Balance Beam Boss

by Jake Maddox, Katie Wood (Illustrations)

Sofia is used to being the best gymnast at her modest gym in the city. But after a bad fall and injury during practice, getting back on the beam is harder than she thought. When she does come back after rehabbing, Sofia is consumed with fear and anxiety related to her fall, emotions her coach doesn't seem to recognize. Can Sofia overcome her fear and trauma to make it back on the beam?

Genres: Sports

65 pages, Paperback

Published July 31, 2019

About the author

Who is Jake Maddox? Athlete, author, world-traveler–or all three? He has surfed in Hawaii, scuba-dived in Australia, and climbed the mountains of Peru and Alaska. His books range from the most popular team sports to outdoor activities to survival adventures and even to auto racing. His exploits have inspired numerous writers to walk in his footsteps–literally! Each of his stories is stamped with teamwork, fair play, and a strong sense of self-worth and discipline. Always a team-player, Maddox realizes it takes more than one man (or woman) to create a book good enough for a young reader. He hopes the lessons learned on the court, field, or arena and the champion sprinter pace of his books can motivate kids to become better athletes and lifelong readers.

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a girl who has a semi-terrible accident on a balance beam and then her long struggle to overcome her consequent fear of the gym and the balance beam in particular. Through many travails she overcomes her fear and goes back to being the balance beam boss!

[Dana · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author couldn’t be bothered to do even 5 minutes of research on gymnastics before writing this book.