Elle of the Ball

Delle Donne—a professional basketball player, youth coach, and author of the memoir My Shot (which publishes simultaneously)—taps into her knowledge of the game and her insight into aspiring players in this first book in the Hoops series. As basketball season opens, Elle Deluca has skyrocketed to a height of six feet and outgrown her clothes; she now towers over the seventh-grade boys, including her ballroom dancing partner for the upcoming cotillion. Rather than boosting her confidence as a basketball player, Elle’s growth causes high anxiety: “I grew ten feet overnight and became a total klutz,” she says, and she suspects that her coach has assigned her to the demanding position of starting center because of her stature, rather than her skill. While avoiding melodrama, Delle Donne humorously portrays Elle’s adjustment to her changing body and her increasing self-confidence and positivity. Play-by-play basketball action, friendship subplots, and the inspiration Elle draws from her older sister (who is deaf and blind and has autism and cerebral palsy) round out this engaging novel. Ages 8–12. [em]Agent: Jennifer Keene and Erin Kane, Octagon. (Mar.) [/em]