A very good graphic memoir for teens and tweens, written by an author-illustrator duo who are Ohio authors. Misty tells the true story of her 7th grade year, when she tried out for the football team at her school--and made it on! She starts out as one of two girls on the team, but her friend turns out to not really be that interested in the sport, she was just there to meet cute guys. But Misty hangs in there and has a great year competing with boys at their level. She also deals with school stuff and friendships changing and all the usual stuff. I loved the art, really well done. Good recommendation for fans of Raina Telgemaier graphic novels. (Although not quite as humorous.) 2023 Buckeye Children's Book Award winner, grades 6-8. ( )

A 7th grader deals with a little flack on the field and in her friendships for joining the boys on the school football team.

It's a nice and tidy dramatization of the author's real experience. As it is aimed at a middle school audience, there was a little too much angst based on best friend drama and mean girl snark for my taste, but I liked the training and game play. ( )

Where was this book when I was in middle school! I absolutely loved this graphic novel. I loved how the author depicted Misty‘s struggle with wanting to play a sport that girls don’t traditionally play, while also struggling with friendships. This is one that will definitely go into my library collection! ( )

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss.)

-- 3.5 stars --

A chance encounter with the football team the summer before seventh grade would change the trajectory of Misty Wilson's life forever. A tomboy,* Misty delights in upstaging the boys and never backs down from a challenge. So when a few of the guys - some of them even ostensibly her friends, or at least friendly acquaintances - scoff at the idea of a girl playing on the football team, Misty immediately signs herself and bestie Bree up.

But life on the team isn't exactly smooth sailing. In addition to getting herself in fighting shape, Misty embraces the challenge of convincing the guys to accept her - even as Bree begins to pull away. The more Misty tries to fit in with Bree and her new, more popular friend Ava, the crueler the jabs get. And some of her male teammates cling to hostility, even as Misty proves that she's earned a spot on the team. In order to be happy - in middle school, in the Bears, and with herself - Misty must learn to accept some hard truths.

Overall I enjoyed PLAY LIKE A GIRL, even if it felt like it skewed a bit young for me. Based on the author's own experiences, I especially appreciated how supportive many of the adults are of her endeavor - especially the coaches and her stepfather. In some ways, it even made the whole 'proving yourself' thing feel anti-climactic - maybe it's my age (I graduated HS in 1996), but I half-expected a protracted legal battle just to get Misty on the team. It's at least as much about stumbling blocks of young adulthood: learning to love yourself, fit in (without succumbing to peer pressure), and find your people, whether they're "sporty" (in Misty's words), "girly," or whatever.

The football stuff is boring, though, not gonna lie. Luckily there are only a few football diagrams or similar.

* At least that's what girls like us were called when I was in middle school, like, a thousand years ago. ( )