Elle of the Ball

January 1, 2018
In this series opener, WNBA star Delle Donne (My Shot, 2017) shares a story clearly based on her own experiences playing basketball in middle school. There's plenty of basketball as well as typical early-adolescent moments as narrator Elle Deluca asserts her desire to play not just because she is 6 feet tall in seventh grade, but because she is skilled. Elle is white, and the other members of the team at her small private school in Wilmington, Delaware, display a fair amount of surface diversity. One girl, Coach Ramirez's daughter, is one of several with Latinx-pointing surnames; another is known for sewing her own hijabs; and one named Hannah is of Indian heritage (and has stereotypically strict parents). Little else distinguishes their culture or ethnicity. (The faculty is stunningly diverse, as is the curriculum.) Spring Meadow is a K-12 school, with a traditional cotillion requiring the girls and boys from seventh grade up to dress formally, and for Elle, who is feeling awkward from her growth spurt, this is agony. Shopping for a dress is an ordeal, and many readers will relate to her unhappiness at being pushed into situations she'd much rather avoid. Aside from this rather bland subplot, the story is, unsurprisingly, focused on basketball.This will satisfy those readers who don't want many challenges in their stories; the bonus of being written by a WNBA star will be its true calling card. (Fiction. 9-12)

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January 22, 2018
Donne—a professional basketball player, youth coach, and author of the memoir My Shot (which publishes simultaneously)—taps into her knowledge of the game and her insight into aspiring players in this first book in the Hoops series. As basketball season opens, Elle Deluca has skyrocketed to a height of six feet and outgrown her clothes; she now towers over the seventh-grade boys, including her ballroom dancing partner for the upcoming cotillion. Rather than boosting her confidence as a basketball player, Elle’s growth causes high anxiety: “I grew ten feet overnight and became a total klutz,” she says, and she suspects that her coach has assigned her to the demanding position of starting center because of her stature, rather than her skill. While avoiding melodrama, Donne humorously portrays Elle’s adjustment to her changing body and her increasing self-confidence and positivity. Play-by-play basketball action, friendship subplots, and the inspiration Elle draws from her older sister (who is deaf and blind and has autism and cerebral palsy) round out this engaging novel. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jennifer Keene and Erin Kane, Octagon.

February 1, 2018

Gr 3-6-Elle has always been tall, but as she enters seventh grade she is already six feet. It is a good thing she loves playing basketball since that is all anyone ever asks her about when they meet her. With her new extra height, she is moving from a guard to center this year. Along with learning a new position, she is adjusting to her new height, making her feel like she will never be coordinated again. Elle is also dealing with her school's annual cotillion in which she will have to dance with a boy for the first time ever. As the tween protests being forced to wear a dress and dance for a grade, she learns that her friends and her family love her for who she is and that she is more capable than she believes. The author, a former WNBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist, keeps the basketball jargon in check and believable for this age group. Readers will be eager to see where the rest of the series takes Elle and her teammates. VERDICT The author's name may draw some recognition from big WNBA fans, but the diverse cast and timely subject matter for girls in middle grades are what will make this a strong choice for middle grades sports collections.-Carli Sauer, Carmel Middle School, IN

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