RUSH FOR THE GOLD: A Sporty Book Review

RUSH FOR THE GOLD: MYSTERY AT THE OLYMPICS

Random House, 2012

From Random House:

Bestselling sportswriter and Edgar Award winner John Feinstein is back with another sports mystery featuring Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson—this one set at the summer Olympics in London.  In this book, Susan Carol isn't a reporter—she's an Olympian, competing as a swimmer at her first Olympic games. Stevie is both proud and envious of her athletic prowess. And he's worried by the agents and sponsors and media all wanting to get up close and personal with Susan Carol.  But the more disturbing question becomes—how far might they go to ensure that America's newest Olympic darling wins gold? 

Anna’s Thoughts:

I’ve been hooked on the adventures of Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson since I picked up the audiobook of the first novel, LAST SHOT. Feinstein read the book, a Final Four basketball mystery, and it kept my two sons and their two tired parents engaged on a long journey from southern Maryland to Maine. 

Wherever Stevie and Susan Carol go, they are bound to find trouble and the 2012 London Olympics are no different. This time, in RUSH FOR THE GOLD, Feinstein takes on the connection between sports and advertising and the larger issue of looks over athletic performance in female athletes.

The book was published in 2012, and the issue continues to be quite timely. After her July 2013 Wimbledon win, Marion Bartoli had to endure sexist comments from BBC’s John Inverdale and a tirade of angry and misogynistic comments on Twitter. For more click here.

Feinstein entered Duke as a swimmer but quickly realized that he didn’t have the right stuff to compete at the collegiate level. Instead, he found the school newspaper and a sports writing career that has included reporting for CBS, NPR, ESPN, and many others. He injects his passion for swimming into the swim meet scenes and the main character Susan Carol.

Feinstein knows his characters and uses his experience as a swimmer and journalist to take us inside Susan Carol’s head. He does a great job highlighting the difficulties Susan Carol and her father confront as they navigate the sometimes-slimy process of sponsorship deals. Susan Carol also struggles to stay in the moment as an athlete and to put her journalism instincts on the back burner. I kept reading to know if she was going to be able to put all of that aside in order to swim her best and Feinstein delivers.

Since John Feinstein has lived the sports industry, he gives readers an inside view of Olympic action from the poolside to the athlete’s village to the fancy hotels. He reveals the high security hoops that everyone has to jump through in the order to navigate the modern Olympics. Did you know that family members have special pins that get them in to see their athletes? Did you know that reporters have a time limit when they visit the athlete’s village? Did you know that sometimes the swimmers aren’t listening to anything when they have on headphones? I did not.

There were sometimes when Feinstein’s details felt shoehorned in and took away from the forward movement of the book. While other books in this series have a pretty explicit mystery that the reader wants to uncover, RUSH FOR THE GOLD keeps the reader guessing about the mystery itself, which was a little frustrating. Also, be ready to keep a lot of characters, some with similar names and nicknames, straight in your head.

The bottom line? Whether you are a swimmer, an aspiring journalist, or an Olympics fan you are going to love this book. The nail biting swim meet action is well-written and engaging. The larger question about female athletes and the type of attention they get is thought provoking.

I recommend that you click here for an excerpt from the book and a look at the video from the TODAY SHOW’s, Al’s Book Club for Kids. The readers ask great questions and John Feinstein reveals his thoughts about the importance of casting a female as the athlete in this book.

For more on John Feinstein, check out his interview on the Random House website.

The Academy: Game On by Monica Seles and James LaRosa

Blurb from Goodreads.com

The Academy is an International Sports Mecca for teen athletes of all sports. There are only two ways in. Deep pockets or enough talent to score a scholarship.

Young tennis star Maya's dreams have finally come true when she earns a scholarship to The Academy. Plucked from her small town, Maya moves to the sports training facility/boarding school to (hopefully) start the beginning of her pro career. But Maya's fantasy of The Academy doesn't quite match the reality. Because where there are hot, talented teens, there's a lot of drama.

***

I was really excited to get this book. It was the first title I requested from a publisher as a reviewer. I saw the book in Barnes and Noble, noted the publisher (Bloomsbury), and asked if they’d let me review it. OMG. Tennis! And the author is Monica Seles! I couldn’t believe it when they sent me an ARC!

What a great premise…we’re talking about a private high school for super athletes of all sports. My fave? Who else--the golfer roommate (Cleo) of tennis-playing main character, Maya. I also loved that the golfer girl was questioning her sexuality. In my opinion, the most interesting character. I’d love another book all about her.

Maya was a *tiny* bit predictable. I would have loved to see her play a bit more tennis—I found myself wondering how these kids made it to this elite school with all the time they spent partying and goofing off. But all in all, I liked Maya and found myself rooting for her.

This is a fun summer read—light and airy. I sort of wish the book had been longer—a higher word count would have allowed the authors to delve a little deeper into the back story, spend a bit more time playing tennis, and exploring the relationships between the students.

If you’re looking for a deep, meaningful read—this is not the book for you. If you’re looking for fun read; light and sporty—give GAME ON a try. It’s the first in a series, so hopefully there will be more time to explore the characters and the game in the sequel.

Does Fantasy Have a Place in Sporty Girl Books?

You can ultimately decide, but for me the answer is a no-brainer: Heck Yeah. I'm a HUGE fantasy reader, but I always go for the books with the strong female lead. The ones where the girls can seriously kick butt (or at least learn to) instead of hiding in the kitchen or behind their menfolk. These characters speak to me, like DJ does in Dairy Queen. They remind me that I can be strong, that my daughters and girls everywhere are warriors in their own right.

Below are some of my favorite, kick-butt, sporty girl fantasies:

1. Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword (and other Damar books)

This is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin.

And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Outlander orphan girl who became Harimad-sol, King’s Rider, and bearer of the Blue Sword, Gonturan, the sword Lady Aerin carried, the sword only a woman may wield, for it will turn in the hands of a man.

And this is a story of the kelar of the Hillfolk, the magic in the blood, and how it may wake even in Outlander veins.

2. Kristin Cashore's Graceling and Fire. Both powerful girls, both with a lot to discover about themselves. 

In the Seven Kingdoms, people born with an extreme skill, "Grace", are feared and exploited. Katsa herself despises hers, killing. Her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, commands her to punish and torture his enemies. Prince Po, with combat skills, becomes her friend, and she learns terrible truths about her Grace and a secret hidden far away that could destroy the realm.

With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she had the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.

Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City, The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.

If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was.

2. Veronica Roth's Divergent (Series)

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

4. Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games (Series) 

Katniss, 16, takes her sister's place in the televised annual Hunger Games, competing against Peeta, the boy who gave them bread to survive after their father died. The cruel Capitol forces each of 12 districts to submit a boy and girl 12-18, to fight to the death. Only one can survive and be rewarded. President Snow manipulates behind the scenes.

5. Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

6. Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn (Series)

A thousand years ago evil came to the land. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families and ordinary folk labor as slaves in volcanic ash fields. A troublemaker arrives. A rumored revolt depends on an untrustworthy criminal and a young girl who must master Allomancy, metal magic.

7. Richelle Mead's  Vampire Academy (Series)

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

8. Cinda Willams Chima-(all series, but esp. her Seven Realms books)

9. Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments (Series)

10. Maria V. Snyder's Poison Study

11. Shannon Hale's Book of a Thousand Days

12. Bridget Zinn's Poison

What do you think? Do these books (or fantasy books in general) count as Sporty Book Reads? What's your favorite fantasy with a kick-butt heroine? I'm sure there're some great ones out there I've missed.

Book Review: Roller Girls Falling Hard by Megan Sparks

 Over Labor Day weekend I read the first book in a Roller Derby series by Megan Sparks. I'll admit that I was a little apprehensive. I know nothing about Roller Derby and I wasn't sure whether or not reading about it would interest me. But after a chapter or two I was speeding along (had to pun, sorry). 

Blurb: When Annie moves from London to a small American town in the Mid-West, she struggles to fit in. She gets off to a bad start when she makes an enemy of her school's queen bee and Cheer Leader, Kelsey. But she discovers a new passion – the exciting sport of roller derby – and makes friends with the cool and quirky girls on her team, the Liberty Belles. She also meets Jesse, the friendly boy who works at the roller rink, and Tyler, a cute all-American sports star. Meanwhile her Dad is starting a new life running a local cafe.

Megan Sparks has created an interesting character in Annie, an English girl who has chosen to move with her dad back to his American hometown instead of living with her mother in England. Annie comes to America not quite sure what to do with herself since she recently had to give up gymnastics because of her height. I thought that Annie's struggle to fit in, not just in her new school and new country, but in her new role as a non-gymnist added depth to her character. I also really liked how Sparks portrayed Annie's dad and her new artsy best friend.

I also found myself fascinated learning about Roller Derby. Since Annie is new to the sport, the reader learns it through her eyes. I cringed as she bruised and cheered when she finally started playing. I also found roller derby on television and opened the book to find out what I was watching.

The only criticism I had is that while the Roller Girls were interesting and varied, the cheerleaders were portrayed as typical mean girls. I hope that in future books we learn more about them and find out that there is more to them as well.

I'll definitely be reading that next book, and the others in the series as well. If you are a middle grader who reads YA or a teen or adult looking for a fun sporty read, you should too.

THE SWEET SPOT: Kristine Asselin's Sporty Girl Book

I can’t believe I’m actually talking about my OWN sporty girl book on the Sporty Girl Book blog. I’m sure it won’t be the last time…in fact, you guys will probably get sick of hearing about it. Though, I hope not.

My colleagues here at Sporty Girl Books all have their own sporty girl book that I hope we’ll get to hear about soon.

I was thrilled that the term “Sporty Girl” actually appeared in my Publisher’s Marketplace announcement. Here’s the blurb:

Kristine Carlson Asselin's THE SWEET SPOT, in which it is hard enough being a sporty girl in a guy's world without having to figure out who wants to destroy her family business, especially when it could mean accusing her best friend… and secret crush, to Meredith Rich of Bloomsbury Spark by Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

It’s been a long road for this book. It was written, revised, critiqued, workshopped, queried, submitted, rewritten, and queried some more before being picked up by Bloomsbury Spark. I’m about to dive into editorial revisions, and I couldn’t be happier! Writers out there know what I mean. It’s exhilarating to know that the book is about to be better than it’s ever been.

And even more exciting, then it’s going to be out in the world and sporty girls everywhere are going to have a chance to read it.

My main character, Kate, is a lot like me, though I would never have described myself as a sporty girl in high school. But the struggle of being one of a very few girls playing a sport was real to me. I was the only girl who tried out for the golf team my junior year—and I went to a high school with almost 2000 kids. While no one really gave me a hard time, it was awkward and weird enough that I didn’t try my senior year.

I gave up.

Part of why I wrote the book was to metaphorically give myself another chance. To explore what it would have been like to play and win against the boys. I hope there’s a girl somewhere out there who’ll read it and relate to Kate in a way that makes her proud to represent her gender in a field of boys.

That’s too deep, LOL.

Really. I wrote the book because I know that world. It’s real to me. Everything: the grass, the boys, the shop, the competition, the risks and the financial peril that come along with a family business, the crushes and the teenage heartache. The feeling of wanting to be treated like one of the guys, but not exactly wanting that either because  you’re not a guy. Wanting the boys to notice you as a girl, but not treat you any differently from the rest of the competition.

They say write what you know. And I know that world, so that’s what I wrote. And I can’t wait for you to read it.

Stay tuned. If anyone has questions about my journey so far, please feel free to ask in the comments! I'll also be on Robin Hall's blog later this month talking about my writing and querying process.

:-)

Kris

5 Things That Physical Therapists Want Teen Athletes To Be Aware of this Fall Season

If you are a teen athlete in a fall sport, you are at risk of injury. Why? Many athletes arrive at practice for their fall sport and train and as if they never left. However, some of these same athletes have spent more time at the beach than doing any structured training. I asked three physical therapists, Kim Tycz, Matt Tycz, and Steve Vance, what can be done to reduce the risk of injury?

1. Warm-up.

The physical therapists agreed that many athletes fail to warm-up sufficiently. “Often, athletes will just run around a bit and think that they’re warm, but a warm-up should last 10-15 minutes until you break a slight sweat,” says Steve. A light jog, calisthenics, or a gentle ride on a stationary bike is a great way to warm-up. Your purpose is to elevate both heart and body temperature. The Tycz’s say, “[Start] low then gradually increase to a moderate level of activity.  Soft tissue (muscles/tendons/ligaments, etc) that are warm will bend then rebound under stress; cold ones break.  Most coaches are pretty good at this now during organized practice/games, so this might be more relevant for when the athlete is doing an individual workout.”

2. Stretch.

A lot.  All year long.  “Most people think about stretching just before their activity but you should stretch two or more times every day when trying to get more flexible and once daily for maintenance.  Hold your stretches at least 15 seconds, use a clock or count slowly to 20- we all count fast.  Flexibility prevents injuries and in most cases increases sports performance,” say Matt and Kim. Steve agrees and has seen many knee injuries due to tight hamstrings. Flexibility is also improved with adequate warm-up (above) and a strong base. (see below)

3. Build a base.  

“Foundational strength is integral to every sport and life activities as well,” says Matt Tycz. Core strength includes not just abs but also lower back, hips, and glutes. These muscles help us balance and are important for keeping healthy knees and spine.  Steve Vance treated Appalachian Trail through hikers who had very weak hips and therefore bad knees. Many of our sports: hiking, cycling, running are about moving forward instead of moving side to side. Take some time for leg lifts, walking lunges, or single leg dips that work the core. 

4. Take Head Injuries Seriously.

Don't ever ignore any symptom after hitting your head.  The list of concussion symptoms is very long and doesn't have to include loss of consciousness. “We are learning that concussions are much more common than we ever thought.   If you hit your head (even lightly) and feel anything other than completely normal (such as headache, nausea, hearing sounds/seeing lights/smelling weird odors that aren't there, trouble focusing, lightheaded, dizzy, not able to do simple tasks/feeling clumsy during sports activities or even something like tying shoes, overly tired, can't sleep, can't concentrate, etc)– tell your coach/athletic trainer/parent. We are talking about brain cells that could be permanently injured,” say Matt and Kim.

5. Don't ignore the pain.

“Most athletes will get hurt eventually, the key is early detection and treatment.  Some muscle soreness is expected with new or hard workouts, but pain that lasts for more than a few days or feels like it is in bone or joint is not normal.  Don't ignore it, tell a coach/athletic trainer/parent and if needed go to a doctor or PT.  Then listen to what they tell you to do and do it.  The sooner you take care of the little injuries the less likely they will become a big one that can end a season or multiple seasons.”

Interview with Catherine Murdock, on her new release: Heaven is Paved with Oreos

Thanks for being on the blog today, Catherine. I'm excited to showcase your newest title, Heaven is Paved with Oreos (releasing today!)

Here's the book blurb:
 Fourteen-year-old Sarah Zorn intends to spend the Wisconsin summer with her “boyfriend” Curtis, waiting for a dead calf named Boris to decompose in time for the science fair. Her plans upend, however, when her fake-boyfriend strategy goes seriously awry just as her hippie Grandma Z invites her on a last-minute Roman holiday. As Sarah explores Italy’s ancient wonders, she can’t stop “boy-liking” Curtis . . . or puzzling over her grandmother’s odd behavior. Written as Sarah’s journal, this satisfying middle grade novel navigates the murky waters of first love, friendship, and family with heart and good humor.

RH: I love your title. How did you come up with it?
CM: thank you. And I didn't come up with it -- I saw it posted on a fortune-cookie fortune taped to a wall, just as it's described in the book. This must have been, oh, 20+ years ago, but the phrase always stuck with me. And now I get to use it in a book!

RH: You are a master of voice. Football playing DJ is one of my all-time favorite voices and I'm thrilled she's plays a roll in Heaven is Paved with Oreos. I'm excited to get to read the younger voice of fourteen year-old Sara. How do you find the right voice for your MC's? Was it harder to write a younger voice?

CM: Again: thank you! Voice is something I take very seriously, so I'm thrilled you noticed. I'm always a bit flummoxed when asked how I "master" a voice . . . It makes me feel like I should be reviewing Italian (ha) or practicing my figure skating (ha ha ha ha). Voice, to me, is something that you *say* -- the character is in your head and you need (recognize that I'm figuring this out as I type) to move your lips to let the character out -- not simply come up with the right words but develop the right tone, because the tone makes the words . . . I suspect that this sounds ridiculously flaky and also useless: "aspiring writers should simply speak with their characters' voices," but, yeah, that's what I'm saying. Equally important: if you can't speak with your character's voice, don't. Use another voice (omniscient narrator is always good) to tell the story. Otherwise it's a terrible distraction . . . at least it is for me.

RH: Have you had a Roman holiday like Sara (or are you planning one)? I know you've been learning Italian this summer.
CM: Yes, I've been learning Italian -- or more properly I *was* learning Italian, because I've forgotten it all already. Languages are so difficult! A trip I took to Rome years ago with my sister planted the seed for Heaven is Paved with Oreos, then I returned in late 2011 to research the book, and last fall to fact-check it . . . Obviously I love the city! The hardest part was trying to look at Italy from the POV of a fourteen-year-old girl who isn't terribly worldly. I had to keep remembering my own first travel experiences, when the tiniest things (trash cans, for example, or dogs) left huge impressions.

RH: I know your inspiration for Dairy Queen came from from a dream. Is that how you typically find inspiration for your stories?

CM: I wish! No, recently I've had to come up with books the hard way, by actually creating them. Much more challenging.

RH: Can you tell us what you're working on now?

CM: I feel like I'm not done with Rome quite yet. What comes out of this feeling . . . Everyone will have to wait and see. Including me, I'm afraid. Sigh.

RH: Since writing DJ's story you've been involved with sporty girls. Can you tell us about some of those interactions?

CM: I've had the great joy of emailing and meeting girls who played boys' football -- girls who sometimes played because of Dairy Queen! That's huge. I'm awed.

RH: Thank you for your support of sporty girls and for writing the types of characters we crave to hang out with.

To find Catherine's favorite sporty read check out this previous post.