There's a Girl in My Hammerlock

by Jerry Spinelli

Overview

I'LL START WITH SIMETHING THAT MAY SURPRISE YOU. WHAT I REALLY WANTED IN JUNIOR HIGH WAS TO BE A CHEERLEADER. IF I HAD MADE IT, ALL THIS WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED....

Maisie Potter isn't quite sure why she signed up for the boys' wrestling team. She's never been all that interested in boys, so it can't have anything to do with Eric Delong, in spite of the disturbing effect his smile has on her. And she's certainly not prepared for the effect her presence on the team has on the people around her.

Her brother's totally disgusted with her, her best friend drops her, her classmates ridicule her, and opposing teams forfeit rather than wrestle her. But Maisie's not a quitter, and she discovers that she really likes wrestling -- and that while Eric might not be worth the flak she puts up with, feeling good about herself is.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780756984656
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/24/2007
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	199
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

Editorial Reviews

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. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 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 Library

School Library Journal

The beautifully reproduced color photographs will draw browsers into this well-designed photo-essay, but the writing style is flat. The lack of documentation is a serious drawback, especially since controversy exists about some of the issues discussed, including the causes and effects of global warming. There's not even a bibliography of books or articles. However, the subject is fascinating, and Pringle shows how Antarctica's special conditions make the continent an invaluable research site for the study of evolution, geology, astronomy, botany, zoology, and other subjects of crucial concern to the future of the planet. The section on penguins is the most vivid: the populations have recovered from their widespread slaughter in the nineteenth century, and now Antarctica has at least 100 million penguins. The account of how they survive together in the cold exemplifies how the environment is both rugged and fragile.

Hazel Rochman

"A rattling good sports story that is clever, witty, and tightly written."

-- Publishers Weekly

"A fine novel."

-- Alan Review

From the Publisher