Perfected by Girls

by Alfred C. Martino, Karen Grove (Editor)

Overview

Navigating high school isn't easy for Melinda Radford.

She's the lone girl on the Ashton High wrestling team, grappling with opponents who refuse to compete against her, a few who want to crush her, and a coach who's less-than-pleased having a female in his practice room. At home, Mel's parents forbid her from seeing her new boyfriend, her grandmother insists she start preparing for her future by taking a dreary office internship, and her infuriating older brother, who's the varsity team captain, flirts with her best friend, Jade.

Just when it seems things can't get any more complicated, an off-handed comment puts Mel at odds with her teammates, her brother, and, worst of all, her coach.

But through a twist of tragedy and fate, Mel is given an unexpected opportunity to accomplish something no girl in her school's history has ever done--something that just may redeem her in the eyes of her detractors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781593166007
Publisher:	Listen & Live Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	11/15/2011
Pages:	316
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Alfred C. Martino is the author of three highly-acclaimed novels, Perfected By Girls, Over The End Line, and Pinned. Mr. Martino was born and raised in Short Hills, NJ, and graduated from Millburn High School. He is a graduate of Duke University and The Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. He currently lives in Jersey City.

Editorial Reviews

"There's always a need for more sports stories for girls, and this is a solid addition to the genre."--Kirkus Reviews

"Mel is a great role model for girls who take sports just as seriously as their male counterparts."--Teen Lit Rocks

"The protagonist has an authentic voice, and readers will empathize with her isolation throughout the school day. Some may gloss over the detailed wrestling descriptions, but the romance and other aspects of Melinda's life will strike a chord with girls, even those who don't participate in athletics."--School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Gr 9 Up—Melinda Radford loves designer clothes, hanging out with her best friend, and participating in school sports. Trouble is, though, her sport is wrestling, and she's the only girl on the championship team. She gets crude comments from classmates, and members of opposing teams refuse to wrestle with her. Off the mat, Melinda has other concerns—her best friend and her older brother are making eyes at each other, her grandmother insists that she take a boring summer internship at her company, and her mother forbids her to see her hot new boyfriend. Melinda's situation turns even uglier at school when she makes a comment to a reporter for the local newspaper, and she's seen as not being a team player or supportive of her coach. But when she starts to question her commitment to the sport, she gets a chance to move from the JV to the varsity team and really compete instead of warming the bench. The protagonist has an authentic voice, and readers will empathize with her isolation throughout the school day. Some may gloss over the detailed wrestling descriptions, but the romance and other aspects of Melinda's life will strike a chord with girls, even those who don't participate in athletics.—Diana Pierce, Leander High School, TX

School Library Journal

It's a busy year for Melinda Drake Radford as she wrestles on the JV team--and with other challenges of her sophomore year, too. Sometimes, Mel wishes she were a guy, or more like a guy. She envies their muscles and confidence and power. But over the course of several busy months, she does just fine as a girl, even as a girl wrestler, where on the mat "the conditions are always the same. The mats are nearly all the same dimensions. Matches are indoors. Singlets and wrestling shoes are pretty much the same. It's just you and your opponent. For three two-minute periods." Off the mats, the world is less predictable. Her wealthy grandmother is pushing her into the business world, her boyfriend is pushing her into the bedroom and her varsity-wrestler brother pushes her to work harder, get better. Despite flat pacing, the novel is a solid portrait of a teenage girl trying to be herself when everyone else seems to be deciding her life for her. Though wrestling is the heart of the tale, Martino wisely resists heavy-handed and inspirational sports metaphors, letting Mel's actions speak for themselves. There's always a need for more sports stories for girls, and this is a solid addition to the genre. (Fiction. 13-16)

Kirkus Reviews

Martino, author of PINNED, is back on the wrestling circuit, but this time his main character is Melinda Radford, the first girl on the Ashton High School wrestling team. Narrator Jen Taylor is splendidly fun as she introduces Mel's friends and family—and the boys who are reluctant to wrestle her. Martino and Taylor also capture Mel's home life as she deals with her bossy grandmother, who wants her to work in her office. Taylor’s standout characters are the grandmother and a smarmy guy at the office who hilariously fakes how happy he is to have Mel working there. Listeners go along for the ride as Mel confronts death and eventually wrestles varsity. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2012 - AudioFile