Hoop Girlz

by Lucy Jane Bledsoe

More than anything, eleven-year-old River wants to grow up and play for the WNBA. So she's crushed when she finds her name on the B-Team instead of the A-Team. But River decides to take matters into her own hands. And the very first thing she does is change the embarrassing name of her team to "Hoop Girlz." Their goal: fun. With only five players -- one, a fourth grader -- River's brother for a coach, and a wet outdoor court for practicing, the Hoop Girlz know they're a long shot for the tournament trophy. But they've got heart. Will this ragtag group of second-string players be able to take on the A-Team? Or will they find out that Hoop Girlz are only a B-Team, after all?

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Sports

Hardcover

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

Preorder Lucy's new novel, TELL THE REST, about love, rage, and redemption, at https://amzn.to/3QRyHXD. The New York Times says Lucy Jane Bledsoe's novel, A THIN BRIGHT LINE, "triumphs." Ms. Magazine calls her novel, THE EVOLUTION OF LOVE, "fabulous feminist fiction." Her 2018 collection of stories, LAVA FALLS, won the Devil's Kitchen Fiction Award. Bledsoe played basketball in both high school and college. As a social justice activist, she's passionate about working for voting rights.

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about middle school sports, featuring a primarily female cast of characters, that is neither deadly dull nor catty and mean! A quick engaging read.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

in the bood the main charactor wanted to make the A team but in the end she made the B team but kinda in the middle she didnt want the B team to be called the B team so she called them hoop girlz and they all made practice jersys and they also had game jersys. they didnt get to play anyone until the day of the tournament but they did have a little game against a cop and two fire fighters but it was only for them to practice there defense. when they got to the tournament they won and made it to finals but so did the A team. so the hoop girlz had to play against the A team and it was a close game but the hoop girlz lost and they didnt get a trophy. when they announced the mvp they called up rachell and the hoop girlz because they tought the hoop girlz were very good and improved and worked hard and didnt give up even when something went wrong and they kept a possitive attitude. i chose this book because im in basketball and because it looked like a good book and it is a quick read.

[Nadia Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m currently still reading this book but it’s pretty great so far. The author wrote this book to where I could feel like I’m one of the characters. It’s pretty much about basketball and the challenges you might Facebook in basketball. I would highly recommend this book to basketball players or if you like that sport because it can connect to real life. Like as in tryouts, practices,championships and other stuff like that. My favorite character is River because she is pretty outspoken and competitive when it comes to basket.She stays focused and keeps her head up because she’s going for the gold. I really disliked the part after tryouts because the coach told one girl she didn’t have the skills and he was looking for height and other stuff. That made me upset because I feel like it doesn’t matter if you’re not good enough or not a coach should take the time to make you better and mold you into a better player. It’s just not fair to those who want to try something different and that’s just my opinion. Overall it’s a great book...READ IT! ;)

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 10yo and I read this together. We both very much enjoyed it. She loved the play-by-plays of the games. We loved the real life characters with flaws and depth. A great, quick read for any who love basketball.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

After not making the A team, River creates Hoop Girlz to challenge them at the tournament

[Kate]

River's lifelong dream is to play basketball in the WNBA, just like her hometown role model Emily Hargraves. The 6th grade team will participate in a tournament, where the MVP gets to meet Hargraves and attend her basketball camp. River is devastated when she makes the B-team instead of the A-team, and considers quitting until she is encouraged to take charge. She renames the team the Hoop Girlz and recruits other outcasts. The team's goal is to have fun. Can the Hoop Girlz compete against the other teams, or are they after all just a B-team?

[Leann · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a surprisingly delightful book! It's so rare these days that I pick anything up randomly, because I have such an overwhelming TBR that I read almost nothing that isn't off recommendations. But this one caught my eye today and I thought it would be a good rec for our sports-themed summer reading program.

Recommend for 4th to maybe 7th grade, anyone who is into sports.

(That z in the title is so 2002, when this was published. It almost made me nostalgic.)

[Aesha☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love basketball so this book REALLY got me interested. all of you people who love basketball should read this book.
this book is about a girl named river and she has this dream of being mvp of the year but unfortuanatly she doesnt make th team.
i wont tell u the rest but its a really really really really really good book!

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

River couldn't wait to see who made the team. She looked at the two teams and frowned. She was on B-team, not on A-team. She no longer wanted to play basketball, but all the B-team girls wanted to play. It would be River's job to make this team into a champion team. No more B-team. This team is Hoop Girlz.

[Everett Glass · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that hoop girlz was just flat out awesome, motivating, interesting, nail-biting, and fabulous!!! River Borowitz-Jacobs and her hoop girlz team enters a Oregon Coast tournament, their rivals are playing in it too. Will River and her confident team-working team beat her rivals the A-team (Azalea team)? Find out by reading the book.

[Dorian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that this book is a great model for elementary-age girls who want to play sports, so that they don't feel that they shouldn't because they're girls. The book itself was pretty good for elementary school, as an adult, I thought the plot was a little bland.

[Paige Aronhalt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book!

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very easy read, but read a few years ago.

[Moneybaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book review is written on paper.