Drive to the Hoop (Jake Maddox Girls Sports Stories)

Gr 3-6—In Cheer Captain, Julia wants to become captain of the cheerleading squad at her new middle school. However, she worries that if she does, it could harm her friendship with Ava, another cheerleader and a friend. In Drive to the Hoop, Mel is also new in town. She has a chance to move up from the freshman basketball team to JV, but this upsets the other freshman players. Mel, like Julia, wonders if she can form friendships while being successful in her sport. Both easy chapter books deal with popularity and competition from a female perspective, which is a nice niche to fill. Unfortunately, the stories are contrived, and the illustrations are poorly executed. These hi/lo titles are extremely formulaic but are likely to circulate and could be considered for larger collections.—Elizabeth Swistock, Jefferson Madison Regional Library, Charlottesville, VA