Maryn O'Brien Series Reader Reviews:
“I feel that over the course of the series that Maryn’s peripheral vision is widened. She keeps her Olympic goal throughout the series as she deals with the situations life presents. Along with her experience comes balance."
Clarke, age 16, Ottawa, Ontario
Critical Reader Reviews:
“Maryn has so much potential and wants to achieve so much. Her Critical Path is like a staircase taking her towards her goals and then her mom’s news causes the staircase to fall right out from under her. Life is spontaneous, so even if you have a goal and a plan, you can’t expect the unexpected. You have to have leeway. In Critical, Maryn accepting that she couldn’t do everything showed big growth in her character. She is learning to roll with the punches.”
Clarke, age 16, Ottawa, Ontario
Avid reader and Maryn O’Brien fan Clarke, age 16, writing at her cottage.
Crushed Reader Reviews:
“Crushed is a great novel for teens and preteens alike. It deals with topics and issues that many
kids can relate to. As well, it teaches valuable lessons about relationships, prioritizing and
competition, all while being a lighthearted and enjoyable read.”
Ella, age 14, Ottawa, Ontario
“As a teenager, I can really relate to Maryn’s struggles with personal relationships. Looking forward to see what Maryn is faced with next!”
Avery, age 15, Ottawa, Ontario
Check out this great video book review by Gabriela Browning.
Crash Course Reader Reviews:
"I have only read the first one, Crash Course, but I am absolutely hooked! The characters have personal struggles that most teens and pre-teens deal with at some point in their lives. The books are very well-written, and you can tell that the characters are well planned and thought out."
Sofia, age 12, Florida
Florida-based Crash Course and Maryn O’Brien fan Sofia, age 12, riding Tango.
"I really LOVED reading Crash Course!! It had a great storyline, and the characters really came to life for me. I can imagine Maryn flying down the hill!! It was AWESOME, and AMAZING!! The characters had to deal with some really big issues that made me sad, but gave me more of a reason to hope for them. Can’t wait ’til the second one comes out!!"
Gabriela, age 11, Whitehorse, Yukon
"Truly an incredible experience for readers, with a meaningful message. A really inspiring adventure for readers to go through with Maryn O'Brien, it teaches us that there are rough times in life; but you can always pull through it. Definitely a story to read again, and share with our friends."
Athena, age 12, Ottawa, Ontario
"I found Maryn relatable with her problems of being really busy. I think that’s just me personally, but I think that’s very probable at our age group right now. I think that was very relatable, the overall problem of having too much on her plate."
Phoebe, age 14, Ottawa, Ontario
My name is Audrey and I am 12 years old. I found your book amazing and think it's a great book for there are not a lot of books from an athlete's point of view and the stress they feel balancing school, sports, friends, and other activities. I think I especially liked it because I also am an athlete. I play water polo on a U14 competitive team and I find sometimes balancing all that stuff is hard. The book has a great main character and talks about many problems that happen all the time. I can't wait for the second book to come out and to find out what happens next to Maryn O'Brien!"
Audrey, age 12, Kitchener, Ontario
"I think balance, for me, is the biggest theme I take away from the book. Because that is a huge issue for kids today. What I see, especially in our neighbourhood, is that everybody is so involved and there’s so much going on…and people feel this pressure to perform and do well. So, I think balance is huge."
Kathy, adult, Ottawa, Ontario
"I'm not really a competitive person and I’m not into sports, but Crash Course really stood out for me. I’m also normally Fantasy reader (Rick Riordan, Brandon Mull, Jennifer Donnelly, Suzanne Collins etc.) but I loved this book. Even though I’m only 10, I could really relate to the characters (some more than others). Maryn (the main character) had a lot of qualities thatI admired (dedication, focus and drive) but because one of my passions is horseback riding, I could relate to Janey most of all. I would recommend this book to anyone and even though I’m back to reading mostly Fantasy, I can’t wait for the second book in this series to come out!"
Gracie, age 10, New York
Transcript of Mother-Daughter Book club hosted on January 21, 2017:
Click here to share in the discussion of Crash Course with author Tanis Browning-Shelp.