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The Gymnasts #1
Beginners
They were more than friends - they were a team.
The new gymnastics club was going to be terrific. Cindi, Lauren, Darlene and Jodi knew they'd be friends from the first day they met. Coach Harmon said they'd be in a real gymnastics meet right away, even if they were only beginners.
Now they had to learn how to be a team.
The new gymnastics club was going to be terrific. Cindi, Lauren, Darlene and Jodi knew they'd be friends from the first day they met. Coach Harmon said they'd be in a real gymnastics meet right away, even if they were only beginners.
Now they had to learn how to be a team.
121 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1988
7 people are currently reading
422 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Levy
194 books65 followersElizabeth 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 24, 2008
Again, I was obsessed with gymnastics when I was in gradeschool (and I little bit in junior high) and I read all of the books in The Gymnasts series I could get my hands on. (Think Babysitters club, but with gymnastics and no babysitting... ;)
January 6, 2026
I loved this series in the 80s!
And I relate a lot to Lauren, who is a bit afraid to throw her body at a vault. I gave up the sport in middle school because I just didn't have that no-fear gene that so many gymnasts have. Even for fun, I just couldn't cut it.
And reading about the girls crashing and falling in this made me defintely glad I gave it up.
And I relate a lot to Lauren, who is a bit afraid to throw her body at a vault. I gave up the sport in middle school because I just didn't have that no-fear gene that so many gymnasts have. Even for fun, I just couldn't cut it.
And reading about the girls crashing and falling in this made me defintely glad I gave it up.
November 3, 2013
One of My Favorite Series Growing Up!! I read this entire series 30 times during the early 1990s.
October 24, 2018
Okay, so I read it a very long time ago, but it made a huge impression on me back then. I wanted to be one of the team!
September 11, 2019
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.
September 8, 2020
Entertaining enough for a kids' book, but I didn't think it was anything special. I also noticed more than a few typos. I felt compelled to pick it up because of my interest in gymnastics and my nostalgia for Apple Paperbacks. I can imagine reading this series as a kid.
December 28, 2025
As a kid I loved this series. Now, before passing them onto my niece to read, I thought I would read this again. I can see what drew me it. A great text for budding readers, especially those beginning to navigate friendships.
November 29, 2025
What a great book such a great theme
December 19, 2016
When she was eight years old, Lauren quit gymnastics. Now she and her friend Cyndi have joined up again, this time at a real studio with a coach who expects all the girls to perform competitively. Lauren’s not convinced she has what it takes, and an older bully is no help in building her confidence, but with help from coach Patrick and new teammates Darlene and Jodi, she wants to prove that she can live up to her potential.
I remember Elizabeth Levy best from her Something Queer books illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein, but I also recall seeing The Gymnasts series in my elementary school when she came to visit on Author’s Day one year. I was never interested in sports as a kid, so I definitely wouldn’t have read this series even if someone suggested it, but I can see now that I probably would have enjoyed it. Lauren has a funny, spunky personality, and like The Baby-sitters Club, the series focuses on several girls, giving each reader someone to potentially relate to.
I don’t know much about gymnastics, but based on some of the contemporary books I’ve read about the sport (the McKenna books and Dominique Moceanu’s new book), it seems like it hasn’t changed very much in 24 years. Much of the same vocabulary I encountered in those contemporary stories is also present here, and only one reference to Mary Lou Retton dates the book specifically to the 80s. Otherwise, this book reads like a contemporary series book, just without the usual references to texting and email. Even the camcorder and videotape which figure so heavily into a side plot involving an older bully could easily be replaced with a digital camera and a DVD without changing the story itself in any way.
This book also reminded me of how much I used to love chapter titles as a kid. Any time I tried writing a story, I always divided it into chapters just so I could write catchy little titles. I don’t see chapter titles very often in series books these days, but it’s an aspect of kids’ books I really miss. I also like the way this book shows a gymnast in a different pose at the start of each chapter. I don’t think those little icons have much to do with the content of the individual chapters, but they are visually appealing, and I wish more series books had nice little touches like that to enhance the reading experience. (The Sleuth or Dare series does this with fingerprints, and it looks great.)
I am still not crazy enough about gymnastics, so I doubt I’ll be running out to track down the other 21 titles in this series, but I am glad to have satisfied my curiosity about what my younger self missed.
I remember Elizabeth Levy best from her Something Queer books illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein, but I also recall seeing The Gymnasts series in my elementary school when she came to visit on Author’s Day one year. I was never interested in sports as a kid, so I definitely wouldn’t have read this series even if someone suggested it, but I can see now that I probably would have enjoyed it. Lauren has a funny, spunky personality, and like The Baby-sitters Club, the series focuses on several girls, giving each reader someone to potentially relate to.
I don’t know much about gymnastics, but based on some of the contemporary books I’ve read about the sport (the McKenna books and Dominique Moceanu’s new book), it seems like it hasn’t changed very much in 24 years. Much of the same vocabulary I encountered in those contemporary stories is also present here, and only one reference to Mary Lou Retton dates the book specifically to the 80s. Otherwise, this book reads like a contemporary series book, just without the usual references to texting and email. Even the camcorder and videotape which figure so heavily into a side plot involving an older bully could easily be replaced with a digital camera and a DVD without changing the story itself in any way.
This book also reminded me of how much I used to love chapter titles as a kid. Any time I tried writing a story, I always divided it into chapters just so I could write catchy little titles. I don’t see chapter titles very often in series books these days, but it’s an aspect of kids’ books I really miss. I also like the way this book shows a gymnast in a different pose at the start of each chapter. I don’t think those little icons have much to do with the content of the individual chapters, but they are visually appealing, and I wish more series books had nice little touches like that to enhance the reading experience. (The Sleuth or Dare series does this with fingerprints, and it looks great.)
I am still not crazy enough about gymnastics, so I doubt I’ll be running out to track down the other 21 titles in this series, but I am glad to have satisfied my curiosity about what my younger self missed.
February 26, 2013
Mad love for this series when I was a seven-year-old gymnast myself!
ETA: re-read 24/02/13... wow, I had forgotten what an evil bitch Becky was! I mean when she first appeared I heard the Wicked Witch of the West music in my head but
Also this book made me remember why I stopped doing gym when I was ten, because I was scared of falling off everything :P I was SO in my element on the floor but the uneven bars scared the shit out of me, and if I had a dollar for every time I fell off the beam I could have BOUGHT THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE AND HAD CHANGE TO SPARE.
ETA: re-read 24/02/13... wow, I had forgotten what an evil bitch Becky was! I mean when she first appeared I heard the Wicked Witch of the West music in my head but
Also this book made me remember why I stopped doing gym when I was ten, because I was scared of falling off everything :P I was SO in my element on the floor but the uneven bars scared the shit out of me, and if I had a dollar for every time I fell off the beam I could have BOUGHT THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE AND HAD CHANGE TO SPARE.
May 30, 2013
I actually didn't like reading when I was little (something I still find amazing, as I am now a librarian and have devoted my life to books). Out of desperation, my mom bought me this; at the time, I was 8 years old and still convinced I was going to the Olympics (um, I am 6 feet tall now). I ended up devouring the series and I firmly believe it is what taught me the love of reading. I can never thank Elizabeth Levy enough, she literally changed my life with this book.
May 26, 2007
So I read this series back in the day and recently found four of them in a used book store. Not high quality literature, but for fans of gymnastics, they are entertaining. And I'd search for the entire series one by one but that would get a bit tedious.
December 16, 2013
I think this is a good book. Good is all I can say becasue it not very intresting untill the end. This is a slow book and at the end it is exciting because it is full wiht revenge. I love the ending and you can read it over and over again!
April 25, 2007
this is really a good book. the pinecones learn a lot about sticking together and never giving up.
Read
January 15, 2009JF Lev
May 11, 2012
Quick read= quick summary:
AWESOME BOOK!!!!
AWESOME BOOK!!!!
December 28, 2016
I did gymnastics as a kid, so I liked these books. Also for some reason, I really wanted my name to be Darlene after reading them.
Read
January 6, 2016holy shit I remember this
well mostly I remember the cover
well mostly I remember the cover
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews