Review: As Fast As I Can by Penny Tangey'

Published in Australia on the 31st March by UQP Books
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Fiction
Page Count: 248
Brooklyn's Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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Sypnosis from UQP Books:

One girl. One dream. A few hurdles.

Ten-year-old Vivian is determined to win a medal at the Olympic Games one day. Problem is, she hasn’t found a sport she’s any good at yet. But everyone says if you work hard enough you can achieve anything, right? So when Vivian discovers she has a talent for cross country running, finally, her Olympic dream might actually come true.

But then a family illness is uncovered and all of Vivian’s plans begin to unravel. Can she keep her dream alive? Or will she be stopped in her tracks?

A funny, heartfelt novel about resilience, acceptance and dreaming big.

Brooklyn's thoughts:
As Fast As I Can by Penny Tangey is honestly just such a beautiful, heart wrenching and completely at the same time, an uplifting and inspiring read! I absolutely loved every moment and was invested in Vivian's story right from the get go. I completely admired her fierce passion for running, honestly I just feel like she inspired me not to ever give up! Vivian is a ten year old girl who dreams of nothing more than competing in the Olympics, her love for running is completely unlike anything else, running is her life source! I think that As Fast As I Can will not only resonate with anyone who's enthusiastic and passionate about any sort of sports or running, but also anyone who has such a dream for something that ignites their life force. I'm very much not a sporty person myself so I couldn't exactly relate to Vivian's enthusiasm about running, but that didn't stop me from cheering so much throughout this book, honestly I just wanted her to fulfill her dreams! I absolutely adored the family dynamic in this book too! Vivian's Mother is unwell with a condition that makes her faint intermittently, something that could be potentially hereditary, passed down to Vivian and her brother Noah. I love how much Vivian's parents supported her absolutely love for running and I feel like they only stepped in when it was absolutely necessary, when revelations about Vivian's health are made! Noah, whilst sometimes would claim to Vivian that not everything is about her Olympic goals, I felt that the two absolutely did care for one another and I thoroughly enjoyed how much their sibling bond developed throughout! Friendship was such an endearing aspect throughout this book, too. Olivia, Vivian's best friend and Vivian herself had a buddy name, Olivian, which I just thought was the sweetest thing! Both of them always had a shared passion and dream to compete in the Olympics together one day and although Olivia gallops ahead in running drills, it just fills Vivian's fire even more with knowing that she wants to be an Olympic athlete even more and be the best in Australia. However, as she becomes more determined in her goal, cracks begin to show in Olivia's character, as she decides that maybe an Olympic dream for her is exactly that and not realistic for her, well, let's just say it makes for a heated debate when Olivia and Vivian are paired on opposing teams for a discussion as to why or why not the Olympics should be cancelled. Everything in As Fast As I Can is completely honestly portrayed, making for a wholly believable reading experience! One of the many reasons I adore Middle Grade Fiction so much is because it's always so refreshing and enjoyable to read and As Fast As I Can is definitely no exception. I loved how fast paced and addictive it was, being immersed in ten year old Vivian's life and passion for becoming an Olympic athlete was. Her narrative was just completely fresh and innocent and I'll definitely think back fondly towards Vivian's story and encourage everyone to pick it up because it'll definitely give you an added boost of motivation when you're feeling discouraged about anything!

Happy Reading,
Brooklyn.

You can find Brooklyn via her bookish blog, Brooklyn the bookworm and over on Bookstagram.
Author information:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Penny Tangey writes humorous books for young people. Penny studied Arts/Science at Melbourne University majoring in Chemistry and Indonesian. While at university Penny performed stand-up comedy, including in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Penny now works as a researcher for television quiz shows Hard Quiz and The Chase, but is still terrible at trivia.

Penny's latest book As fast As I Can, is her fourth book published by University of Queensland Press. Her three previous novels being; Loving Richard Feynman, Clara in Washington, and Stay Well Soon.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Goodreads | UQP 

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