Review: Out of Bounds by Elena Delle Donne

OUT OF BOUNDS

Hoops, Book Three

by Elena Delle Donne

Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Middle Grade Sports/ Contemporary

176 pages

From WNBA MVP, Olympic gold medalist, and global ambassador to the Special Olympics Elena Delle Donne comes the third novel in a middle grade series with as much heart as there is game.

Elle is finally finding her groove and is excited about how her year is turning out. But when her team loses a major game against their rivals, Elle doesn’t know if basketball is worth it anymore. It feels like she can’t win—even when she’s improving and doing well, everyone always expects more from her.

With her changing attitudes on basketball, will she let everyone she knows down if she decides to take a break?

MY TIDBITS

This is the third book in the Hoops series. Since the story builds from one book to the next, it's best to read it as a series.

Elle is settling into the basketball swing of things again but is running into more and more troubles with one of her teammates, who wishes she had Elle's position. It doesn't help that Coach keeps singling Elle out. To make matters worse, Elle's best friend starts skipping out on her to visit this same teammate and might even be dating her soon. Being taunted from every direction is slowly more than Elle can handle, and she's not sure she wants to put up with any of it anymore.

Elle is easy to connect with and feel for. While she has a huge interest in basketball, she has other things going on in her life as well. The idea of a scheduling app, which shows up in this book, is something many kids will relate to. But what makes Elle special is that she is kind, loving and simply a good person. The problems she faces are very realistic and things the average reader can identify with. While the basketball and sports aspect is very strong, it's not enough to push away even those readers who don't necessarily play sports themselves. The problems Elle faces can be found in other areas of life too, making this a read for any middle school girl.

The writing flows very smoothly and does a nice, constant switch from basketball to a normal kid's life. Especially the younger end will enjoy the easy to read sentences. While the plot flows well, it does slow down at times during Elle's home scenes and allows the average life to come forward too. Unfortunately, this book ends without a resolution to Elle's problem, and instead leaves off for the next book to continue. It's a nice series, especially for sport minded girls.

Here she is...

Elena Delle Donne has been a professional women's basketball player since 2013, when she was selected by the Chicago Sky second overall in the WNBA draft. She was the 2015 WNBA MVP and won the gold medal with the USA's women's basketball team in the 2016 Olympics. She is the global ambassador for the Special Olympics and became the first national ambassador for the Lyme Research Alliance. Elena also plays host to Delle Donne Academy, a basketball camp that runs throughout the year, where she mentors and coaches girls ages seven to eighteen. She now plays for the Washington, DC, Mystics.

Review: Full-Court Press by Elena Delle Donne

FULL-COURT PRESS

Hoops, Book Two

by Elena Delle Donne

Simon & Schuster

Middle Grade Sports Fiction/Contemporary

160 pages

ages 8 to 12

From 2015 WNBA MVP, 2016 Olympic gold medalist, and global ambassador to the Special Olympics Elena Delle Donne comes the second novel in a brand-new middle grade series with as much heart as there is game.

When the basketball team is invited to have a service day at the school-affiliated after-school program, Elle falls in love with working with kids with special needs. So she begins to volunteer on two days a week when she doesn’t have practice and makes new friends there.

Now, Elle finds herself juggling her new passion, basketball obligations, and schoolwork. But when her grades start to slip, she’s going to have to make a tough decision.

Can Elle really do it all? Or will she find herself being pulled in too many directions?

MY TIDBITS

Elle and her friends are back with more sports, fun and a wonderful dog, who makes life more stressful than Elle imagined.

With the dance behind her, Elle is ready to hit school and basketball. Unfortunately, things aren't moving that smoothly yet. Her coordination is causing problems and she finds herself in a new slump. She's began volunteering, too, but between that and a new dog, she finds herself under a time crunch. School isn't running as great as it should either, and she's finding it almost impossible to spend time with her sister. Somehow, she's got to figure everything out or might just drown in her schedule.

This is another lovely book in the Hoops series. Elle loves sports and basketball holds a star spot in the tale. The court moments are true to life and feel like home to basketball fans. But this isn't only about sports. Elle is as active in sports as the rest of her life. The moments at school come across natural, and the time with her family is inspiring as well as natural. Add the fun moments with a great dog, and it's a wonderful, well-balanced mix.

The added dash of her volunteering and working with special needs children throws in a nice touch and wakens understanding as well as awareness for this area. It's obvious that the author has experience in this area, and she brings the moments across nicely.

This is a short read, which makes it great for the intended age group and reluctant readers. Girls, who love sports, will dive right into the pages and enjoy the familiar situations. The writing is smoother than in the first book, but it still is directed for the slightly younger end of the middle grade group, making it a better read for ages 7 to 10. 

And here she is...

Elena Delle Donne has been a professional women's basketball player since 2013, when she was selected by the Chicago Sky second overall in the WNBA draft. She was the 2015 WNBA MVP and won the gold medal with the USA's women's basketball team in the 2016 Olympics. She is the global ambassador for the Special Olympics and became the first national ambassador for the Lyme Research Alliance. Elena also plays host to De11e Donne Academy, a basketball camp that runs throughout the year, where she mentors and coaches girls ages seven to eighteen. She now plays for the Washington, DC, Mystics. 

Review: Elle of the Ball by Elena Delle Donne

ELLE OF THE BALL

Hoops #1

by Elena Delle Donne

Simon & Schuster 

Middle Grade Sports

160 pages

Elle Deluca is a seventh grader who is tall—not just sort of tall. She’s six feet tall. And for a twelve-year-old girl, this means that her basketball team has high hopes for her changing positions and becoming their starting center. But a new position is not the only footwork she has to learn. Her class’s dance unit in gym is coming up, and that means she has to learn ballroom dance steps with a boy much shorter than her—and perform publically for a grade. 

MY TIDBITS

This isn't only a book about a girl who plays basketball, but it dives into problems many sixth through ninth graders face.

Elle has a problem after summer break. She's tall. Super tall, and while her basketball team sees this as a chance for a great season, she's trying to figure out how to handle her changing body. Not only does she seem to have troubles handling her long legs and big feet, but a new challenge comes at her when she's faced with ballroom dancing.

There aren't many books out there, which center around middle grade girls and basketball. So this one is a treat in that sense alone. But this one goes a step further than that. Elle is a pretty average girl, except for the fact that she's a giant when compared to other girls her age. Her uncertainty and self-criticism is something very common for the age group, as kids try to figure out what to do with their developing bodies and where it puts them. But it's so much more than that. Even seemingly ridiculous things like ballroom dancing for a class pose problems as she has to find a dress and deal with dancing with someone much shorter than her. It's these types of 'little' problems kids will connect to and understand Elle's difficulties and uncertainties.

Elle isn't alone in this but has friends and understanding parents at her side. It's a wonderful balance between figuring things out for herself, while having the extra support when needed. The friendships are inspiring. . .not always perfect. . .but as they should be.

The author brings across a realistic, middle grade world. The concerns, actions, reactions and hopes fit the age group well. Some of the dialogue is a little unnatural at times, but not enough to bother the flow of the story. There's always something going on, and it's easy to empathize with Elle as she figures things out. The basketball scenes and how the age group views the sport are spot on, which will please basketball fans.

Girls who like basketball and tales of the troubles of growing up during middle grade are sure to enjoy this tale.



And here she is. . .

Elena Delle Donne has been a professional women's basketball player since 2013, when she was selected by the Chicago Sky second overall in the WNBA draft. She was the 2015 WNBA MVP and won the gold medal with the USA's women's basketball team in the 2016 Olympics. She is the global ambassador for the Special Olympics and became the first national ambassador for the Lyme Research Alliance. Elena also plays host to Delle Donne Academy, a basketball camp that runs throughout the year, where she mentors and coaches girls ages seven to eighteen. She now plays for the Washington, DC, Mystics.