Proud’s ‘Grace on the Court’ is well recommended for girls age 11 to 14 who are sporty, especially those who love netball. The book itself is written by a netball player, Maddy Proud. />
In some ways, it’s a cheesy coming of age story with all the usual elements: transition to high school, working towards winning sporting games, rivalry from within the team and discovering romantic interests with the older siblings’ friends. For that reason, I have only given it 3 stars. As an adult in their 30s reading it to scope out potential books as gifts for kids, I found it somewhat cliched. If I were 20 years younger, however, I might find it inspirational.
One thing I did really like about it was the close bond that existed between the protagonist, Grace Parker, and her family. I especially loved the way that her parents and her twin brother worked at lifting each other up and accepting each others’ differences and strengths.
As cliched as the internal rivalry was, I also found myself admiring Grace for the way she found the strength to cope with the antagonist, Amber, and find ways to build bridges without taking her insults personally.
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One thing I did really like about it was the close bond that existed between the protagonist, Grace Parker, and her family. I especially loved the way that her parents and her twin brother worked at lifting each other up and accepting each others’ differences and strengths.
As cliched as the internal rivalry was, I also found myself admiring Grace for the way she found the strength to cope with the antagonist, Amber, and find ways to build bridges without taking her insults personally. Show more Show less