Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Seriously. The first two weeks of the new year have been jam-packed with things–mostly appointments–that have had me driving around a ridiculous amount of the time. (Except for the two days I had the stomach bug, because I wasn’t up for the driving and so rescheduled.) I took my youngest to therapy this morning–after grabbing bread, prescriptions, and library holds–and my son has the pediatrician at 4:30; tomorrow my older girls have appointments at 11 and 2. After that, things will quiet down a little.

In the meantime, I finished Maddie Gallegos’ Match Point! last night, which means one more graphic novel to pass on to my children’s grasping hands. (I’m still working through the batch I had my friend check out for me when I was looking for Christmas gifts for my 14-year-old.) It’s a debut offering with engaging heroines and a focus on parent/child difficulties–specifically, those between Rosie and her racquetball-focused father. When Rosie meets Blair, who’s new at her school and a passionate racquetball player, she concocts a plan to finally quit the sport herself; it’s then that the complications ensue. (Is anyone surprised?)

Blair was easily my favorite character in this book; she’s just–nice. (A quality that cannot be overvalued, in my opinion.) Rosie’s dad drove me nuts until his epiphany moment, which felt sudden to me; on the other hand, I suppose a dad and an eighth grade girl can take a while to figure each other out post-divorce, and both my dad and my husband are more insightful than average. I think my favorite part (because, hey, parent here) is Rosie and Blair’s reconciliation after their fight–I love it when honesty about feelings cuts through the mess in a timely fashion–but the racquetball tournament has some nice moments as well. This is a solid graphic novel choice for middle grade girls, especially sportier ones. (AND those with parents who would like them to be sportier.) I’m thinking my girlies will be fans!