Elena has spent her whole life working to be the best baseball player--the only girl on the boys' teams. She and her mom are determined to have her play high school baseball with the boys. When an injury sidelines Elena for the summer, she has time and space to determine what she really wants.

A solid middle grade graphic novel that incorporates sports, imagination, friendship, and family.

I have a love of baseball, and when it is a a girl playing, it make it even better. I enjoyed this book and how life can have its pressures. A person needs to decide what to do, but yet doesn’t want to disappoint anyone. That was this book. In the end with communication things did get better for the main character. She gained friends an imagination and she got to play ball but in a different way that she enjoyed. The pictures were colorful and easy to see, some graphic novels, have awful graphics, but not this book.
The only thing I didn’t like in the book, was the Spanish words. I have no background in Spanish and could not figure out what was being said. As a speech and language pathologist, when working with students 90-95% of information must be presented so they can understand, and with that Spanish, they would have a difficult time with this book. That would be the only reason why I wouldn’t use it for therapy. I will suggest they read it on their own though.

This story is about Elena, a middle school girl that plays baseball on a boy's team (the only one available). She enjoys baseball, but that seems secondary to her mother's reasons for Elena playing baseball, namely that Elena has the chance to achieve what her mother and grandmother could not. When a non-baseball related knee injury sidelines Elena, she doesn't know what to do with herself, but finds she is relieved to not be playing baseball. With the encouragement of her grandfather, she "plays" with her brother and his band of LARPers, but finds that imaginary worlds are hard for her, she is so use to the rules and absolutes of baseball. During her struggles to fit in with the LARP group she meets Toni, a girl who now lives with her grandmother after the death of her parents. She and Toni are able to talk to each other, and help each other be brave in telling the adults in their lives that they need to be able to make their own choices about the things they care about .

This graphic novel moves quickly, with lots of action in the panels. With problems such as over-bearing parents, and pressure to perform, I think that many kids will find something to relate to. In addition, role-playing games are becoming more popular again, and the LARP group is a large part of this story, so that will also draw readers. The cast is diverse, with Elena's family (Cuban) reverting to Spanish, especially when overwhelmed or talking to grandfather, but it is easily understood as the listener often repeats the meaning of the words in English. Definitely a graphic novel that has a strong story behind it.

Sure to be a popular hit with middle grade graphic novel fans! Elena is the only girl in her baseball league, constantly training with her mom with the goal of high school baseball in her future. Benji, her little brother, is the game master of his neighborhood LARPing group, constantly in dragon costume and accompanying cape. When an injury at the start of the summer has Elena feeling isolated and questioning if she really wants to continue training, she hesitantly joins Benji with his LARPing group: the BORKs. But how can you have fun when there's no way to win?

Curveball encourages using your imagination and embracing your inner child, addressing topics like making new friends, competitiveness, open communication, generational trauma, grief, and the importance of having fun.

Pablo Cartaya is one of my favorite juvenile fiction authors, not just for his ability to connect people to Latin American culture, but also for his ability to make engaging and relatable content. This one is no exception. Elena is the only girl on a baseball team and is given an immense amount of pressure because of it. She feels it the most from her mom. But what happens, when she injured her knee and is to play make-believe with her brother and his friends? Elena is pushed to her limits and out of her comfort zone to indulge in her imagination, if she can find it. All the while, she’s learning how to make friends, become her own person, and finally be honest with her family. This story also has a positive perspective on therapy, not as a main part of the story, but as a side-characters part, as well as them dealing with loss in their life. I truly look forward to purchasing this title and sharing it with my community.

I loved Curveball. It had a lot of elements that worked really well together- family pressure, friendship, dealing with loss, and opening one’s self up to new experiences. The cast was also diverse. Elena’s entire life revolves around baseball. She is a good athlete and her mother pressures her to always be better. When she injures her knee and can’t play during the summer, she is surprised to realize how relieved she is. Her little brother introduces her to his LARPing group. At first she doesn’t understand it and thinks it’s silly. Eventually she becomes friends with the other kids and a girl called Toni, who is dealing with the loss of her parents. Elena finally has a conversation with her mother about her complicated feelings towards baseball. The story was solid and it has great illustrations.

I’ll purchase this for the library, since demand for graphics is so high, I really liked Cartaya’s *Efren Divided*, and it isn’t awful, but it feels hasty, sloppy, and not fully fleshed (or thought?) out. I won’t recommend it.

Thanks due to #netgalley for access to the digital ARC

In Curveball, Elena Rueda is the best girl baseball player who has lost her enjoyment of the sport. Elena struggles with saying anything to her Mother, a former baseball player herself, about not wanting to play baseball anymore. As she navigates her feelings, Elena's brother encourages her to spend some time with the BORKs and their unique activities such as LARPing. Toni, a new girl in the neighborhood, encourages Elena to follow her heart, and this propels Elena to tell her mom that she doesn't want to play baseball anymore. Thankfully, Elena's family embraces her decision, which allows Elena to play more with her imagination, and the BORKs, and not all the pressure of competitive baseball.

eARC provided by Netgalley

After Elena hurts her knee, she has to look at what she actually enjoys versus obligations and because of this reflection she finds herself having a truly unexpected summer. Through this fun story, lessons are learned about friendship and imagination and all done in a way that is a quick and fun read with colorful illustrations.

This was a very fun story about imagination and standing up for yourself. The illustrations were stunning and the different between the usual artwork and our main character's growing imagination was stunning. The ending felt very abrupt though and I felt like the conflict could have been more fleshed out.

A great look at how imagination and play are just as important to learning about life and growing up as competitive team sports. All kids need a place to learn and explore through imaginative play and Larping was a fun way to show that even within the confines of a girl playing a boys's sport like baseball. I think this is a fun story that has so much heart that I think a lot of different types of kids will find themselves in!

Elena Rueda's mother, Marissa, is deeply involved in her baseball career, causing a lack of fun and pressure. When Elena discovers LARPing with her brother Benji and friends, known as the Band Of Renegade Kinfolk (BORKs), she finds a new way to enjoy herself. The story explores parental overinvolvement, addresses unique activities like LARPing, and brings a fresh perspective to kids' experiences. While the portrayal of Toni's grandmother seems odd (she looks like Cruella de Ville!), the narrative offers a positive take on balancing sports, fun, and imagination.

Readers who enjoy Jamieson’s Roller Girl or the Hoops series by Elena Della Donne are sure to love this sporty graphic novel with a girl at bat. Elena has been tops at baseball for several years and with her mom’s encouragement, has plans to “break the glass ceiling” and play on the boys’ high school baseball team in the near future. But maybe the pressure and the single minded focus on only one thing is getting to be too much this summer. In graphic panels full of motion and plenty of big onomatopoeia splats across the page, Pablo Cartaya (author) and Miguel Diaz Rivas join together to create a book likely for grades 2-5 that is full of imagination, fun and little lessons in healthy balance, speaking truth, and listening to one another. Highly recommended and for middle grade and elementary libraries needing more books with girls playing sports, this should go to the top of the shopping cart. Text is free of profanity, sexual content and violence. A few haracters are identified as Venezuelan and Cuban-American and in illustrations seem to represent a broad range of ages and skin tones.

Elena excels at baseball. Her mom pushes her to be the best- and she is- but it isn't fun anymore. When the chance comes to take a break, Elena jumps at it. When she joins her brother and his friends though, Elena finds that her imagination and ability to play without competition may be lacking.

This is a heartwarming story with cute characters. Cartaya is one of my favorite authors and I am thrilled that his work has made its way into graphic novel format!

Elena Rueda's mother Marissa is VERY invested in her daughter's baseball career, since she faced obstacles in her own. There's not time for fun, since Elena doesn't get to hang out after games with her teammates, and instead must train and attend camps to help her performance. Not only that, but if she blows a play on the field, her mother loses it publically. Elena's father and grandfather just want her to have fun, but have little say in the matter. Her brother Benji is more interested in casual Live Action Role Playing, and spends much of his time in a dinosaur costume. When Elena trips, falls, and injures her knee, she is secretly glad that she doesn't have to play baseball. Bored, she asks her brother about playing with him and his friends, who called themselves the Band Of Renegade Kinfolk, or BORKs. It takes a while for her to understand that there is no "winning" at LARPing; it is just a way to exercise her imagination and have fun, two things she has no practice at. Elena meets Toni, who is a bit mysterious, and who turns out to be the granddaughter of a wealthy local women who is living with her grandmother after the recent death of both of her parents. Eventually, Elena convinces the other LARPers to play "Borkball", and her competitive spirit comes to the fore. Her mother, a realtor, manages not only to sell the abandoned lot where the kids have been playing, but registers the group as a Little League team. This increasing pressure causes Elena to finally come clean to her mother and to try to find a way that she can enjoy sports and friends in a more childlike way.
Strengths: I'm always glad to see sports stories, and the idea of parental over involvement is certainly a reality for many children. The mother's issues with girls playing baseball rather than softball certainly would have been a huge consideration thirty years ago. I've not seen too many book addressing LARPing, so Benji and his friends enjoying themselves in a vacant field certainly is an appealing choice. I'm always glad to see Kids Doing Things, and this was certainly fun and fresh.
Weaknesses: The grandmother looks a little like Cruella deVille, and wears a black, Victorian style long dress. Considering most grandparents are now around my age, I can't imagine that a well to do business woman would dress this way. Just an odd choice. Also, killing off BOTH of Toni's parents?
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like Speed Racer style illustrations
and want a story that carries the emotional weight of Morrison's Coming Up Short and Bishop's The Distance to Home but in the graphic novel format of Spangler's Fox Point's Own Gemma Hopper.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this title

This story was very relatable. I enjoyed the concept and the LARP was so well explained. I think many people can relate to both the MC as well as the other characters at some point in there life

This is a solid, enjoyable story that doesn't necessarily provide anything uniquely inspiring compared to some other graphic novels about baseball (see "Fox Point's Own Gemma Hopper") but serves as a heartwarming tale featuring a mostly Hispanic cast of characters.

This was an awesome read! I enjoyed all the themes the book had, and I know that my fifth graders will be able to connect with the story and the characters. It is a must have in any fifth grade library!

6th graders LOVED this book. They loved all the themes and Benji's humorous side. They appreciated the messages of being open with your parents about what you want to do and what you don't want to do. And they also liked how it teaches you to be yourself. "Benji made it funny," they all agreed. "I love Benji," said one. Thank you for the opportunity to read and rate this book.

I'm glad I got to read a advanced digital copy of Pablo Cartaya's graphic novel, CURVEBALL before I purchase copies for my fifth grade classroom, because once I do, I will never get my hands on a copy. My students are going to love this story! Baseball is everything to Elena. She's a great player, the only girl on her team, and would rather be playing baseball than doing anything else...until it stops being fun for her. How can she break the news to her mom, who loves baseball just as much as Elena? An injured knee is just the excuse she needs for. a baseball break. But with baseball being her life, there aren't any friends she can hang out with or places she can go. When she's forced to hang out with her younger brother and his LARPing (live action role playing) friends, Elena discovers a whole new side of herself. Will she also be able to rediscover her love of baseball again? Thank you so much to NetGalley for this advanced digital copy!