waterlilydragon's review against another edition
5.0
I mean the ending was the typical pre-teen-book ending, but it was so good!
It had so many great wisdoms and motivations and it was written pretty realistic!
After having done gymnastics for 4 years professionally and quitting one year ago, I am really motivated to start doing it more again as a hobby at home!
It had so many great wisdoms and motivations and it was written pretty realistic!
After having done gymnastics for 4 years professionally and quitting one year ago, I am really motivated to start doing it more again as a hobby at home!
shighley's review against another edition
3.0
Maybe a 3 1/2 (and the book uses the old scoring system for gymnastics). I liked the idea of reading this close to the time of the Olympics. It seemed a bit cliched, although I really wish my urban students would look at life more like Joey. It was little hard for me to believe that Joey's parents would never go to her meets until the end, and I wondered if opponents really can heckle you as Sarah and Jennifer do in the book. I appreciate that the author is a former gymnast, and I don't think there are many recent books about gymnastics for the middle grades.
antoniasophie03's review against another edition
5.0
I mean the ending was the typical pre-teen-book ending, but it was so good!
It had so many great wisdoms and motivations and it was written pretty realistic!
After having done gymnastics for 4 years professionally and quitting one year ago, I am really motivated to start doing it more again as a hobby at home!
It had so many great wisdoms and motivations and it was written pretty realistic!
After having done gymnastics for 4 years professionally and quitting one year ago, I am really motivated to start doing it more again as a hobby at home!
liralen's review against another edition
3.0
It always surprises me that there aren’t more gymnastics novels, or at least not more that I’ve been able to find. Granted, there’s a pretty narrow window in terms of the best time to promote them (say, once every four summers...), but even so—doesn’t gymnastics garner enough interest to warrant more books about it? It’s also unique in that female competitors are typically in their teenage years (don’t get me started on the very different standards for male and female gymnastics)—so, as far as target markets go, it’s spot on.
This is aimed at slightly younger readers than I’d expected, but it’s a fun read. It places Joey at a crossroads of sorts—can she go big (and does she have the drive to do so), or is it time to take a step back and re-evaluate what she wants her teenage years to look like? Joey’s lucky in that her training is pretty benign (for lack of a better word), and between that and your typical early-teenage woes, it makes for an easy, light read.
This is aimed at slightly younger readers than I’d expected, but it’s a fun read. It places Joey at a crossroads of sorts—can she go big (and does she have the drive to do so), or is it time to take a step back and re-evaluate what she wants her teenage years to look like? Joey’s lucky in that her training is pretty benign (for lack of a better word), and between that and your typical early-teenage woes, it makes for an easy, light read.
heisereads's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally posted on Heise Reads & Recommends
I really enjoyed Donna Freitas' first book, THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD, and I expected a similar style of a fun, contemporary, romantic book with a teen girl coming into her own and finding her own strength in becoming confident in herself. GOLD MEDAL SUMMER met that expectation in a great middle grades story that is very timely with the summer Olympics coming up this summer. This book was a quick read because it is definitely written on a level for 5th-8th grades, but it touches on a lot of themes throughout. It's a sports story, but it's also a story about family and friendships and young romance.
I really enjoyed the realism of the whole story. There was no unnecessary drama, it all just felt true to what these young girls would have been going through. There's also a great guy character as the romantic interest who is just a sweetheart. The insiders view of competitive gymnastics was intriguing, and made all the more interesting by knowing that the author was a competitive gymnast herself when she was younger. I completely bought into the family dynamics in this story as well. Joey is struggling with her relationships with her older sister and both of her parents, but she is able to come to terms and deal with them in a mature way.
When I met the author at NCTE, she said that she wrote the book she would have wanted to read when she was 12. I can see how that's true and think many other girls will feel the same way. Overall this was an enjoyable book that I will definitely be handing off to my students in the fall. I imagine the girls will be reading and passing this one on to each other.
I really enjoyed Donna Freitas' first book, THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD, and I expected a similar style of a fun, contemporary, romantic book with a teen girl coming into her own and finding her own strength in becoming confident in herself. GOLD MEDAL SUMMER met that expectation in a great middle grades story that is very timely with the summer Olympics coming up this summer. This book was a quick read because it is definitely written on a level for 5th-8th grades, but it touches on a lot of themes throughout. It's a sports story, but it's also a story about family and friendships and young romance.
I really enjoyed the realism of the whole story. There was no unnecessary drama, it all just felt true to what these young girls would have been going through. There's also a great guy character as the romantic interest who is just a sweetheart. The insiders view of competitive gymnastics was intriguing, and made all the more interesting by knowing that the author was a competitive gymnast herself when she was younger. I completely bought into the family dynamics in this story as well. Joey is struggling with her relationships with her older sister and both of her parents, but she is able to come to terms and deal with them in a mature way.
When I met the author at NCTE, she said that she wrote the book she would have wanted to read when she was 12. I can see how that's true and think many other girls will feel the same way. Overall this was an enjoyable book that I will definitely be handing off to my students in the fall. I imagine the girls will be reading and passing this one on to each other.
gettinglostinagoodbook's review against another edition
4.0
I like to read the books my students and children are reading - just so I understand what they are interested in. I found this fascinating, as my daughter truly related to it. It was interesting to hear the thoughts of a character who is as dedicated to gymnastics as my daughter is - kind of like taking a peek into her mind. I think it will help prepare me for the emotions of the next few years as she continues onher quest for success at Nationals - we arenot there yet, but that is my daughters goal. I think I will ker this boom on the family bookshelf - just to remind us of the different faces of this challenge.
I was especially thrilled to discover it was written by a gymnast - she knows what she is talking about!
I was especially thrilled to discover it was written by a gymnast - she knows what she is talking about!
abigailbat's review against another edition
4.0
Here is a sports book I loooooved! Hand this to all the tweens who will be watching gymnastics during the Olympics this summer!!
Freitas knows her stuff and includes lots of gymnastics details that will appeal to kids who love performing or watching the sport. There's also friend drama, mean girls, and a dreamy boy (who might be too much of a distraction..) to round out the story. I admit to pausing in my reading to look up gymnastics routines on YouTube. I am so excited for the summer Olympics this summer!!!!
Freitas knows her stuff and includes lots of gymnastics details that will appeal to kids who love performing or watching the sport. There's also friend drama, mean girls, and a dreamy boy (who might be too much of a distraction..) to round out the story. I admit to pausing in my reading to look up gymnastics routines on YouTube. I am so excited for the summer Olympics this summer!!!!
mccullah's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
loveliferead's review against another edition
4.0
Great read for reluctant readers--story moves quickly and the gymnastic talk is enough to be interesting but not too much for the average reader to get bogged down while reading Joey's story.
Recommend this read for an Olympic enthusiast this summer.
Recommend this read for an Olympic enthusiast this summer.
honeysalad's review
4.0
I picked this up at the Scholastic Book Fair because it's about gymnastics. I didn't care as much whether or not it was amazingly written, but I enjoy reading about this sport. I really liked the descriptions of different skills and the plot was fairly good.