When Michelle starts sixth grade at the local junior high school, she's elated to have a chance to play basketball on the boys' team until she finds out that the boys don't want girls on their team.

Seventh grader Michelle Dupree disguises herself as a boy to be the kicker for the boys' football team, but when her secret is revealed, she must work twice as hard to convince her teammates and the coach that she deserves to play.

This friendly reference allows kids to make informed decisions about which books to read, offering more than 375 lively book reviews for kids by kids. Children, teachers, and parents can easily locate books by subject, title, or author, and discover what makes each book a must read!

Includes discussion questions and an excerpt from The orphan collector.

Now in paperback, the first book to document how participating in sports changes young girls' lives during the difficult years of adolescence. From high-profile women's professional leagues to high-school-level champions, girl athletes are acheiving record breakthroughs. Witness, for example, the first spectacular season of the WNBA, or the celebrated victories of women's teams at the 1996 Olympics. The female athlete is a new media darling especially beloved of today's teenage girls, who are almost as likely to have pictures of Rebecca Lobo, Mia Hamm, or Gabrielle Reece on their walls as posters of Leonardo DiCaprio. So it seems paradoxical that many books and studies attest to a truly sobering picture of girls' lives. With her book Reviving Ophelia, Mary Pipher was only the latest in a string of theorists to describe the dramatic ways in which girls loose self-esteem during the critical years of adolescence, contributing to eating disorders, drug problems, and chronic depression in many young women. In Raising Our Athletic Daughters, journalists Zimmerman and Reavill set out to talk with girls and their parents about how sports can transform girls' lives. Here are firsthand stories from the inner cities and rural playing fields across the nation, offering compelling evidence that participation in athletics makes an extraordinary difference in the lives of young girls, from reducing pregnancy rates and substance abuse to increasing college attendance. Raising Our Athletic Daughters is a clarion call for all those eager to help their children succeed and level the playing field, at last.

Beyonce proclaimed in 2014, "Gender equality is a myth." Despite laws granting equal opportunity to both genders, many act as if opportunities for boys and girls should be different. Drew, a new girl at Midville High is a barefoot place kicker. The school needs a kicker. Braden, the quarterback, urges her to join the team even though she's a girl. Braden's cheerleader girlfriend, Kaitlin, mercilessly teases Drew about being from "the wrong side of the tracks." In the first game, Braden smuggles Drew onto the team. She kicks off her shoe and scores the winning field goal. Then, the Coach, the team, the school, and the crowd find out that Drew is a girl. Major conflicts erupt within the town. Drew is confused, filled with pride, shame and guilt. Should girls be allowed on a boy's team? How does Braden deal with a dilemma with two girls? Will the Coach and Drew's father lose their jobs? Does the jealousy and social position of one girl jeopardize the chances of another?"