Making the Team. (Sports Stories). Kelsey Blair. Toronto, ON: James Lorimer & Co., 2016. 136 pp., trade pbk. & epub, $12.95 (pbk.). ISBN 978-1-4594-1137-1 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-4594-1138-8 (epub). Grades 4-8 / Ages 9-13. Review by Heidi Henkenhaf. **** /4

excerpt:

As Hannah watches the ball zip around the court, her clenched fists slowly release. The game is dynamic and fast. She’s sitting close enough to the court to hear the players call out and play as a team. By midway through the first quarter, Hannah wants nothing more than to play in this gym. For this team. Wearing the purple uniform alongside June.

Kelsey Blair has written a third book in her basketball series for young readers. In Making The Team, the focus is on goal setting and planning wrapped up in a story about a grade 8 girl named Hannah. Hannah is passionate about playing basketball, and she loves being part of the school’s team with her friends until the unthinkable happens – she gets cut from the team.

      Hannah is heart-broken when she does not make the grade eight basketball team. All her friends are on the team including her best friend, June. Initially Hannah is a lost, but her extra free time gives her an opportunity to make a new friend, Eli. Eli is serious about playing the violin, and he teaches Hannah about setting goals.

      Hannah becomes focussed on her goal to make the grade nine basketball team the next year. A goal, a why, a plan, a mentor, expert advice, positive attitude, a timeline, all the makings of a strategy for success. Having a goal is one thing, but achieving it is another. Kelsey Blair uses the story, Making The Team, to take the young reader on this bumpy journey with Hannah.

      I highly recommend this book because it focuses on strategies for achieving goals in any area of life. Making The Team would be a good addition to public and school libraries by enriching the growing collection of novels about girls participating in sports and the benefits of being part of a team.

Highly Recommended.

Heidi Henkenhaf is a librarian at the Vancouver Public Library.

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