Picture Book Review: The Way Champs Play

At Play Academy girls work and play all day.

Focus on teamwork, sharing, working hard, and having fun. Sports gives you plenty opportunities for character growth. The back matter contains information on how to be a champion and about Naomi Osaka helped fund Play Academy. These illustrations are gorgeous. 

Guest Post: Kelly Hashway

I really like sports books from a female perspective, especially if they have a little romance in them. So I'm happy to host Kelly today as she talks about her new series - Game Set Match!

Balancing Sports and Romance in the Plot
by Kelly Hashway
            The Game. Set. Match. Heartbreak series is about a tennis player named Meg, who finds herself in the middle of a love triangle. There’s definite romance and there’s definite sports. The key was balancing the two. It’s tennis season, so Meg is getting ready for try-outs. Her first match is also her biggest of the season because it’s against her toughest opponent. I had to focus on tennis, and luckily it highlighted a lot of Meg’s character traits. She’s driven, talented, confident in her abilities, but also insecure at times. Her actions on the tennis court reflect those things and add depth to her character.

            But this is a romance series, which means Meg’s relationship—or relationships—needed to be a focus, too. She’s been hurt in the past thanks to a terrible ex-boyfriend who humiliated her by kissing another girl in front of Meg’s locker. And her hurt carries over into her new relationship with Ash. It also carries over into her tennis game. Meg’s lost some of her confidence. So when her crush of the past two years, who also happens to play tennis, starts noticing her… Well, let’s just say things get complicated for Meg.

            The romance and tennis intertwine throughout the book, complimenting each other and highlighting Meg’s emotional battles. Even the novella titles had to reflect this double-sided story line. The first book, Love All, shows Meg’s confusion over both guys while also referring to the score at the start of a match when neither player has scored a point (Love means zero in tennis). Book two, Advantage: Heartbreak, refers to when a player has the advantage in a game, meaning they are one point from winning. It also shows that Meg is risking heartbreak. And book three, Perfect Match, shows how Meg is looking for her perfect match and it also refers to a perfect tennis match.

            I had a blast weaving sports and romance throughout the series, and I hope that even readers who don’t play tennis or other sports will enjoy it.

Don't they sound good? 

Tween Tuesday Review:Girl Games

**Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens. Join the fun! **   

Artemis is so excited. Since the girls were not allowed to compete in the Olympic Games, they're hosting their own special games. The Girl Games are here!  Artemis has many last minute tasks to complete before the competition can start and she wants to make sure these games are perfect!

The visiting athletes are here to win, even going so far as to taunt their competition. The Goddess Girls need to bring their A games to these Olympics. However, thoughts about boys, feuding over a kitten, and getting into trouble with Zeus all hinder their training. Will the Girl Games come together at the last moment and will the Goddess Girls medal?

My Thoughts: The first super special and the first book in the series with multiple perspectives. I loved seeing the viewpoints of all the goddess girls. Of course, I LOVE the idea of the Girl Games. The goddess boys were very supportive helping the girls train, as the girls helped them train. I liked the girl touches to the games - the pink sand and the stuffed animals for the relay baton. These little touches helped make the games unique and girly. I loved the celebration of girls and sports as well as the combination of athletics and girly. 

Cover Thoughts: I like it!
Source: The library