Category: Sports

Fast and Fashionable

12/28/2021

She Persisted: Florence Griffith Joyner
by Rita Williams-Garcia & Chelsea Clinton art by Alexandra Boiger & Gillian Flint

Today is her birthday. Now she is eight years old.
Here's the amazing thing about her. She naturally runs like a gazelle.
Her body seems to traverse distances fluidly and effortlessly. And she is fast. So fast.

What do you give her for birthday gift? The answer is obvious: a biography of Florence Griffith Joyner. This slim volume is part of She Persisted, a series for young readers chronicling the lives of women who have made a significant contribution to world events.

Williams-Garcia's narrative is chock full of fascinating details. As a child, Florence was called Dee Dee. The young girl chased jackrabbits near her home in the Mojave Desert. Later, she won one silver and three gold medals in the 1988 Olympics.

Bonus materials include an introduction by Chelsea Clinton, a list of references, and eight suggestions by the author on "How You Can Persist." Some suggestions are "Push yourself to try something new." "Make your own creations." and "Engage in some fun physical activity for at least fifteen minutes or more each day."

Listen to a sample of the audiobook edition read by Janina Edwards.

She Persisted: More Amazing Individuals

This series presents a variety of women who have made significant contributions to the fields of activism, education, government, literature, performing arts, research, science, and sports. Young Ruby Bridges and Malala are also profiled.
The 5.31 x 7.63 inch size fits neatly in a small hand. Brief chapters, and engaging illustrations make this an excellent choice for young readers.

Inspire a new generation with this collection of accessible biographies. Recommended for classroom, school and public libraries. Also an excellent resource for organizations that empower children.

Copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: June 29, 2021 Publisher: Philomel Books ISBN: 978-0593115961

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Play Like a Girl

10/14/2020

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Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez read by Sol Madariaga

Always proud to play like a girl

Fútbol is in Camila Hassan’s blood. As a young girl, she took the head off a doll and used it as a ball to practice her kicking technique. It’s more than a sport, it’s her passion. Her goal is to compete professionally. Camila knows that the best opportunity to play with a world-renowned team will require her to leave her native Argentina. The first member of her family to graduate from high school and to receive an English fluency certification, Camila wants to improve her chances of earning a spot on a professional team. She dreams of escaping the restrictive existence that she seems to be her destiny and creating a new life for herself. She will not be deterred, both on and off the pitch. Her teammates honor the fútbol-fueled fire that burns within her, naming her La Furia.

So, what’s holding her back? Her family. Her macho domineering father considers fútbol a man’s game and would never consent to permitting his daughter to compete in the sport. Her mother, cowed into silence by her controlling husband, submissively works as a seamstress, fashioning elegant gowns. She wants a better life for Camila and plans for her daughter to attend medical school.

Camila constructs an elaborate charade to conceal from her family her passion for fútbol and her identity as La Furia. She tells her mother that she is with a friend when she participates in games and team practice. So that she can’t be contacted, she allows her phone to run out of minutes. She waits until no one is home to wash her uniform and pretends to study for an upcoming medical school entrance exam.
Her life is further complicated when a childhood friend, now an international fútbol star, returns to Argentina for a brief visit. It is apparent to both that this is more than friendship. The attraction is mutual. Camila faces a heart wrenching dilemma. Does she abandon her dream of becoming a world class athlete and follow the guy who makes her heart sing? Or does she remain focused on her life-long ambition and reject his offer of a life together?

This story is about choices. Hard choices. Camila agonizes over her decisions, recognizing that with each choice, she may be closing a door. Will she choose to follow her passion for fútbol or succumb to her desire to be with the boy she loves? Can she stand up to her abusive father? Will she remain silent? Can she confide in her mother?

Narration moves fluidly between Spanish and English. Madariaga flawlessly differentiates the varying degrees of English fluency among her Spanish-speaking characters. Singing flows beautifully as a natural extension of the narration. The longing, indecision, frustration, and passion of an older teen is clearly evident in this performance.

The author obviously knows and loves the sport. The play by play descriptions bring readers onto the pitch, delivering immediacy and fierce intensity to the narrative. Méndez storytelling is a polished gem. Her characters are multifaceted. The narrative reveals their sparkling qualities as well as inherent flaws. Their lives are messy. There are no simple solutions. Things are not perfect. However, there is hope.
Furia is intense, filled with desires and dreams, heartache and disappointment, pain and passion. Camila is a girl of my heart.

Audiobook accessed via Hoopla.

Release date: September 15, 2020 Publisher: Workman Publishing

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When Life Throws You a Knuckleball

2/14/2020

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Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen by Sarah Kapit

There are no guarantees in baseball. But that's where hope comes in. It never hurts to hope.

Vivian J Cohen is a typical eleven-year-old. She likes cheese sandwiches and pizza. She likes baseball. Vivy enjoys watching televised professional games with her dad. Her favorite player is VJ Capello.
In some respects she may be a not-so-typical fifth grader. She is a baseball (NOT softball) pitcher and can throw a mean knuckleball. She dreams of becoming the first female to play professionally. She is autistic, prone to meltdowns and flapping her hands when she gets anxious or excited.

When she was eight years old, she met minor league pitcher VJ. He took her aside and taught her how to throw a knuckleball. She has never forgotten him. Three years later Vivy has a letter-writing assignment. She opts to write to VJ. They begin a lively correspondence, mainly via email.
Kapit begins the epistolary novel on the first day of spring training and concludes with the league's final game for the season. Their emails include plenty of play by play baseball action.

Vivy feels safe speaking candidly with her baseball hero. She shares her triumphs: The community youth baseball coach invites her to become a pitcher for his team. Vivy is the only girl on the team roster. She convinces her over-protective mother to allow her to play baseball. The team's catcher becomes her good friend.

She also discloses her setbacks: The coach's son is a bully who torments her whenever his father is out of earshot. She is struck by a ball and receives a minor concussion. Her father's hands-off parenting style is confusing. He withdraws, wanting his wife to make all decisions. Her older brother Nathan is a puzzle. He used to enjoy playing catch with Vivy. But those days are gone. He vanishes for long periods of time. Vivy wonders, does he no longer like her?

Vivy has a lot of questions to consider. Should she report bullying to the coach or try to solve the problem herself? Will she reach a reasonable compromise with her parents that will allow her to play? Can she get back her confidence after her head injury and return to the pitcher's mound? Can she figure out why her brother is so distant? Can she maintain her correspondence with VJ when both experience defeat and disappointment?

Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen is a story of baseball and bullying. It's a realistic look at living with high-functioning autism. It's a story of a girl breaking into a male-dominated sport. It's a story of dreams deferred. It's a story of getting up and trying again. It's a story with heart. Readers will cheer for Vivy.

I do know I have challenges, but sometimes I feel like Mom doesn't see all the things I CAN do.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: February 25, 2020 Publisher: Dial Books ISBN: 978-0525554189

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Great Spotties!

11/1/2018

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Teach Your Giraffe to Ski
by Viviane Elbee ill Danni Gowdy

Snow! Slopes! Skis! Great spotties!

When a task is daunting, you sometimes need a little incentive. Take skiing. It's a sport that requires training and a measure of courage.
Meet a boy who is hesitates to try something challenging. Can he step away from his comfy chair and soothing hot chocolate?

Giraffe wants to ski and she is not waiting another minute. She's heading out to the slopes. Now. Our young protagonist realizes that without basic instruction this rash impulse portends disaster. Grabbing his skis, he heads out in the snow.

He teaches giraffe how to: put on a pair of skis, slow down "the pizza move," speed up "the french fry stance, "and turn "S shape maneuvers."

Things seem to be going well. But Wait! Our timid little skier is astounded when giraffe leaves the bunny hill and heads towards a VERY BIG slope. Shooting spotties!

Supporting his friend means that he must journey by ski lift to the mountain's summit and then push off, traveling at an incredible speed. Scary! It is going to require a massive dose of courage. There will be thrills and spills. There will be a few mishaps. But if he succeeds, it could be a fun adventure. A. Lot. Of. Fun.

Viviane Elbee explores the anxiety associated with attempting something difficult. It’s a story of overcoming one’s fears and being willing to take risks. She injects plenty of humor and whimsy, which prevents the story from becoming a heavy-handed moralistic tale.
Grab a copy of Teach Your Giraffe to Ski. Then be brave and try something new.

Giraffe Gyrations

I've always been intrigued with a giraffe's gait. Longs legs and knobby knees moving in parallel, front legs together followed by back legs. I have never pictured them as particularly limber creatures. Danni Gowdy playfully envisions giraffes entangled in a game of Twister, gracefully executing Yoga positions, and of course, traversing the snowy slopes. I’m now thinking about giraffes in a different light, Thanks Danni.