Maddie Gallegos's debut Middle Grades Graphic Novel is a definite "ace"! (Yes, I had to look up "ace" to be sure it is used in racquetball.)

In Match Point!, Rosie Vo desperately wants to get out of the racquetball tournament her father has been coaching her for. He was a champion growing up. Rosie, not so much. Enter Blair, a new girl, lover of racquetball, fast friend of Rosie. Rosie begins scheming to trick her father and get Blair to play under her name. (That part, as an adult, never made sense to me, but I went with it.) Throughout the novel, Rosie learns scheming may not be the best way to accomplish things, and, through a spirited doubles game with her parents, racquetball may not be so bad.

Despite some plot points that made me go, "Huh?" I give Match Point! five stars because of life lessons that Rosie learns, the diverse cast of characters that are friends and even a nemesis of Rosie, and because not only was their a hearing impaired character, but also the art depicted the characters speaking in sign language awesomely. I was truly amazed at how motion was shown. Finally, it's just a great story for middle grades--I'd say from 4th-7th. I will purchasing a copy for my classroom library.

Thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for the e-ARC; however, all of the opinions are honest and my own.

What I liked most about this book were the characters, the plot and the original way of making the characters evolve in a natural way.
The trigger or the conflict of Match Point! may have to do with sports, but it goes far beyond this, as it talks about confidence, about believing in oneself, about having one's own voice and expressing what one feels, how one feels?
I read it in a heartbeat, but I had to read it again to be able to grasp or assimilate more hidden concepts.
The characters are so disparate and so complex that I fell in love with them and their different points of view.

Hello Again,

I have read a ton of books so far this year, but I am so behind on my reviews! So I am trying to catch up while I continue to read! So be on the lookout for a large variety of reviews coming your way. In the meantime, while doing some reviews one day, I decided to pick up my E-ARC from Netgalley of Match Point. (A massive thank you to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions). I love a good graphic novel and Match Point’s cover and summary called to me immediately!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Rosie lives with her dad and is forced to play racquetball, like a lot. Her dad wants her to win a trophy or a medal in racquetball and he pushes Rosie very hard to achieve this dream. They practice together pretty much constantly, and during the practices he criticizes nearly everything she does or tries. Rosie has developed a hate towards racquetball now. But as the school year is gearing up, Rosie meets Blair. Blair is the new kid in town, seems really really cool and loves racquetball. Rosie begins to hang out with Blair, both inside and outside of school. Outside of school, Rosie meets Blair’s family and sees that things not just with her dad but also with racquetball could be much much different.

Overall, I really loved this graphic novel. The illustrations were amazing, with the colors popping off the pages. I was super interested in learning more about both Blair and Rosie. They each had very different lives and it was interesting to see them becoming such great friends and watching Rosie learn how to love racquetball again! This graphic novel comes out on September 19th 2023, I definitely recommend picking it up and giving it a try!

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

**Thank you so much again to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

I wasn’t sure how I would enjoy a graphic novel focused on sports, but this went above and beyond my expectations. I loved the growing friendship between Rosie and Blair and how that developed Rosie’s feelings towards Racquetball. I also really loved the inclusion of sign language surrounding the deaf character in the novel. It was a great inclusion and was awesome to see!

This is a wonderful read and really highlights the importance of friendship and positivity.

Really enjoyed this book - I think Raina Telgemeier fans would like it as well. Unique story, as racquetball isn't really written about. The characters were well developed with a satisfying ending.

A beautiful graphic novel following two girls... perfect for people of all ages, who want a laugh or a giggle!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Honest feedback from my 10 year old:

This was a great read! The illustrations were fantastic, loved her style. I really enjoyed thr friendship between Rosie and Hayden.

Thanks to NetGalley and FirstSecond for the oportunity of read this graphic novel in exchange of an honest review.

Casi casi le doy 5 estrellas.

Fue una lectura entretenida e interesante, con muy buenas viñetas que complementan y construyen la historia. Nos habla de las relaciones familiares, la amistad, la rivalidad; además de que el deporte está constantemente presente en la trama.

Mediante estos tópicos principales, se tocan también otros más sensibles, como la aceptación personal, la lucha contra metas poco realistas y cuánto daño le pueden producir a una persona (en especial una niña) los comentarios negativos de sus seres queridos. Creo que esta historia, pese a lo corta que puede llegar a ser, por lo rápido que se lee, entrega mucho y eso es importante.

Ideal para pequeños lectores, niños, adolescentes y todo público que quiera pasar un buen rato siguiendo la vida de una pequeña que detesta el ráquetbol hasta que conoce a otra que lo ama.

¡Muy recomendado!

El dibujo estaba bueno. Los mommy y daddy issues si se pudieron ver. Y me senti bastante identificada con los personajes. Se notaba que habia inclusion de todo tipo, 10/10 porque sabian lenguaje de señas!

Thank you for Netgalley and publisher for giving me the e-ARC!

I like this book, the art is so adorable and clean. The story is between Rosie and Blaire working on their friendships through racquetball. Rosie finds it difficult to play racquetball because of the pressure she got from her dad. But meeting Blaire, she finds that playing racquetball is now fun and enjoyable. I like how the characters are so diverse! there's deaf character named Erika and all of the characters learning ASL because of her! also a hijabi girl!!!

as for the story I don't think it's that special nor different. especially if you don't know how to play racquetball, but overall it's an enjoyable light read.

This was great! I don’t know anything about racquetball, but I ended up learning a lot! And I thought it was a great story about speaking up for yourself and BEING yourself. I enjoyed it!

This was such a fantastic middle grade graphic novel with so many relevant themes of kids changing and growing and their relationships with their parents and friends and how that impact their own feelings of identity.

Rating: 3.5

Themes:
Racquetball
Friendship

Rosie and Blair both play racquetball. Blair loves the sport, but Rosie dreads playing. When the two become friends, Blair encourages Rosie to play for fun rather than competition. But due to Rosie’s pushy and winning-obsessed father, Rosie struggles to have fun under the pressure. Can their friendship blossom in the face of the School Youth Racquetball Competition?

Match Point! Is a fun and action-packed sports graphic novel about friendship and racquetball. I’m not a sporty person so knew very little about the sport. Some aspects of racquetball I struggled to understand in the graphic novel format, but the artwork was fun and suited the story well. Rosie’s father I don’t think deserved the redemption he received. I feel like Rosie and the other characters should have been much harsher towards him. His explanation for his behaviour was sub-par and made no sense. Overall I’m glad with how the story finished. I loved reading about Blair’s other hobby; dumpster diving. It was a lot of fun!
If you love sports graphic novels or middle-grade reads about friendship, I encourage you to pick this one up!

This was a really sweet story about friendship and two young people coming together to form such a wonderful friendship!

What a fun graphic novel! I loved the characters and I enjoyed the plot. I can definitely see this being a popular graphic novel for young teens!

Pros:
-Great artwork
-Great characters
-Relatable family and friend relationships

Cons:
-If you're not familiar with racquetball, you might be lost. There is no explanation of racquetball rules other than what a Z-serve is.

Super cute middle-grade graphic novel about Rosie and the pressure she feels to be good at racquetball because her dad is. She meets racquetball-obsessed Blair and a friendship grows. I loved Blair, the rival Erika, and wished we had seen more of the side characters. Where this graphic novel shines is how it treats
relationships, especially family pressure and overcoming disagreements with friends.

This is such a cute story about Rosie Vo, who hates racquetball because of her dad/coach trying to impart his childhood victories to her, and Hayden Blair (or just blair), the new girl who's all about racquetball. I love the characters in here, they're just so friend-shaped!! Here's some stuff I love about Match Point!

- cute art style!!
- deaf character!! (I like her even if she's Rosie's rival)
- muslim character who loves Blair's (fake) gauges!!
- sc with deaf parents!!
- asian and black friendship!!
- blair's family is so wholesome!!
- that ASL trash talk is AMAZING
- erika (aforementioned deaf char) is so cool, i just love her vibe

Match Point! is an adorable graphic novel about friendships and challenges, and it's a great quick read that kids can enjoy it too :))

**eARC provided by NetGalley and First Second books**

This is one of the most tender and healing readings I have ever read.
Through Rosie and Blair we can explore how powerful friendship can be, especially when you go through changes growing up, changes in the family and the way we get along with others.
It has the perfect mix between funny and serious moments to make Mach Point an unforgettable story.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGally for the ARC.

Loved the concept, but I don’t think the message really came through. I didn’t really get what was actually going on between Rosie and her dad. I loved Blair! I also loved that Rosie learned ASL so Erika could talk to her!

3.5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and First Second Books for the ARC!
Out Sep. 19th 2023!

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc of this delightful graphic novel in exchange for an honest review. All my thoughts are my own and not influenced in any way.

Title: Match point!
Author: Maddie Gallegos
Genre: Graphic novel, Middle grade, Sports
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

this was so adorable. a story of friendship, family and finding your fun. This story follows Rosie who's dad was a professional raquetball player. Rosie plays for her raquetball club and is being trained by her dad for an upcoming tournament. However, she despises raquetball and is only playing because her dad wants to see her win. Enter Blair, a young raquetball mini star who doesn't even know it. Rosie is amazed by Blair's abilities and immediately forms a plan where Blair takes her place in the tournament so she can win a medal in Rosie's stead and get her dad off her back. The two form a friendship from there and bond over cakes, games and dumpster diving. rosie plays side by side with blair and slowly ends up enjoying raquetball.

i rlly enjoyed this story. there was a deaf character as well as racially and ethnically diverse characters. i liked the way they resolved their conflict. it felt so good to see them talk about their feelings openly. i enjoyed seeing the resolution of rosie struggle with jealousy of blair and her family getting along while she didn't feel as connected to her dad. Blair's family was so wholesome. i rlly liked Blair's character. she was very passionate about what she liked, so loyal and kind and so so loveable. overall, a great read.