Bea Mullins Takes a Shot is a stunningly delightful middle-grade novel about processing emotions, first crushes, and learning to enjoy activities that you’re not necessarily good at. You follow Bea as damages to her middle school gym result in the students being encouraged to join an athletic extracurricular activity. A girl at the hockey booth catches her eye, and suddenly Bea and her lifelong best friend Celia are signed up for ice hockey — despite her vow to never play a team sport again. A highly recommended read for all ages, but anxious young girls will get something truly special out of a character like Bea, who doesn’t overcome her fears, but persists in the face of them nevertheless.

Favorite overall: how normalized all the different types of families were!

Favorite moment(s): how well all the hockey was written!

Favorite quote: "Nicole, we're thirteen. You can't have an arch-nemesis," Gabi says. "I have a whole list of them," Nicole deadpans. "And Evan's at the top of it."

What an absolutely fantastic book. I loved Bea's growth throughout the book and even as I wanted to shake some sense into her at times, her actions and feelings felt so authentic to her age and situation. The side characters had nuance, and the hockey setting was perfection.

My mom has always been a sucker for a heartwarming sports movie, but I've never really been moved the same way. Turns out, if you give me a book about a queer girl finding a team (and herself in the process) my heart melts into a pile of goo. I loved Bea. She reminded me of my middle-grade self in a lot of ways. Even as an adult, her fear of falling was all too relatable. The idea that there are little girls out there who will get to grow up with a character like her makes me so happy.

This sweet middle grade sports romance is accessible to kids wanting a story of camaraderie, hope, and perseverance.

This is a great middle grade read for someone looking for a little romance, a little sport, and some great characters.

I really enjoyed this! It made me miss sports lol. It was the perfect amount of coming of age mixed with romance for me.
It's mentioned in the authors note that there may be inaccuracies with the league due to how far women's sports (hockey specifically) have already come since the author started writing the book and I think that's so neat!
I thought all the characters were perfect for their age, all their actions made sense for middle school drama while also not being overboard. Would recommend!

A middle grade story about a middle schooler that begrudginingly finds themselves on a hockey team. Not my normal go-to but so glad I did. High emotions? Check. High stakes? Double check. Relatable characters and scenarios? All the checks!

The middle schooler finds themselves in the impossible situation of being forced out of their comfort zone and into the last place they wanted to be, on a team sport with which they have no practical expierience. Throw in best friend drama, the pressure of having others rely on them, and a "do they, don't they like me" crush scenario and I found the most relatable middle grade story I've read in ages. And I know squat about ice hockey beyond what I learned playing Blades of Steel on my NES. I was completely immersed in the anxiety of the game without needing to know any of the rules or a lover of the sport (but now I want to learn more about the womens leagues!).

Having a middle schooler myself right now, I read this and saw every emotion my daughter is going through mirrored in the pages. Expertly written as if my own daughter were writing it, it was a quick and fun read that I am now recommending to her to read. I have no doubt that she will find great value and validation of her own feelings.

This was a fun and sweet queer middle grade story. I thought the conflicts felt very realistically middle school - while I could see them coming and wanted Bea to communicate differently, I understood it was much harder for someone in middle school to do that. I also really enjoyed the aspect of the team always being supportive, even to newer players who didn't help the team be as competitive.

I was in a mood for a cute Sapphic hockey book, and this hit all the marks! This book was tailor-made for fans of Inside Out 2. Bea is kind of an anxious mess, super fearful of messing things up for a team. Then she joins hockey with her best friend Celia, and Bea develops the sweetest crush on one of the best players, Gabi. Bea has internalized some pretty rough things about herself, and her journey to overcome some of that along with rectifying the hurt she inflicts on Celia and Gabi were all really well done.

Bea Mullins Takes a Shot also touches on the differences between support the boys' team gets from the girls' team and the ways girls and women have to fight to be taken seriously in sports. This was such a fun, sweet read perfect for middle schoolers and readers who want to heal their young hearts!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This book was absolutely adorable!! Bea and Gabi are the cutest, and this story was just so sweet. I’m not super into hockey, but I still loved that aspect of the book. Overall this was just amazing and I would definitely recommend it.

I'm always looking for middle-grade romances and this book will be perfect for that set! Such real emotions but portrayed in a way that a 5th or 6th grader can follow!

yes i am crying over twelve year old girls playing hockey, you would be too if you've waited so long for stories like this to exist.

Bea Mullins lives life on the sideline and she's perfectly fine with that, thank you very much. But when she's forced to pick an after school sport, and the girls hockey team won't take no for an answer, Bea finds herself Glenwood Geese's newest player. Bea has one goal: fulfill her school sport requirement and avoid the puck at all costs. Yet, when the girls' hockey team might be disbanded and her attachment to the team-- and a specific all-star player-- grows, Bea must find a way to save the team she didn't know she needed. Its time to get off the bench and onto the starting line. Will she keep letting the puck pass her by or will she take a shot for goal?

So per the grammatically incorrect sentences above, this book did in fact make me cry. Hockey girls everywhere have waited for this moment. Not just with the growth of the PWHL, but for the stories that make them the main characters. Not just the lone girl on a boys team, but a team in their own right. Bea Mullins is that book. It's the book I needed, and so many young girls need. Young girls finally have the representation they need-- both on the ice and off it.

I'm cheering so loud for Bea they can hear me in the lower bowl of Scotiabank (please give tickets to real fans, I can't keep watching finance bros on their phones behind the glass). Yes, I recommend this book. It's not even a question.

This book blends sports, romance, and friendship with humor and heart. The characters are relatable and funny, offering great LGBTQ+ representation. It’s a story about teamwork, self-belief, and finding love in unexpected places. A fun, feel-good read with plenty of laughs and warmth.

This was SO cute. Bea should be super relatable to anyone who has ever struggled with shyness, anxiety, lack of sports skills, or being a useless sapphic afraid to let the girl she’s crushing on know how she feels. While there is a good deal of miscommunication, it’s much easier to understand from a 13 year old. The whole hockey team was great. Found family is the best! And although Bea screws up a fair amount early on, I loved how she redeemed herself with her best friend, team, and the girl responsible for all her fluttery feelings, Gabi.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

Exciting to see girls sports, especially ice hockey, highlighted in this middle grade realistic fiction novel. When the school gym is damaged Bea Mullins and her bff Celia Chen find themselves joining the girls ice hockey team at the school's sports fair. The experience that unfolds includes friendships tested, teammates, self-esteem and overcoming fears. The inner monologue of the narrator Bea mirrors a typical 7th grader. The sports background and play-by-play of the games reminds me of the stories my students like to write. In addition, Emily Deibert adds lots of information about the hockey world outside of middle school. References to women's ice hockey, Olympians and the Canadian Ringette league add a layer of informative real world connections. Furthermore, she highlights the lack of attention women's sports receives as well as the inequality when compared to men's ice hockey. However, I especially enjoyed the field trip Bea took with her Dad and brother to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Very cool. As the team struggles to find their groove, Bea also struggles with romantic feelings.

Topics: women's ice hockey, teammates, friendship, LGBTQ, middle school, first crush
Recommended: grades 7+ (could be younger except the romance ramps it up a level)

Goodreads Post

A heartwarming middle grade novel that tackles first crushes, changing friendships, and what it means to be part of a team. The middle school years are full of awkwardness and embarrassment, and Bea Mullins may provide a mirror to young readers struggling to put themselves out there.

Bea has to sign up for a sport to fulfill a gym requirement even though she doesn't have any confidence in her athletic abilities. Nothing interests her until she meets Gabi, a hockey extraordinaire with sparkling eyes. Bea and her best friend, Celia, join the new girls hockey team along with a bunch of other beginners. The team is supportive of each other even though others at school make fun of them, particularly the boys hockey team. Bea is so afraid of embarrassment that she does everything she can to protect herself but ends up hurting her relationships with Gabi, Celia, and the rest of the hockey team. Only when she realizes she needs to try regardless of falling on her face is she able to repair her relationships and help make the team stronger. This is an entertaining book with good characters and discussions about women's equality in sports.

BEA MULLINS TAKES A SHOT is such a cute and heartwarming middle grade romance and I had such a good time while reading it. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy!

Bea Mullins Takes a Shot is such a great MG read! It’s a sports book, a rom-com, and a friendship story, all rolled into one. The characters are hilarious and relatable, it has great LGBTQ+ rep, and I love the themes of teamwork and believing in yourself!

Bea had an awful time when she was on a basketball team and has shied away from team sports ever since. Forced to pick some kind of sport in middle school, her best friend Celia convinces her to join the new girls' hockey team. Bea's dad and brother are both hockey super fans and players and Bea is able to use her brother's old gear. Bea's fears of failure and embarrassment cause her to freeze both on the rink and in her personal life, especially with her teammate Gabi. When the team's existence is threatened due to lack of funds, Bea steps up to make things right. This was such a heartwarming and empowering story. Bea's reactions to everything were spot on for middle school readers. There is a great mix of friend drama and hockey action. I love that the author started writing this before the existence of the PWHL and had to update it! Highly recommended for grades 5 & up.