Skip to main content

Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis' Fleet-Of-Foot Girl

By


Althea Gibson: The Story Of Tennis' Fleet-Of-Foot Girl
Written by:  Megan Reid
Illustrated by: Laura Freeman
HarperCollins Publishers, 2020. Biography

Althea Gibson was the quickest, fastest, tallest girl in Harlem in the 1940's and she was fearless. She could never sit still and would play any sport with anyone. She was good at everything she tried but the sport she liked best was paddle tennis. She loved the sound the ball made when it hit the tight strings of her  racket. She worked hard and spent years improving her skills and finally in 1950 she became the first black American to compete at the US national championship. However, she never gave up on her dream to eventually play internationally and compete in the championship game at Wimbledon. Finally in 1957 she was allowed to compete and became the first ever black person to win a championship at Wimbledon.  

This picture book biography tells Altheas journey with vivid illustrations that capture her personality and drive to become the best during a difficult time in civil rights history.  It took more then skill alone for her to succeed but this well researched book explains her determination to prove to the world that she could become the best regardless of the color of her skin. A great book for middle grade tennis enthusiasts and anyone who wants to learn more about this remarkable woman. 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Faker

By
Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Fresh Start

By
Fresh Start By Gale Galligan New York: Graphix, 2025. Graphic novel. 270 pages. Ollie Herisson is only in 7th grade, but she has already lived all over the world. Her father is an American diplomat, whose job has taken their family to France, Singapore, Thailand (where her mom is from), and now to Chestnut Falls, Virginia. Ollie loves that her family doesn't stay in one place very long, it allows her to have a fresh start and hide from any embarrassing moments each time they move. But Ollie's parents have big news -- they've decided to buy a house in Virginia and put down roots. Now, Ollie and her younger sister Cat have to figure out how to build lasting friendships which means resolving conflict rather than running away when things get hard.  Loosely based on the author's own childhood experiences, this graphic novel is sure to be popular with readers who like coming of age stories. Watching Ollie learn to think of others as she advocates for her sister Cat, and navig...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listicle: New Picture Books about Love

By
Romantic love, familial love, the love between friends...it all makes the world a more loving place!  Spread some love with these adorable pictures books! Heartfelt Written by Elaine Vickers Illustrated by Samantha Cotterill New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025. Picture Book. A child gifts paper hearts to members throughout their home and community.  The hearts accompany loving acts of service. The child feels, sees, smells, hears, and tastes love all around them in this joyful ode to the power of one person to make the world a more loving place. If you run out of words By Felicita Sala New York : Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2024. Picture Book. In a book that might hit very close to home for some parents, a young child sees their father thoroughly distracted by his smartphone.  The father regretfully stops his typing when his child asks what will happen if their dad runs out of words and has none left for them.  The dad and child then go b...
Post a Comment
Read more