I’m not a big sports person, but I know lots of kids are, and it’s not
always easy to find sports-related books with female main characters. Although I've never read Great Expectations, this book is a re-imagining of that classic story by Dickens.
Description from the publisher:
Life is full of great expectations for Korean American Pippa Park. It
seems like everyone, from her family to the other kids at school, has a plan
for how her life should look. So when Pippa gets a mysterious basketball
scholarship to Lakeview Private, she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself by
following the “Rules of Cool.”
At Lakeview, Pippa juggles old and new friends, an unrequited crush, and
the pressure to perform academically and athletically while keeping her past
and her family’s laundromat a secret from her elite new classmates. But when
Pippa begins to receive a string of hateful, anonymous messages via social
media, her carefully built persona is threatened.
As things begin to spiral out of control, Pippa discovers the real
reason she was admitted to Lakeview and wonders if she can keep her old and new
lives separate, or if she should even try.
Pippa Park Raises Her Game by Erin Yun was published by Fabled
Films Press in 2020.
Why you want to read this book:
If you love reading about sports, you’ll want to read this one! There
are tense moments on the basketball court as Pippa tries to fit in with her new
team. But what really kept me turning the pages was the contrast and tension between
Pippa’s family situation and her new friends at private school. This is a great story about how a girl
struggles to fit in.
Opening:
I was the only
person in the park.
Tucking a damp
strand of hair back behind one ear, I surveyed the abandoned slides and empty
benches.
If you’re a writer…
Consider studying the action scenes in this novel, especially if you’re writing
about sports. The pace picks up and I felt like I was right there in the moment
when Pippa was playing basketball.
If you’re an educator…
This book would be a good one for a classroom or school library collection. The author includes many
interesting details about Pippa’s experience as a Korean American background. Pippa’s
struggles with trying to fit in with a peer group and make friends will be
familiar to many readers. How much do you tell others about yourself? Do you tell them the truth or adjust the truth to look different, to be what you think others want you to be?
If you’re looking for more middle
grade reads, check out the list over at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday on Greg Pattridge's blog.
