Grace on the court by Maddy Proud

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Piccolo Nero, 2018. ISBN 9781760640330. 228 pages, paperback.
(Age: 9-14) Grace on the court is a story about Grace Parker, a netball nerd transitioning from primary school into high school. She is very passionate about netball and her aim is to make it onto her high school team. But that isn't going to be as easy as it seems. A new rival Amber Burns is trying out for the team as well. Her twin brother Gus didn't make his team and is devasted, Grace's older brother Tyler is now ignoring her too. And to top it all off a certain boy is now suddenly paying attention to her.
Maddy Proud herself is a professional netballer and is currently the youngest player ever contracted into the Adelaide Thunderbirds at sixteen. With netball being her main theme, Proud focuses on the other topics of friendships, crushes, high school rivalry, sibling issues and family. With this being very netball focused, Proud has written things in a way that makes it easy for the reader to follow along with. I found this very helpful as someone who knows little about the sport. But with that being said the flow of the story is still balanced with Grace's day to day life and the issues she faces.
The target audience for this book is 9 to 14 years of age, perfect for new highschoolers into netball or sports.
Kayla Raphael

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