Book Review: Sweet Turnaround J

Sweet Turnaround J by P.V. Beck

Looking for an enjoyable basketball book to read this winter season? Check out P.V. Beck’s Sweet Turnaround J published by Bedazzled Ink.

Told over the course of a basketball season, Sweet Turnaround J follows sixteen- year-old spunky All State basketball player Janey Holmes through the most tumultuous season of her life. After her school suddenly closes, Janey must join a new team at a new school that hasn’t won a basketball game in over three years, leaving Janey to wonder, is her basketball career over?

As the Riverside Ravens transform from the worst to the best team in the league, Janey’s tumultuous temper, toughness, and first love are tested and begin to threaten the basketball team. Will the Ravens win the championship for the first time in school history? But, before this can happen, Janey has to overcome all the obstacles tossed her way. A fun book for the basketball player and fan.

Superheroines can be divas, too

Lots of comic book fans were stunned earlier this month when Marvel made the unexpected decision to merge with the Walt Disney Company. But earlier in the summer, the comic book company made another  unexpected decision–except this one was actually kind of cool.

In July, Marvel released Divas, a comic featuring some of the toughest females in the Marvel universe: Hellcat, Firestar, Photon, and Black Cat, to be precise.  NPR says Divas reads like a youthful, superpowered version of Golden Girls . The plotlines focus less on hyped up battle scenes and more on life as an off-duty lady-hero.

According to writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (”Big Love”), “The idea behind the series was to have some sudsy fun and lift the curtain a bit and take a peep at some of our most fabulous super heroines. . . the series is going to a deeper place, asking question about what it means…truly means…to be a woman in an industry dominated by testosterone and guns.”

The atypical tone of Divas may make it a hard-sell to the usual comic book audience (read guys).  But the boys should read it: the daring to make something so unconventional is reason alone to pick it up. And, more importantly, Divas is a big step in easing comic arts away from female objectification and towards a more substantial depiction of what makes women so super after all.

Check Divas out yourself

Why She Plays: A Book Review

Did you ever wonder what combination of traits creates the perfect player? Is it raw talent? Is it drive? Or is it simply the will to win combined with passion and pure ability? Christine A. Baker answers all this and more in Why She Plays: The World of Women’s Basketball

With a forward by the WNBA’s New York Liberty’s Becky Hammond, Why She Plays is divided into six parts (Youth Basketball, High School Basketball, College Basketball, The WNBA, USA Basketball, and Media Coverage and Women’s Basketball) and ends with an eye-opening epilogue entitled Building the Perfect Player. From women’s basketball coaches to commentators to former to current players to the extraordinary to the average, Baker dives into the mind of the female athlete and packs this paperback with valuable insights.

Sprinkling in powerful statistics and personal remarks throughout the book, Baker, a former stand out college basketball player, uses her own observations to give the book a personal touch, including this memorable quote about an athlete’s love of the game.

“The happiest, purest form of inspiration and confidence I have ever experienced is found on the basketball court. Deep within me I feel the pure magic, the sheer, unabashed joy of a high arching fade away, a perfect pick and roll, or a flawless box-out. When I cross over the threshold and step out onto a gym floor. I’m able to shut the world out completely and leave my introverted shell for forty minutes to become a vial, outspoken leader who is capable of scoring at will, who is capable of winning games and making my teammates better than they thought they could be.” (Baker, 158)

Why She Plays is a modern women’s basketball bible with an exclusive pass into the world of the elite female athlete. Baker covers more floor in the basketball world than Candace Parker covers on game day. If you’re a fan of women’s athletics, a current or former basketball player, or a parent of a child navigating the world of youth sports, pick up Why She Plays.

Reviewer Keri Mikulski is the author of Screwball and Change-up as well the upcoming Full Court Press (a Pretty Tough novel).

Win a copy of Serena Williams’ new book

Are you a Serena fan? If so, you don’t want to miss the chance to read her new memoir, “On The Line” out in stores on Sept. 1st. And for five lucky Women Talk Sports winners – the book is free!

One of the biggest stars in tennis, Serena Williams has succeeded on and off the court. She’s applied the same strength and determination that helped her to become a champion to successful pursuits in philanthropy, fashion, television and film.

Serena’s 2009 Australia Open championship earned her the #1 world ranking for the third time in her illustrious career – and marked only the latest exclamation point on a life lived well and purposefully.

Her accomplishments have not been without struggle: being derailed by injury, devastated by the tragic shooting of her older sister, and criticized for her unorthodox approach to tennis. Yet somehow, Serena always manages to prevail.

Learn more about this extraordinary athlete by winning a copy of her new book “On The Line.” To get your copy, you must…

• Follow @womentalksports on Twitter
• CLICK HERE to send the tweet that enters you in our contest.

Winners will be randomly drawn from the pool of entrants at midnight PST Monday, August 31st and contacted via Twitter direct message. Only residents of the U.S. and Canada are eligible to win. Please no P.O. boxes.

Good Luck to all!

Blogderby Book Edition: Sporty reads for teens

Sports fiction for teens: As an athletic fanatic and sporty young adult author, I’m always on the hunt for an amazing book that features an athletic main character. And guess what? Some of the best teen and tween novels on bookshelves today feature a sporty protagonist.

Born to run? There’s a ton of great sporty books out there for cross-country and track lovers. Eileen Cook’s (http://www.eileencook.com) What Would Eileen Do? follows Emma on her quest to snag a track scholarship with some major boy bumps along the way. Pheobe in Tera Lynn Child’s (http://www.teralynnchilds.com/) sensation, Oh My Gods, is a die-hard cross-country runner. Even best selling author, Megan McCafferty’s (http://www.meganmccafferty.com/) main character Jessica Darling (Sloppy Firsts) runs cross-country in high school.

 Performancing enhancing steroids isn’t just for boys anymore. Kathy Mackel (http://us.penguingroup.com/static/html/blogs/guest-author/boost-kathy-mackel) tackles this controversial subject and more in her eye-opening basketball book, Boost.

 If soccer is your game, you’re in luck because soccer books are booming. Liz Tigelaar’s (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/471527.Liz_Tigelaar) Pretty Tough is filled with plenty of soccer action, both on the field and off. Parker from Tina Ferraro’s (http://www.tinaferraro.com/) The ABC’s of Kissing Boys thinks she’s a sho-in for the varsity soccer team after two long years on junior varsity except she doesn’t make it. 

Are you a fastpitch fanatic? After moving to Texas, Ella learns to fit in through the softball team in Weezie Mackey’s (http://www.weeziekerrmackey.com/) Throwing Like a Girl. Keri Mikulski’s (http://www.kerimikulski.com) Screwball series follows superstar pitcher, Ashley Clarke, as she attempts to juggle serious softball with school, sports, and a social life, including a new boyfriend.

 Teen sports fiction doesn’t stop with softball. Alexa Young’s (http://www.alexayoung.com/) Frenemies series features gymnastics. Chris and Winston go on a post graduation cross-country bike trek in Shift by Jennifer Bradbury (http://www.jennifer-bradbury.com/). Boxing is Taylor Lucia’s sport of choice in Taylor Morris’s (http://www.taylormorris.com/) tween book, Total Knockout. And Liz Tiglear (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/471527.Liz_Tigelaar) tackles football in the second Pretty Tough series novel, Playing for the Boys.

 Can’t find the sport you’re looking for? Or am I missing a great book? Let me know at www.kerimikulski.com. Keep reading.

Read On: Pretty Tough Book Club

Last month I received a note from a teacher at Apopka High School in Apopka, Florida who is a huge fan of  ”Pretty Tough” by Liz Tigelaar, the first book in our young adult fiction series. 

JoJo says, “I loved it as a teacher who sees students just like the ones in the book. I loved it as a sister who I did get along with growing up…”

At Apopka High School, there is a reading event called “Oasis.”  It has been going on for about 6-7 years.  Any teacher can select a book to promote.  The library makes a really nice poster of the teacher, the book and all the information so students can sign up.  The students read the book and then meet during lunch in a special room in the media center to discuss the book over pizza and coke. 

JoJo had never done an “Oasis” but since she  LOVED the book so much, she organized a discussion for each of the 3 lunch shifts.   Usually, teachers sign up anywhere from 8-16 students but more than 34 students read ”Pretty Tough” and wanted to take part.

Through a friend of a friend of a friend, JoJo contacted us and asked for some Pretty Tough goodies to raffle off during the event. We were happy to oblige.

Here’s JoJo’s recap of the “Oasis,” including the girls’ ideas regarding film casting!

Everything worked out perfect today. We got into some interesting discussions about sisters, coaches, and school. The girls loved the t-shirts and the next book (”Playing with the Boys”) and want to know if we can do this again. .

The group had a bit of a hard time with the casting of the potential movie…here are the ones they came up with:

Krista: Blake Lively
Charlie: Dakota Fanning
Martie: Jada Pinkett Smith
Noah: Mike Vogel
Cam: Zac Efron
Brooks: Brenda Song
Pickle: I have a girl in my class who said she wants to be Pickle. She is a cute girl; very animated and plays soccer! I told her to make a video and we would send it to you!!

Thank you again for making today very special and memorable…One more thing…I re-read the book and took some notes to prepare simple questions for the raffle ticket as they entered. And I cried…again! Tears in the coffee this morning as I finished the last 20 pages!

Time to grade some papers…thanks again for everything.

Joanna “JOJO” Lowe

If anyone wants to organize a book club discussion around “Pretty Tough” or “Playing With the Boys” (Penguin) let us know and we’ll try to help out.

Read on….

Introducing the cover of… CHANGE UP!

Looking for the perfect beach book to dive into this summer? CHANGE UP drops this April! As sophomore summer heats up at Sunray Beach, so does Jake Cole and Ashley Clarke’s long distance relationship. But, Ashley’s overprotective cop father forbids Ashley to see Jake, causing Ashley to sneak around while sinking deeper and deeper into a smudge of lies and deceit. She begins to wonder if her parents are right about Jake when he shows up at times bruised, beaten, and hanging out with shady people.

Back on the diamond, the Cape Town Crush Softball team is doing amazing, even earning a bid to Nationals, but fellow pitcher Christy Mayer’s up to her old tricks and snags a golden opportunity to ruin Ashley’s softball future for good. Ashley and Rachel Harris, a softball superstar who joinsthe Crush midseason, hit it off and hang out until Ashley discovers Rachel’s secret past. In the meantime, Ashley’s BFF Lizzy hits the Sunray party scene in a major way, leaving Ashley in the dust unless she decides to join in.Like waves modify a beach, this summer promises to be a season of change for Ashley Clarke. Will Ashley and Jake’s relationship survive sophomore summer? Is this the end of a fifteen year friendship between Lizzy and Ashley? And what’s the deal with Rachel?

For a special pre-order price until March 31st, check out Fastpitch Forever magazine’s website. And don’t miss the first book in the series, SCREWBALL, the number one bestseller for Pretty Tough. You can check it out here.  

Another Pretty Tough book – “Playing with the Boys”

Playing with the Boys by Liz Tigelaar

New girl Lucy is desperate for friends. She tries out for Beachwood High soccer, but despite her amazingly accurate kick, fails to make the team. When the Coach points out that varsity football is looking for a new kicker, Lucy is skeptical. Football? Isn’t that a boys’ game?

But on the gridiron Lucy discovers that she feels strong—in control for the first time since her mother died. She loves football. She actually wants to play! (She also wants to hang out with super-cute quarterback Ryan Conner. But that’s just icing on the cake.)

Too bad no one else wants her on the team. Not the boys’ coach, not her teammates, and especially not her overprotective dad. Will Lucy cave in to the pressure? Or will she prove she’s pretty tough after all?

Publisher: Razorbill
ISBN: 978-1-59514-112-5
Ages: Young Adult
Format: Paperback novel/256 pages

Playing With The Boys at Amazon

Reviews for Playing with the Boys:
A great story! This book encourages young women to unleash the potential to play one of the best sports on earth. As a female football player, I hope more young women see that they aren’t limited to just being one of the girls.  Jamie Flynt – Alabama Renegades

Another slam dunk for Liz Tigelaar. “Playing with the Boys” is a great example of how chick lit meets sports lit with stellar results.  – Taylor M.

… a thoroughly enjoyable novel. – the Book Muncher

Pretty Tough novels are like receiving two scoops of ice cream for the price of one – books filled to the brim with high school drama and a sporty back story millions of athletes hunger for. – Keri Mikulski, author of Screwball

Pretty Tough Book Club

We’re not JUST jocks. We like to read too. And maybe even discuss a book or two. So hunker down and relax with one of our book recommendations. Nothing like some mental gymnastics!

Figure Skater Rachael Flatt named January’s reading superstar

December 19, 2008 – Reading Is Fundamental, the nation’s oldest and largest children’s and families’ literacy organization, announced Tuesday that Rachael Flatt was their January 2009 Reading Superstar.

The reigning world junior champion, U.S. silver medalist and 2010 Olympic hopeful carries a 4.0 grade point average and is an avid reader, despite her rigorous skating schedule.Reading is Fundamental and Flatt have partnered to demonstrate the important role reading can play in achieving one’s goals.

“My favorite fictional character is Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia because she is very brave, creative, curious and willing to take chances and explore the unknown,” says Flatt. “Sometimes in skating, you have to step beyond what you are comfortable with, much like Lucy does in Narnia.”

Such inspirations will continue to propel Flatt as she trains for a spot on the 2010 Olympic Team.

Read more

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