The Art Of Holding On and Letting Go

Published September 2016

ISBN: 9780996864916 
Elephant Rock Books
For ages 12 and up

  • Junior Library Guild Selection

  • Great Lakes Great Books Award honor title

"When every piece falls
into place, it’s like a dance,
a delicate but powerful
balancing act.”

Competitive climber Cara Jenkins feels most at home high off the ground, clinging to a rock wall by the tips of her fingers. She’s enjoyed a roaming life with her mountaineering parents, making the natural world her jungle gym, the writings of Annie Dillard and Henry David Thoreau her textbooks. But when tragedy strikes on an Ecuadorian mountaintop, Cara’s nomadic lifestyle comes to an abrupt halt.

Starting over at her grandparents’ home in suburban Detroit, Cara embarks on a year of discovery, uncovering unknown strengths, friendships, and first love. Cara’s journey illustrates the transformative power of nature, love and loss, and discovering that home can be far from where you started.​

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Book cover for 'The Art of Holding On and Letting Go' by Kristin Bartley Lenz, featuring a silhouette of a woman's profile with a landscape scene inside, showing mountains, trees, and city buildings against a dark starry sky.

What People are Saying

  • “Cara is an appealing, engaging narrator. Surrounded by a well-rounded cast, Cara's journey toward a peaceful, fulfilling life is almost perfectly depicted. A compelling, unusual coming-of-age story.” 

    - Kirkus

  • "A hot pick for outdoorsy teens who like relatable characters, with a bit of romance, mystery, and a road trip."

    - School Library Journal

  • "Debut author Lenz offers a thoughtful meditation on life after loss with the story of 15-year-old Cara Jenkins, a competitive climber. Lenz effortlessly explains complicated climbing terminology and intermixes moments of levity with contemplative quotations from naturalists and mountain climbers,​"

    - Publishers Weekly

  • Detroit is the last place (Cara) expects to heal, but her transformation is convincingly handled in this eloquent debut. The novel is rich in descriptions of the natural world that Cara loves, as well as intricate climbing sequences which describe so much more than the struggle to conquer a rock wall. A cast of complex secondary characters help Cara find her balance and her way back home. This thoughtful novel rises above the label of “sports book” to a contemplative exploration of how we grieve and move forward."


    - Booklist

  • The title eloquently captures not only the spirit of this book but also the very essence of adolescence. The teenage main character, Cara, examines this theme throughout and, with any luck, she will inspire readers to do the same. Although this tale is about one of the most risky and exhilarating sports of all, this book is rather quiet, gradual, and sweet.

    - VOYA

  • “Cara’s story is about finding yourself, your family and your center. Lenz encourages readers to think outside the pages, to find their own place in the world as Cara discovers hers.”

    - Meghan Dietsche Goel, BookPeople, Austin, TX​

Teacher Guide

Looking to use my book in your classroom? Download the Teacher Guide

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