My Newest Book Crush

My newest book crush is for NIKKI ON THE LINE by debut author Barbara Carroll Roberts. A local author from Fairfax, VA, she captures a special love for the thirteen-year-old protagonist Nikki Doyle. No, this isn’t a ‘tween romance story. This book is a sportsbook, not my first choice genre of MG books. Nikki’s goal is to make a new club basketball team for eighth-grade girls. I can’t wait to share this title with my thirteen-year-old grandson to see if he relates to a girl who works overtime to practice for her competitive basketball team.

I enjoy Greg Pattridge’s rating system from Marvelous Middle Grade Monday. Here are 5 extra things I love about this book:

1. The protagonist in this book is a realistic girl;
2. Nikki has been a star on a recreational team and then she expands her goal to try-out for an even more competitive team;
3. The author includes familiar friends and family conflicts;
4. Nikki becomes friends with a neighborhood boy, Booker, a friendship she keeps secret from her girlfriends; and
5. The basketball coach encourages team play, hard work, and not just winning.

I can’t wait to share this book with my MG readers who love sportsbooks and the theme of hard to reach goals. Previous to reading this book, my favorite basketball book I recommended was The Moves Make the Manby Bruce Brooks, School Library Journal’s best book of 1984, and a Newbery Honor book of 1985.

This blog post is my first to share on Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, a site I hope you will enjoy; the reviewers are excellent.

HAPPY SUMMER READING!!