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Open Court
Here I am not someone's little sister. Not someone's daughter. Not someone's friend. This game beckons me — chooses me. I am a warrior. An Amazon. I am beautiful. And I play to win.
Holloway Braxton takes no prisoners on the tennis court. She's nationally ranked on the junior circuit, and she has outgrown the local competition. Her parents want to send her to a tennis academy where they regularly churn out professional players, but Hall isn't sure she's ready to devote her entire life to tennis, especially after her training partner has a breakdown at a tournament. Is it possible to be a tennis phenom and a regular teenager at the same time?
Holloway Braxton takes no prisoners on the tennis court. She's nationally ranked on the junior circuit, and she has outgrown the local competition. Her parents want to send her to a tennis academy where they regularly churn out professional players, but Hall isn't sure she's ready to devote her entire life to tennis, especially after her training partner has a breakdown at a tournament. Is it possible to be a tennis phenom and a regular teenager at the same time?
262 pages, Hardcover
First published June 12, 2007
7 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Carol Clippinger
1 bookCarol Clippinger lives in Colorado and is a lifelong fan of tennis. OPEN COURT is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 5, 2019
Really bad book, Hall is soooooo stuck up. It's so mushy and gross like any other books about middle schoolers. I do not recommend. >:( 😡
March 5, 2015
Open Court is about a young girl in he teen years and tennis is her passion. This girls name is Hall. Hallaway Braxton. She is very seriuos about her tennis life. That is her passion it is what she breathes it is all she eve thinks about. She is still very young though and is still making friends also, boyfriends. She loves her coach very much he is strong tough and mean. He has been coaching her since she was nine. She also has a lot of friends, Polly, Eve, and Melissa. There are new boys in there school Luke Kimberland and Bruce Halphaway. According to the girls they are pretty dreamy. Apparently the boys think the same about only Hall and Polly. As the book goes on and the girls and boys are falling in love Eve feels jealous. She wanted Bruce and she didn't want Polly to have him and she thought Hall was suppose to think the same way and try to split Polly and Bruce up. Hall didn't think that was right so Eve got mad at her and they didn't talk for a while. When Hall realizes that Luke isn't the innocent boy she thought he was she starts re thinking. When Luke stole one of the baseballs from coach she didn't have to think for a split second. She didn't like Luke anymore because he was a theft. Luke is messing with her mind. Exactly her mind, Tennis. Luke was messing with her mind her tennis. When Hall gets a invitation to Bickford Academy she doesn't know what to do. They are offering Life changing things that can be good but she doesn't want to leave her coach her family and friends. What will she do?
The main characters to this book are Hallaway, Luke, Coach, and the rest of her family. (mom, dad, and brother). Hallaway's character plays as a 13 year old girl learning life. Trying new things and exploring. Coach is well of course her coach. He is strong and is demanding. Her family will support her through anything. Her brother is about 15 and is a jerk to her. Her friends are just the same as her exept thy don't play tennis.
I rated this book a 3 because you have to be very patient and understanding with this book. It also had a lot of curse words so you have to be prepared for that to. Some parts of this book were hard to understand because she was talking to her self and you have to understand tennis to understand that. Over all though i think this was a good book and i would recommend it to someone.
The main characters to this book are Hallaway, Luke, Coach, and the rest of her family. (mom, dad, and brother). Hallaway's character plays as a 13 year old girl learning life. Trying new things and exploring. Coach is well of course her coach. He is strong and is demanding. Her family will support her through anything. Her brother is about 15 and is a jerk to her. Her friends are just the same as her exept thy don't play tennis.
I rated this book a 3 because you have to be very patient and understanding with this book. It also had a lot of curse words so you have to be prepared for that to. Some parts of this book were hard to understand because she was talking to her self and you have to understand tennis to understand that. Over all though i think this was a good book and i would recommend it to someone.
January 16, 2019
Open Court by Carol Clippinger is about a 13 year old girl, Holloway "Hall" Braxton, who is a tennis prodigy. While it was a decent read, I feel like there was too much "teen drama" and it tried to hard to be relatable. The good parts were usually Hall's interactions with her coach, Trent.
The overall theme of the book is Hall trying to balance being a tennis phenom with being a normal teenager. Since she has loved tennis her whole life, her parents want to enroll her in a very prestigious tennis academy in Florida. Although Hall loves tennis, she does not want to give up all her friends to practice tennis 8 hours a day and have to make new friends. She already feels the pressure and that is were the conflict comes in. The book starts to dive more into her personal life and this is where it can get boring or predictable. Hall has three main friends, Melissa, Eve and Polly. She also has a boyfriend named Luke. All of the girls thought that he and his friend were very attractive but they only thought the same of Hall and Polly. After Hall and Polly are dating them for a while Eve gets jealous of their relationships. Reading all of this almost gave me a headache because it seemed like a carbon copy of any other book where a character has friends and is in a relationship. After all the fighting between the girls, Hall finds out Luke has been stealing stuff at the clubhouse they go to and she gets mad at him and starts to re-think their relationship. She decides the stealing is unattractive and decides not to like him anymore. Now she is looking back to the tennis boarding school and is thinking about it. In her town, Hall is the best tennis player and has never really had any competition. But if she goes to the boarding school, it will be a bunch of other girls in the same situation. What will she choose, friends or tennis?
Open Court was an OK read and it is definitely aimed towards the 10-13 age group, although there is some swearing. It is like the movies "Newsies" in the facts that the parts where the newspaper guys are talking (the drama parts) are a lot less entertaining than the action parts (the tennis parts). I would not recommend this book to anyone unless they are really bored or LOVE tennis.
The overall theme of the book is Hall trying to balance being a tennis phenom with being a normal teenager. Since she has loved tennis her whole life, her parents want to enroll her in a very prestigious tennis academy in Florida. Although Hall loves tennis, she does not want to give up all her friends to practice tennis 8 hours a day and have to make new friends. She already feels the pressure and that is were the conflict comes in. The book starts to dive more into her personal life and this is where it can get boring or predictable. Hall has three main friends, Melissa, Eve and Polly. She also has a boyfriend named Luke. All of the girls thought that he and his friend were very attractive but they only thought the same of Hall and Polly. After Hall and Polly are dating them for a while Eve gets jealous of their relationships. Reading all of this almost gave me a headache because it seemed like a carbon copy of any other book where a character has friends and is in a relationship. After all the fighting between the girls, Hall finds out Luke has been stealing stuff at the clubhouse they go to and she gets mad at him and starts to re-think their relationship. She decides the stealing is unattractive and decides not to like him anymore. Now she is looking back to the tennis boarding school and is thinking about it. In her town, Hall is the best tennis player and has never really had any competition. But if she goes to the boarding school, it will be a bunch of other girls in the same situation. What will she choose, friends or tennis?
Open Court was an OK read and it is definitely aimed towards the 10-13 age group, although there is some swearing. It is like the movies "Newsies" in the facts that the parts where the newspaper guys are talking (the drama parts) are a lot less entertaining than the action parts (the tennis parts). I would not recommend this book to anyone unless they are really bored or LOVE tennis.
April 5, 2019
I think it was a really good book. It was a very heartfelt story about Hall and her tennis "career." Hall and her friends have a very close connection and I thought that was great. All in all, I thought it was an amazing book, but I also like books about sports and how it affects people's lives. I wouldn't recommend it if you don't like those kind of stories.
November 7, 2012
Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
It seems there are a lot of YA books lately with sports themes, but tennis isn't usually the sport of choice. Carol Clippinger's OPEN COURT presents the competitive and emotional pressures of tennis.
Holloway "Hall" Braxton is just thirteen and is making her mark in the world of tennis. She has pretty much outgrown her competition in Colorado, so what is next? Both her coach and her parents think it's time to start looking at improving her world ranking, but Hall isn't sure she's ready. Competing in world class tournaments means moving on from her local coach and attending one of the private tennis academies her parents have been researching. It also means moving away from home.
Hall's life is suddenly more complicated than ever. It's not just her tennis life that is changing. She and her best friend seem to be headed in different directions. Her doubles partner recently suffered a nervous breakdown and is currently living in a mental facility. And then there's Luke, the country club, private school heartthrob who is suddenly paying Hall a lot of attention.
Every night Hall presses her ear to the heating vent between her room and the kitchen to hear her parents plot and plan her tennis future. Her father has his sights set on Bickford Tennis Academy in Florida. Her mother (Hall calls her The Weak Link) seems less sure about sending their only daughter off to swampy Florida and tennis torture. No one bothers asking Hall what she wants, and it's beginning to freak her out.
For awhile Hall tries to lose herself in the world outside tennis. She hangs with her friends, especially handsome Luke and new friend, Polly. Amazed that someone as popular as Luke could be interested in her, Hall explores another side of her personality as she sneaks out for late night swims and make-out sessions. Her longtime friendship with best friend Eve is abandoned as she spends time with more rebellious Polly. But tennis continues to haunt Hall. Is it just a game or is it a much more important part of who she is?
OPEN COURT reaches into the pressures of competitive tennis. The pressure to win, to please coaches and parents, the grueling hours of practice that interfere with friendships, and the powerful love of the game are all revealed in this fast-paced novel. Even those with little knowledge of the game of tennis will still appreciate the drive and determination that pushes and yet terrifies Hall. OPEN COURT is a worthwhile addition to any collection.
It seems there are a lot of YA books lately with sports themes, but tennis isn't usually the sport of choice. Carol Clippinger's OPEN COURT presents the competitive and emotional pressures of tennis.
Holloway "Hall" Braxton is just thirteen and is making her mark in the world of tennis. She has pretty much outgrown her competition in Colorado, so what is next? Both her coach and her parents think it's time to start looking at improving her world ranking, but Hall isn't sure she's ready. Competing in world class tournaments means moving on from her local coach and attending one of the private tennis academies her parents have been researching. It also means moving away from home.
Hall's life is suddenly more complicated than ever. It's not just her tennis life that is changing. She and her best friend seem to be headed in different directions. Her doubles partner recently suffered a nervous breakdown and is currently living in a mental facility. And then there's Luke, the country club, private school heartthrob who is suddenly paying Hall a lot of attention.
Every night Hall presses her ear to the heating vent between her room and the kitchen to hear her parents plot and plan her tennis future. Her father has his sights set on Bickford Tennis Academy in Florida. Her mother (Hall calls her The Weak Link) seems less sure about sending their only daughter off to swampy Florida and tennis torture. No one bothers asking Hall what she wants, and it's beginning to freak her out.
For awhile Hall tries to lose herself in the world outside tennis. She hangs with her friends, especially handsome Luke and new friend, Polly. Amazed that someone as popular as Luke could be interested in her, Hall explores another side of her personality as she sneaks out for late night swims and make-out sessions. Her longtime friendship with best friend Eve is abandoned as she spends time with more rebellious Polly. But tennis continues to haunt Hall. Is it just a game or is it a much more important part of who she is?
OPEN COURT reaches into the pressures of competitive tennis. The pressure to win, to please coaches and parents, the grueling hours of practice that interfere with friendships, and the powerful love of the game are all revealed in this fast-paced novel. Even those with little knowledge of the game of tennis will still appreciate the drive and determination that pushes and yet terrifies Hall. OPEN COURT is a worthwhile addition to any collection.
February 24, 2017
Open court is a book about a girl, Holloway Braxton who is the next biggest news in Tennis. Her parents want her to be a professional Tennis player at her young age since she has been playing tennis tournaments since she was six. I gave this book 4 stars because I really liked the authors writing style and it really gave me an idea of how the main character felt throughout the book. This book also teaches us a lot of valuable lessons throughout a persons life.
October 16, 2010
I give this book a 3. Reasons? Well here we go. This book had a lot of teenage drama. Another thing I didn't read this book just because. I read it because I won it in this library thing. It's really not my book of choice read. Luke, Hall's boyfriend, was really annoying. I really don't understand why Hall put up with him for so long. He sneaks out with her at ten at night to hang out, he steal things just for the heck of it, and flips a guy off. Tjough the guy almost ran Hall over that's no excuse. Hall should never have even dated him. The main reason I didn't like this book so much is it makes totally horrible bad things seem acceptable. Hall's parents do get mad when she swears yet the next day they make a joke of it. Hall go's swimming with a boy at 10:00 at night in a t-shirt and underwear in his neighbor's pool while they're away. Never once does the author make these acts seem unexeptable she portryas these acts as tyoical teenager stuff. It's not! Hall's younger then me. SHE'S 13!!!! Totally innapropriate! The language in this book isn't any better. It manages not to say the F-word yet it gets practically every other swear word at least once! The reason it even scraped up a three was because of the ending. Hall goes to see her mentally recovering tennis partner,dumps Luke, tells her coach the truth, realizes Polly isn't a true friend, gets over Eve, and goes to the Tennis Academy. This book was pretty dumb until the ending which wowed my into giving it a three. Unless you really like tennis don't read this book and even then... it's your choice.
February 26, 2008
“Tennis is what I do. It’s who I am” Hall Braxton first picked up a racket at the age of six. Now, at thirteen, she is ranked number 4 in her division in the USTA and has run out of competition in her region. The next obvious step would be for Hall to transfer to a tennis academy where she could get specialized coaching and experience playing against stronger comptition. The problem is, Hall isn’t sure she wants to be sent away. Her best friend and training partner recently had a breakdown in the middle of a tournament, and Hall is haunted by that memory. What if she isn’t good enough to compete outside of Colorado? What if she loses her edge too? Sometimes she wishes she were just a normal teenager with normal problems – like what to do about her crush on the gorgeous and popular Luke Kimberlin. Sports fans are sure to enjoy this portrayal of competitive tennis, but there’s more to this title than just sport.
Special note: this is a Colorado author!
Special note: this is a Colorado author!
January 27, 2015
Open Court illustrates a girl names Hall Braxton in the teen life. Her sport is tennis, its like her religion, and it seemed to be the only reason she lived. She played to win, because that is what she was known for. But meanwhile it is the biggest time for tennis, Hall finds love in Luke, and drama occurs with her lifelong best friends who have been helping Halloway (Hall) get over the lost friendship of her tennis partner Janie. Through this novel, it shows that life is not always about winning and you cannot always be pushed around to make others happy. You must do what makes you happy, and winning might make or break you in the end.
September 19, 2016
Open Court by Carol Clippinger is a good book. The author writes very descriptively and to the point so it is easy to keep up with and follow. It is a relatively easy book to read. Hall Braxton is a teenager who is born to play tennis and born the win. Everything she does she has to win. But like a teenager she gets caught up in the drama and she likes a boy named Luke. This takes some attention off of tennis and she loses a good friend to it. This book shows how winning isn't as important as enjoying life.
August 13, 2016
This was actually a really cute story!! The only drawback was the main character played tennis but it was really relatable, the things she went through....the problems with her dad, going to the camp, the boys involved. I enjoyed the passion she felt for the sport. But if it was about soccer, i would absolutely love it even more ;)
May 14, 2008
This is a great book for athletes because it shows how hard it can be to balance a "regular" life with the dream to make it as a professional athlete. Friendship, dedication, first love, and family relationships are all explored in this fast read.
October 3, 2007
i got this book as a advanced readers copy and loved it!
November 2, 2007
12-year-old star tennis player may be sent across the country to a prestigious tennis school, but she has her first crush and thinks she has a new bff. Can't she just be a normal teenybopper?!
Currently reading
June 18, 2009i really like this book beacuse its about a girl that is one year older than me and she plays tennis
July 15, 2009
Loved it!! was a warming story and inspiring!!!
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January 11, 2013I loved it
February 27, 2008
Not bad for a sports book, not bad at all!
March 1, 2008
very good another one of those books i didnt think i would like but it was very good
April 24, 2017
As a tennis fanatic, I was predisposed to loving this novel. It was a fun read and not just because of the tennis. Hall Braxton was a fierce competitor and I could relate to how she felt about winning/losing and expectations. She's pretty mature for her age aside from a few stress related outbursts. The pressure she feels from tennis is the pressure I felt from academics when I was growing up. I've been playing tennis for the past year and a half and I'm very competitive even tho the stakes are low for me.
The characters of this novel were interesting but I wanted more development. Hall's best friendship with Eve was mostly told and I didn't see much to believe that they were best friends since kindergarten. Maybe the way it is written shows how the younger we are our friendships are shallow and we don't begin to really get to know our peers until we start getting older. Eve was one of least likeable characters. What did Hall ever see in her? From not supporting her tennis to being extremely jealous of anyone getting close to Hall. I'm glad that Hall let that toxic friendship go.
Polly was probably my favorite of Hall's friends. I'm sure I'd loved Janie a lot if she was in more of the book than the last couple of chapters. Polly was very positive and fun. Most of the girls were boy crazy.As for the guys, Luke was a fun douchebag and I'm glad Hall let him go. She deserves so much better than a pretty face. None of the other teen guys left a real impression on me. The adults in this book were pretty developed and pretty interesting. I could relate so much to how no one understood how Hall really felt. The adults were basically projecting things onto her instead of listening to her true feelings. In the end, they knew what was best for her but a little understanding would have decreased her suffering.
Overall, I enjoyed being inside Hall's mind and living in her world. I think her development was very ambitious in this novel especially for someone so young. Once you have so much pressure on you, it forces you to sink or swim. Hall handled things the best that she could. Solid YA novel but there were certain points where I didn't feel we were dealing with thirteen year olds. They seemed to be at least fifteen.
The characters of this novel were interesting but I wanted more development. Hall's best friendship with Eve was mostly told and I didn't see much to believe that they were best friends since kindergarten. Maybe the way it is written shows how the younger we are our friendships are shallow and we don't begin to really get to know our peers until we start getting older. Eve was one of least likeable characters. What did Hall ever see in her? From not supporting her tennis to being extremely jealous of anyone getting close to Hall. I'm glad that Hall let that toxic friendship go.
Polly was probably my favorite of Hall's friends. I'm sure I'd loved Janie a lot if she was in more of the book than the last couple of chapters. Polly was very positive and fun. Most of the girls were boy crazy.As for the guys, Luke was a fun douchebag and I'm glad Hall let him go. She deserves so much better than a pretty face. None of the other teen guys left a real impression on me. The adults in this book were pretty developed and pretty interesting. I could relate so much to how no one understood how Hall really felt. The adults were basically projecting things onto her instead of listening to her true feelings. In the end, they knew what was best for her but a little understanding would have decreased her suffering.
Overall, I enjoyed being inside Hall's mind and living in her world. I think her development was very ambitious in this novel especially for someone so young. Once you have so much pressure on you, it forces you to sink or swim. Hall handled things the best that she could. Solid YA novel but there were certain points where I didn't feel we were dealing with thirteen year olds. They seemed to be at least fifteen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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