Reaching High

The Go-for-Gold Gymnasts #3

by Alicia Thompson, Dominique Moceanu

Long-limbed, red-haired Jessie might be the quiet girl on the Texas Twisters, but she's a force to be reckoned with where it counts-on the vault and in her heart. With freshman year on the horizon, Jesse decides that it's time to stop hiding in the shadow of her teammates and do the last thing anyone join the cheerleading squad. Jessie proves that her gymnastic skills make her a perfect fit for the team, and becoming friends with the team captain makes Jessie feel like people care about her , and not just her talent. But with cheer practice suddenly taking up all of her spare time, Jessie barely gets the chance to see her fellow gymnasts. Can Jessie bridge the gap between her new teammates and old friends? Or will she have to pick between being a cheerleader and being a gymnast?

Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu and Alicia Thompson present The Go-for-Gold Gymnasts, a fliptastic series full of heart, humor, and spirit! Follow the four girls as they navigate the world of competitive gymnastics, try to balance their passion with normal lives, and learn to believe in the power of friendship.

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Sports

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 19, 2012

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. Full of heart.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, it's intended for ten year olds and yes it's pretty cheesy and predictable, but it was on the homepage of the ebook library for my home library and I decided it had potential. For a book intended for sixth graders, it reaches some pretty hard topics, including eating disorders, so much that it kind of threw me for a loop. I think the existence of this book and books similar to it could be very beneficial for people around that age and hey, if I was able to enjoy it at 20, then the audience may be bigger than intended.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jessie is a quiet but fierce competitor and as she reaches the peak of her career, she gets the gymnastics blues and makes the cheerleading squad. Will she come back or will she try to become popular and forget gymnastics?

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't realized that this book was a fictional story of a team competing for spots on the Olympic team. I was looking for a story about Moceanu. However, it was well-written and I enjoyed sharing it with my 10-year old daughter, who has recently enjoyed biographies of several gymnastic greats.

[BeccyJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reaching High is a fantastic novel which invites you into the life of a competitive gymnast and a bright minded teenage girl. Jessie is a beautiful and talented girl who will inspire many young girls as it did myself.
-Bec, 12yrs old

[Adilynn Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very exciting how the 4 girls had all of their point of view. 😊

[Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a good children's book about growing of age, especially, if they are interested in gymnastics. Also, readers relate to the characters either in their personalities or in the challenges they face. The one thing I did not really enjoy is that the book is more about life lessons than about gymnastics and challenges as a gymnast