There's a Girl in My Hammerlock
- Book Review,
by Jerry Spinelli
From Publishers Weekly
When eighth-grader Maisie Potter decides to try out for the wrestling team, she has no idea of the repercussions that will follow. Legally, the school must allow her to participate, but there are a lot of hard feelings and she quickly becomes the center of a media blitz. Thoroughly modern Maisie is an eminently likable character, and her trials and triumphs make for a highly satisfying tale. Although Newbery Medalist Spinelli ( Maniac Magee ) doesn't break any new ground here, he tackles a meaty subject--traditional gender roles--with his usual humor and finesse. The result, written in a breezy, first-person style, is a rattling good sports story that is clever, witty and tightly written. Ages 10-14. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-- Maisie Potter knows what she wants, she knows why, and she knows how to get it. So when her teenage hormones begin acting up around Eric Delong, she abandons girls' field hockey for cheerleading. And when she doesn't make the squad, she patiently waits for next season's sports to begin, and to the horror of almost everyone in the school, tries out for wrestling. Of course, this is an all boys' team, and Eric Delong is one of those boys. Maisie makes the team and surprises everyone with her endurance and skill. She also makes more than her share of enemies, including Lizard Liz Lamply, Eric's aggressive girlfriend, and Holly, her fickle best friend. But Maisie has heart and determination--she's a female Maniac Magee with an intact, nurturing family, and she picks up more well-wishers along the way, as pockets of strength appear in refreshingly whole supporting characters. Maisie's is an original and vibrant adolescent voice--curious, confident, and very alive. She tells a story of sexism and challenges that is fresh from the headlines and perfectly integrated into the everyday events at a suburban junior high school, rich with nuance and melodrama. Kids will eat it up. --Susan Knorr, Milwaukee Public LibraryCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Eighth-grader Maisie Potter's motives for going out for wrestling are mixed: though she was designated last year's best athlete, she hasn't made the cheerleading squad; and ninth-grader Eric, whom she admires from afar, is on the team. The law may be on her side in Pennsylvania, but her reception is cool; Coach Cappelli sets the tone with his abrasive mockery and grueling workouts as retribution for minor offenses. Still, Maisie's not a quitter; her perseverance and talent earn her a place on the varsity, with Cappelli becoming a fair, firm supporter as she eventually earns her team's respect--only to find that the whole cycle begins again in inter-school competition. Meanwhile, she's ostracized by most of the rest of the school and finally has a date with Eric, who turns out to be a clod. Tough as Maisie's experience is, it's a realistic best-case scenario: her parents are on her side from the beginning; she does win everyone's good will (in part because of a heroic rescue of a young neighbor in a snowstorm--a rather gratuitous addition to the plot); she achieves a lot in her sport even though she doesn't win matches; and her self-imposed ordeal confirms her self respect. Spinelli's observation of the school sporting scene is astute, his characterizations perceptive, his narrative brisk and often funny. An entertaining look at genders in collision, junior-high style. (Fiction. 11-14) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Card catalog description
Thirteen-year-old Maisie joins her school's formerly all-male wrestling team and tries to last through the season, despite opposition from other students, her best friend, and her own teammates.
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