Game, Set and Match (Going for the Gold Series)

Chapter One\ "You're a winner, Leo, and you have big dreams."\ "You get right where the action is, and don't you just love it when the spotlight is on you!"\ More of a shy type, really.\ "Good shot, Joey!" Hilary called across the net to the dark-haired kid she was coaching on a nearby court.\ "Nice work!" her dad told her. "That backhand is really improving. Most grown-\ ups can't hit the ball that hard. Good job!"\ "Hi, Carrie!" The coach greeted her with a wide smile. "How's my star player?"\ "Great, thanks." Carrie took up her position across the net from Hilary.\ "Good shot!" Hilary called.\ "Again!" Hilary instructed.\ "Watch your position. Move your feet!" her dad shouted from the sideline.\ "Nice one!" Hilary said, studying Carrie's backhand.\ "Move your feet!" he had yelled over and over. "Come on, Carrie! Run!"\ It was hot. She was tired. The palm of her racket hand was sticky with sweat.\ "We've got the County Championship coming up this weekend," Martin Springsteen reminded Hilary. "Carrie needs to be at the top of her game."\ "She's playing really well," the coach told him. "Her backhand drive is her strongest shot. For a twelve-year-old player, it's the best I've seen."\ "Yeah, but she still has to work on the rest of her game." Carrie's dad wanted his golden girl to win. He was determined to make her the best. Ever since Carrie had been able to hold a tennis racket, he'd had his heart set on producing a Grand Slam champion.\ "No, we haven't had our full hour," Martin argued, checking his watch. "Keep playing, Carrie. You need to practice your serve."\ getting ready to take a shower. She unlaced her tennis shoes and threw them under the bench. Then she unzipped her dress and loosened her long hair. Turning on the shower, she tilted her head back and let the cool spray sprinkle her cheeks.\ For her whole life she'd been hearing that stuff.\ "Carrie's the one to watch," everyone said. "She's a future Grand Slam champion. She's a star!"\ Okay, at 12 she could hit the ball harder than most adults. She had the longest legs, terrific speed, and lightning-quick reactions. She was good!\ But lately she didn't go out on the court with a spring in her step like she had last year and all the years before. Carrie took a sharp breath. Maybe she was tennised out!\ "I'm meeting Alice and Mandi in town tomorrow at ten. We're going shopping.\ Can you come?" she asked.\ "Sorry, I can't," Carrie said.\ "Okay, don't tell me. You're playing TENNIS." Liv had said the word in capital letters—like, TENNIS MENACE!\ "Yeah." Carrie's voice was flat. She was missing out again.\ Sorry I can't come to the dance/party/movies . . . I need an early night . . .\ I'm playing in a tournament. For Carrie, tennis always had to come first.\ Sighing, she turned off the shower and got dressed. Ouch! She felt a small pain in her thigh, as if she'd pulled a muscle. Pressing her thumbs into the spot, she massaged the ache.\ "Hey, Carrie, are you limping?" Hilary asked as she came out of the changing room and onto the balcony overlooking the courts. The coach had been talking with Martin Springsteen while he waited for his daughter to shower and change.\ "It's nothing," Carrie answered.\ "Are you sure you don't want Hal to take a look?" Hilary asked.\ "No, thanks." Hal was the physiotherapist, but Carrie didn't think the pain was serious.\ "Probably just a cramp," her dad guessed, taking her sports bag and heading off down the steps toward the car.\ "Is everything okay?" Hilary asked. She knew that Carrie was shy and wouldn't always say what she was thinking.\ "Yep." Carrie couldn't think of what else to say. Anyway, her dad was waiting.\ "Well, good luck in the under-fourteens this Saturday," Hilary said.\ Carrie smiled and nodded.\ "The County Championship is a good one to win," her coach reminded her.\ "It'll get you noticed at a national level—the big time!"\ "Your mum called—lunch is ready," her dad said as she got into the car.\ She took out her phone and read her text messages as they drove home.\ "Plenty of topspin on your second serve . . . good, solid baseline play . . .\ don't take risks . . . wait for your opponent to make the mistakes . . ."\ I wouldn't care if I never picked up another tennis racket in my whole life!

\ From the PublisherChildren's Literature A lot of action, plenty of dialogue, and an important message.\ \ \ \ \ Children's Literature\ - Karen Leggett\ The young tennis star forever pushed by her parents to be the best, the conflict between the time it takes to be the best and still have a life, the dirty tricks other young players use in their own striving to be the best—it is all here in a slim book perfect for young readers trying to find balance in their own lives. Carrie, a twelve-year-old girl in England, has tired of her parents' constant pressure, even though it has helped her become a top tennis player in her age group. She fakes an injury to avoid a tough final match in a major competition and then meets the nasty competitor who won the match at a tennis camp in Florida. Carrie survives a long string of jokes and tricks to come out on top again, but this time she has regained not only the winning title but also a renewed appreciation for her sport, her parents, and the other priorities in her life. The writing is not memorable, but there is a lot of action, plenty of dialogue, and an important message.\ \ \ School Library JournalGr 4-6 - Twelve-year-old Carrie, an English tennis prodigy pushed by her parents, doesn't want to compete anymore. When she is awarded a scholarship to an exclusive tennis camp in Florida, she enjoys the game more away from her father and lets him know that she is not playing tennis just to please him anymore. This is the strongest scene of the book. Relationships between the female campers are highly competitive, so Carrie finds two younger boys who are friendly as she battles against or puts up with the mean girls. The tennis action is accurate, but the plot is formulaic. Some parts are unbelievable; for example, Carrie's rival from England shows up at the same camp. For a more interesting tennis story, try John Feinstein's Vanishing Act(Knopf, 2006).-Sharon R. Pearce, Longfellow Elementary School, Oak Park, IL\ Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information\ \