Sports fans will enjoy this story of high school girls
forming a basketball team, hoping to win Indiana’s inaugural state championship
for girls. Judi is the main character and she’d rather be playing basketball
instead of cheering on the sidelines. It highlights the lack of athletic options
for girls in the mid-1970s. Young readers can connect with Judi’s imagination as
she practices alone on the driveway. She bounces passes off the chimney, fakes
out the bush, and dreams of making the game-winning shot. The school has never
had a girls’ team and one teammate’s “game” experience is playing on her own
driveway against her brothers and parents. Readers will enjoy the journey as
the team evolves from nothing into the eventual state champion!
The main conflict is the girls’ fight for equal treatment
with the boys. Their first practice is at a nearby elementary school where they
discover they have no coach and must practice on their own. They can’t practice
at the high school until the evening since the varsity boys, junior varsity
boys, and freshman boys use the gym after school. The girls don’t have uniforms
and are forced to stick electrical tape numbers to white t-shirts. They must
find their own transportation to away games and they must pay for their own
meals while traveling. Uniforms (including laundry), transportation, and food
are all provided for the boy players. This discrepancy in conduct and policy
irks and angers the girls as the plot reflects the true history and feelings
experienced during this time in U.S. history.
The athletic director offers society’s contrasting view of
the girls’ team. Title IX is enacted by the federal government which provides
more athletic opportunities for girls, but it doesn’t provide any support or
funding for school districts. The athletic director justifies his decisions by
saying the school doesn’t have any extra money and the boys can generate funds
by filling the gymnasium with fans. The public is apathetic and doesn’t offer
support for the girls since the community barely even knows their team exists.
While attitudes are better, many young girls still experience lingering prejudices
as they pursue their own athletic and personal aspirations today.
What didn’t work as well:
The book is based on true events and it doesn’t stray too
far from non-fiction. The plot is straightforward and doesn’t present any
twists or surprises. The girls fight for equal treatment as they chase their dreams
of a state championship. The last pages of the book include an “Author’s Note”
that explains his inspiration and why he sticks primarily to the actual events
and experiences of the girls.
The Final Verdict:
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