There's a Girl in My Hammerlock

by Jerry Spinelli Narrated by Julie Dretzin

Overview

Last year, Masie Potter was voted most outstanding seventh grade female athlete. She is a super basketball player. But last summer, she developed a crush on classmate Eric Delong. Now her priorities have changed. She will do anything to be near Eric-even join the wrestling team. From the first, Masie gets opposition and antagonism from all sides: friends, classmates, teachers. Soon, her place on the team isn't about Eric any more. It's about determination, discipline, and perseverance. As Masie struggles against opponents on the mat, she must also deal with cruel jeers and taunts in the halls. Can Masie be a champion? Jerry Spinelli has written many popular books for young readers, including Space Station Seventh Grade and Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush? With a solid talent for creating realistic characters and dialog, he is sure to have listeners cheering for the feisty Masie as she wrestles with some of the tougher issues of peer pressure.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

When eighth-grader Maisie Potter decides to try out for the wrestling team, she has no idea of the repercussions that will follow. Legally, the school must allow her to participate, but there are a lot of hard feelings and she quickly becomes the center of a media blitz. Thoroughly modern Maisie is an eminently likable character, and her trials and triumphs make for a highly satisfying tale. Although Newbery Medalist Spinelli ( Maniac Magee ) doesn't break any new ground here, he tackles a meaty subject--traditional gender roles--with his usual humor and finesse. The result, written in a breezy, first-person style, is a rattling good sports story that is clever, witty and tightly written. Ages 10-14. (Sept.)

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-- Maisie Potter knows what she wants, she knows why, and she knows how to get it. So when her teenage hormones begin acting up around Eric Delong, she abandons girls' field hockey for cheerleading. And when she doesn't make the squad, she patiently waits for next season's sports to begin, and to the horror of almost everyone in the school, tries out for wrestling. Of course, this is an all boys' team, and Eric Delong is one of those boys. Maisie makes the team and surprises everyone with her endurance and skill. She also makes more than her share of enemies, including Lizard Liz Lamply, Eric's aggressive girlfriend, and Holly, her fickle best friend. But Maisie has heart and determination--she's a female Maniac Magee with an intact, nurturing family, and she picks up more well-wishers along the way, as pockets of strength appear in refreshingly whole supporting characters. Maisie's is an original and vibrant adolescent voice--curious, confident, and very alive. She tells a story of sexism and challenges that is fresh from the headlines and perfectly integrated into the everyday events at a suburban junior high school, rich with nuance and melodrama. Kids will eat it up. --Susan Knorr, Milwaukee Public Library

From the Publisher

"A rattling good sports story that is clever, witty, and tightly written."

— Publishers Weekly

"A fine novel."

— Alan Review

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170701056
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	10/10/2008
Edition description:	Unabridged

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