Out of Our League

November 15, 2023
Short stories featuring a diverse range of teen girls who are learning how to play and compete in different sports. This compilation featuring many big-name contributors from YA literature not only centers young women's voices but also showcases their strengths and different abilities, emphasizes the power of team camaraderie, and demonstrates the value of hard-won lessons. Powerlifting, sport climbing, crew, boxing, and ice hockey are all included, alongside more common sports such as softball, soccer, and basketball. Many of the stories include details of fast-paced plays, as in Maggie Hall's "Sidelined," in which star basketball player Lexie helps coach the football team to achieve an exciting, game-winning touchdown. The stories put sports front and center, weaving in relevant specifics. One standout, "All for One," by Yamile Saied M�ndez, carefully and heartachingly describes one cheerleader's struggle with an eating disorder relapse. Kayla Whaley's "No Love Lost," written in the format of a screenplay, features wheelchair tennis star Lotte and includes meaningful dialogue about disability in sports. Among the other perspectives are those of Rowan, a teen who's recently come out as nonbinary, in Marieke Nijkamp's "Archery," and Maya, a trans girl in Naomi Kanakia's "Wrestling" who's attending an all-boys Catholic school. Thankfully, the stories are not tidy, triumphant sprints across a finish line: The characters display grit and determination as they learn a new sport or struggle with team dynamics. Impressively inclusive, with plenty of appeal for sports lovers and couch potatoes alike. (Anthology. 12-17)

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March 1, 2024

Gr 9 Up-The message of this wide-ranging collection-16 short stories, each by a different established author including the editors, Naomi Kanakia, Marieke Nijkamp, and more-is clear: the challenges girl athletes face are real. Popular team sports, such as softball, soccer, basketball, and volleyball, are no less exempt from discrimination than more extreme endeavors, such as sport climbing and powerlifting, for example. Millie, who knows her Title IX rights, earns her right to start a girl's golf team. Kylie, who grew up playing ice hockey with three brothers and is used to dressing in the locker room broom closet, struggles with self-imposed isolation when she tries out for a new all-girls team. At an elite prep school, Emersyn, a Black three-letter All-American, regularly outperforms her legacy peers just to be seen as their equal. A trans girl, Jackie, is motivated by the simplest of gestures from a nonjudgmental peer. Their victories, outside of pushing themselves and winning scores, are personal and political, and offer an inclusive sense of empowerment that inspires. A few tired dramatic clich�s-the forbidden romance, the jealous competitor, a teen proving a parent wrong-slow down these otherwise upbeat and timely short stories about female high school athletes facing discrimination today. VERDICT Recommended for all collections.-Georgia Christgau

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