Go for the Gold

The Gymnasts #22

by Elizabeth Levy

Over her bout with anorexia, Heidi Ferguson feels she is ready to compete again, and when she is picked for the Olympic team, she realizes her dream could come true.

Genres: Sports, Childrens, Young Adult

182 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1992

About the author

Elizabeth Levy has been writing and publishing books for over thirty years and sometimes now she meets kids whose parents read her books when they were children! She has written over 80 books, a number that continues to surprise her, as it surprises her how long she's been at it.

Over the years they've printed lots of her books - over five million of them.

She loves to try writing different types of books - everything from funny mysteries to novels about kids who get in trouble to history.

One of the most pleasant surprises about writing is that she's been invited to travel all over the country and even the world speaking to children, teachers, and librarians. She's made some wonderful friendships and gotten lots of ideas for her books. One of the most special treats is that kids have drawn wonderful pictures of one of her favorite characters, Fletcher.

She grew up in Buffalo, New York, then went to Brown University, where she majored in history. When she graduated, she came to New York City and worked for ABC-TV and then for Senator Robert Kennedy. She has lived in New York ever since, and she loves it. She knows all the best places for salami, she has run four marathons, and she has completed many 5-borough bike tours, so she thinks she really knows this place well.

At certain times of the year, she can be found out at Shea Stadium watching her team, the New York Mets. She has always loved baseball.

Mostly she enjoys hanging out with her friends. They spend lots of time going to movies or plays, playing sports, having meals together.

When she's alone and not writing, she is usually reading. She reads mysteries a lot, always has, which is probably why many of her books are mysteries.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a kids series that I think has actually held up pretty well. With a diverse cast of characters from the get go, and the fact that kids in a competitive gymnastics program wouldn't be on their phones all the time anyway, so their absence isn't as noticeable as in many stories about middle school aged kids, and lessons of sportsmanship and friendship being fairly timeless- I think any kid even today who is between 8-12 who loves gymnastics would love these books. And this book is a satisfying enough conclusion as a last book.

[Kate H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is a bit cheesy but I loved it growing up because I always wanted to take gymnastics but we did not have the funds to afford it. It is fairly realistic in the level of skill that girls obtain and it gives you plenty of gymnastics whilst still allowing for real lie stories and difficulties in the books.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character was rather whiny & annoying but otherwise a decent book.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olympics super special, yeah! I did gymnastics when I was younger so I loved these. I remember being in the hotel in Anglesea when I was eight or nine as well and finding a few of these I hadn't read yet in their little common room. So awesome.