. I loved seeing her open up to Kay, Kenny and Casey as well as a girl at school, Marta who befriends her. I also love to read about her interactions with the horses. Her journey of healing has much to teach and gain.
    • 4/5
      This book is incredible! It is compelling and inspiring. Shawna hasn't had it easy, and I can't relate to that, but I can relate to how she feels which made the story so real and extraordinary for me. It brought up so much personal stuff for me that I couldn't stop reading. It was an emotional roller coaster, and I felt like I was right there going through it with Shawna. I am so happy that I got the opportunity to read this wonderful book. I can not say enough good things about this book. I highly recommend it.
    • 3/5
      Shawna's mother abandons her in Las Vegas, leaving her with a bus ticket, a hundred dollars and the phone number of a stranger. The stranger turns out to be Kay Stone, the mother of the father Shawna never knew. Kay Stone is running her ranch and just trying to keep her head above water. She's not prepared to take on a sixteen-year-old that she's never even met, but she's willing to try.The story was good, but it fell a bit flat. Shawna's attitude is dead on, but there are so many unresolved questions. Why did Shawna's mother lie to her about her father? Why, exactly, does Shawna hate to be touched? Who is Kenny, Kay's mysterious employee with a shady past and medical skills? Who is the woman with the long red braid? What happened to Kay's husband? Some of these things are pretty important to the plot, but in the end, are left unanswered.

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    Sliding On The Edge - C. Lee McKenzie

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