Racing the Clouds

by Sydney Dunlap

Overview

If thirteen-year-old Sage had done one thing differently that day last November, everything would be fine. Only she didn't, so she and her dad had to leave Philadelphia for a new life in middle-of-nowhere Virginia. Her dad has never actually said he blames her for what happened, but how could he not?

Sage is determined to push it all out of her mind, but then, just before summer vacation, she hears from the grandparents she’s never met. They want her to visit, and she realizes this could be her chance to mend the rift that’s kept everybody apart.

When she meets Grandmother Marion, though, Sage is sure her trip is headed for disaster. Except she wasn’t counting on making a new friend or rescuing a sweet stray dog. With them by her side, maybe she can find the courage to face what she's been avoiding all along.

From the award-winning author of It Happened on Saturday comes a heartfelt and empowering story that explores the complexity of family relationships, the value of forgiveness, and how to find your way forward in a tough situation with resilience and hope.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631639166
Publisher:	North Star Editions
Publication date:	02/18/2025
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Lexile:	710L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 15 Years

About the Author

Sydney Dunlap is an award-winning author and former elementary school teacher who has worked extensively with youth facing challenging circumstances. She enjoys reading and writing heartfelt, hopeful books that explore tough topics that aren’t often addressed in middle grade literature. Her debut novel, It Happened on Saturday, has received several medals and was named a 2025 OLA Masterlist selection and 2024 Crystal Kite Honor Book. A lifelong animal lover, Sydney lives with her family in a home where the dogs and cats outnumber the people. You can find her online at www.sydneydunlap.com.

Editorial Reviews

11/18/2024

Thirteen-year-old Sage Prescott—who lives with her father in Virginia following an incident involving her mother—has never met her maternal grandparents. And now they’ve invited her to Ohio to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. At first, Sage doesn’t want to go. Then, she realizes it’s the perfect opportunity to learn more about her family. But her grandmother is formal and stern, and though her grandfather is kind, no one seems to want to talk about her mother, of whom Sage’s memories are a mixed bag: sometimes she’s the loving woman who taught Sage about running; sometimes she’s a stranger who “paced around our apartment like a tiger in a cage, trying to claw its way out.” Descriptions of Sage’s guilt over the events surrounding her mother’s absence, as well as the teen’s love for dogs and stellar ping-pong skills, coalesce into a fully fleshed-out character. Her struggles in learning how to cope with current and past events and accept help make for a satisfying emotional journey by Dunlap (It Happened on Saturday). The Prescotts read as white. Ages 10–15. Agent: Ann Rose, Tobias Agency. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"Descriptions of Sage’s guilt over the events surrounding her mother’s absence, as well as the teen’s love for dogs and stellar ping-pong skills, coalesce into a fully fleshed-out character. Her struggles in learning how to cope with current and past events and accept help make for a satisfying emotional journey by Dunlap." —Publishers Weekly

“A riveting novel with crucial themes, Racing the Clouds lays bare the communal effects of drug addiction as a girl seeks generational healing.” —Foreword Reviews

"Complex emotional themes are handled with a gentle touch in this realistic story of resilience." —Kirkus Reviews

“Sage’s voice rings with the authenticity of a compassionate, thoughtful kid who’s struggling between wanting to take care of everyone else, wanting someone to take care of her, and wanting to just run away and leave everyone to deal with their own toxicity.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A compelling, emotionally engaging, heartfelt coming-of-age novel....Racing the Clouds is an original, skillfully written, and fully absorbing novel that is especially and unreservedly recommended for young readers ages 10-14." —Midwest Book Review

“Sad but delicately handled. . . . For readers of Ann Braden's The Benefits of Being an Octopus.” —Booklist

“Dunlap manages to keep the story breezy while never ignoring the emotional depths of the situation, letting Sage—and possibly readers—come to a place of healing at just the right time. . . . A heartfelt contemporary novel for fans of Jennifer L. Holm’s Sunny Side Up and Gennifer Choldenko’s The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman.” —School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 04/11/2025

Gr 4–7—Dunlap's latest novel is another approachable yet realistic and empathetic stories about children whose lives have been immensely impacted by addiction issues in their immediate families. This work follows 13-year-old Sage as she spends the summer with her grandparents, whom she has never met before. At first, all readers understand of Sage's situation is that she lives with her frazzled father and that there was an incident with her mother some months ago, and now Mom is no longer around. With the help of a rescue dog named Nicky, Sage bonds with her grandparents. More the truth of Mom's situation unfolds, as well as years of hurt and betrayal within her family. Dunlap manages to keep the story breezy while never ignoring the emotional depths of the situation, letting Sage—and possibly readers—come to a place of healing at just the right time. The back matter includes a Q&A that addresses age-appropriate information on opioids meant to keep readers informed and safe. VERDICT A heartfelt contemporary novel for fans of Jennifer L. Holm's Sunny Side Up and Gennifer Choldenko's The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman.—Alexandra Quay

School Library Journal

2024-11-23
Overcoming the past redefines family bonds in this hopeful, heartfelt story.

Thirteen-year-old Sage lives in a trailer park in Virginia with her dad. She’s keeping a secret about her mom hidden even from her closest friend, Alejandro. Feeling guarded and guilty, Sage obsessively imagines do-overs of the day when everything changed. When the estranged maternal grandparents she’s never met invite Sage for a summer visit, she accepts despite her father’s opposition, eager to accept their offer to pay for her flight to Ohio. On the plane, Sage befriends Marla, another girl who’s traveling alone. Sage partially opens up to Marla, revealing her desire to look for clues to her mother’s life while she’s visiting her grandparents. By the time the plane lands, the girls are determined to stay in touch, and their fast friendship eventually leads Sage to a revelation of truths she was previously afraid to admit. Sage’s memories of her missing mom are interspersed throughout the story, even as Sage searches her grandparents’ home, looking for answers that remain just out of reach. She also befriends—and conceals—a stray dog who eventually becomes a source of joy, bringing the family closer together. The story centers on a white-presenting family; racial and ethnic diversity is cued throughout.

Complex emotional themes are handled with a gentle touch in this realistic story of resilience. (author’s note, author Q&A, discussion guide)(Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews