Racquetball. New Friends. Diversity. MATCH POINT is a fun, inspirational and unique graphic novel for cheerleaders of good friendship and the sports lover in all of us.
I received this graphic novel from Macmillan Publishers for an honest review of the book. When I got the book in the mail, my daughter was near me when I opened it and immediately begged to read the book. I had to decline her offer to read it first because she cannot help but tell me that story especially when she is excited to read something. I do not like book spoilers, movie spoiler, no spoilers at all lol. So, she is a teeny bit mad at me because I would not let her read it until I read it AND took picture of the book. She likes to dog ear pages and crease the spine. It does not bother her but I love the craftsmanships of books so much, I try to keep them looking as good for a long as possible. Once I officially let her read it, I will update this post with her overall opinion. The only little tad bit that I gave her about the story was racquetball and she had no idea what I was talking about lol. That led to a long discussion of my limited knowledge of racquetball.
SUMMARY
MATCH POINT by Maddie Gallegos follows the story of middle schooler Rosie, who is preparing for a racquetball tournament AGAIN! Racquetball is not her passion but rather the passion of her father, a former racquetball champion when he was a child. She begrudgingly plays racquetball to appease her dad which causes a fair amount of strife for Rosie. However, enter new student Blair, an avid racquetball enthusiast and ultimate fanatic. Rosie and Blair become fast friends and Rosie hatches a plan that she believes will solve her racquetball issue, make her dad happy, and spend time with her new friend. But like most clever ideas, nothing ever goes as planned. But will the plan not working be a good or bad thing? Make sure to read MATCH POINT to find out.
Sneak peek inside the book above
REVIEW
When I first opened this book, I was thrown for a loop at the mention of racquetball. Racquetball. I just thought racquetball was an activity done at the community center for exercise so I was very intrigued to understand more and ended up reading this entire novel in a quick half hour. This story was completely original and unique that I was immediately sucked into the story. There are various diverse story elements that are not typically depicted in books especially graphic novels and I loved it.
I really enjoyed the depiction of Blair and her family in this novel. This family exemplified characters that are very distictive and unabashedly adorable. I a really liked Blair’s dad and his fashion choice. 😉 I also enjoyed the inclusion of a deaf impaired character. It was amazing to see sign language drawn out in vivid illustrations. I learned a few new words to sign, which is fun.
The dynamic between Rosie and her father are very relatable. A parent pushing something that they love on their children and ignoring what the child truly wants. To the reader, it is so obvious that Rosie’s dad is upsetting her but he cannot see it. I liked this part of the story because it allows children experiencing this situation a tool that can be used to find their voice.
Overall, I was very impressed by this book and the characters in this book. I found myself invested with every character and would love to see how things develop for everyone in MATCH POINT over time. The recommended reading age is from 10-14 but I would also include parents of children in that age range as well.
Make sure to pick this book up at your local indie bookstore and add it to your bookshelf or click here to order a copy
Thanks for reading!
Enjoy!
Maya
Maya Claros is a Domestic Engineer of 3, children’s books lover, super science geek, Hip Hop connoisseur, and small business owner. You can find her here or at www.thedopekid.com
