Play Like a Girl

“Middle school was complicated. But I knew one thing for sure: I was done trying to be someone else. I finally found exactly where I fit in with people who didn’t care if I stood out - or that I might be a little weird”

Such a great memoir in the form of a graphic novel - and the overall message: be who you are and those who matter will find you.

Summary: Misty is in seventh grade and obsessed with football. When she sees some of the boys from school playing, she asks to play with them. When they say that they are preparing for tryouts and that girls can't play, she is determined to prove them wrong. But as you can imagine, the training is grueling and the lack of acceptance from both her teammates and her "friends" can be a lot to handle. There are a few people who actually encourage and help her, allowing her to see just what she is capable of...and that is a lot more than most ever gave her credit for!

When first looking at this book, one might think that this is just another book of female empowerment and showing girls that they can do the same things boys can do. And it absolutely is. But it is also SO much more. In this story we learn about friendships - ones that seem authentic and ones that we may try so hard to keep going for all the wrong reasons. We see themes of teamwork and not just on the field but off as well. It is important to stay true to who you are, especially will all the changes and challenges of middle school. Everyone is trying to find what is best for them, but peer pressure is often at an all time high. Staying true to yourself is much better than conforming to what your friends like. Because as Misty sees, true friends will support you no matter what.

The art style is vibrant and eye catching, which is perfect to go along with this story. Remember, it is not about how many times you get pushed down. It is about how many times you get back up and show the world what you are made of!


Quotes:
“There was no way the boys were gonna keep me on the sidelines. If they could play football, then so could I” pg. 8

“And yeah, a bunch of the boys didn’t want us on the team, but we weren’t gonna quit. They weren’t gonna get rid of us that easily” pg. 38

“And you don’t strike me as the type of person who stays down or quits when things get hard. So it’s time to go out there and show ‘em what you’re made of” pg. 60

“As everyone celebrated, I realized I was kind of proud of myself. One thing was for sure: the football field was exactly where I was meant to be” pg. 124

“It was pretty incredible to finally feel like I belonged. As easy and as fun as it was with the boys, the next day at school was basically the opposite. But if there was one thing I’d learned from football, it was that sometimes it just takes people a while to come around” pg. 141

“Suddenly, I realized how lucky I was. My teammates pushed me to be a better player and athlete every single day by never taking it easy on me” pg. 218

“Middle school was complicated. But I knew one thing for sure: I was done trying to be someone else. I finally found exactly where I fit in with people who didn’t care if I stood out - or that I might be a little weird” pg. 258