Twelve-year-old Ana-Marie Jin is the reigning US Juvenile figure skating champion, and now, as an Intermediate skater, she hopes to go on to compete internationally. But when she learns that next season she'll be skating to a song from Sleeping Beauty while wearing a princess dress, she feels incredibly uncomfortable and unhappy with the idea, although she doesn't know why. Then she befriends Hayden Lubeck, a trans boy taking classes at skate-school who mistakes Ana for a boy. As Ana presents as male to Hayden and his family while continuing to present as female to everyone else, she gradually realizes that she is nonbinary.
Ana on the Edge contains examples of:
- Affectionate Nickname: Ana's coach, Alex, sometimes calls her "Bean."
- Disappeared Dad: Ana's dad moved to Hawaii when she was a baby. He used to call every Sunday night, but the phone calls became less frequent, and now she hasn't heard from him in years. The last thing he sent her was a charm necklace that says "life" in Hebrew for her eighth birthday.
- Family Theme Naming: Two of the other skaters are Faith and Hope Park.
- Homeschooled Kids: Ana has been homeschooled since the beginning of sixth grade. During the day she sits in an empty cubicle in her mom's workplace and watches video lectures, and she does homework in the afternoon.
- Poster-Gallery Bedroom: Tamar's bedroom is decorated with posters of her and Ana's favorite sports movies.
- Struggling Single Mother: Ana's mom works long hours to pay for her lessons, choreography, and ice time. They aren't outright poor, but they have to be frugal about food and bus fare, and Ana can't afford some of the things that the skaters with two parents can, like joining a synchronized skating team.
- "Which Restroom?" Dilemma: When Ana goes to Fairyland with Hayden's family, she doesn't know what bathroom to use. Instead of making a choice, she just holds it until she gets home.
- Your Favorite: Ana decides to thank her mom for everything she's done for her by getting up early to make her her favorite chive pancakes, only to find that they're out of chives and eggs. When Ana's mom gets up, the two decide instead to go to the beach, and stop afterwards at the grocery store to buy ingredients.
