YA – We Are the Wildcats

Vivian, Siobhan. We Are the Wildcats. Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2020. 978-1-534-43990-0. 352 p. Grades 8 and up. 

The Wildcats are strong, they’re fierce, they’re close, they’re five-time state field hockey champions. Except last year, last year they came in second. Mistakes creeped in and rocked the girls to their very core. Who are they if they aren’t winners? Every year girls must re-try out for the team, even if they’ve made it before. Tryouts are grueling, and Coach is intense, picking only the best of the best. Those who make it are skilled enough to call themselves Wildcats. Traditionally, the night after tryouts, those who make the team participate in a secret midnight ceremony hosted by the captain to receive their varsity jerseys. But this year won’t quite go as planned; this year Coach decides he knows best and the girls end up chasing something they never thought they would. Happening over a 24-hour period, the Wildcats learn what it means to be a team, one that has to stick up for themselves no matter what.

THOUGHTS: We Are the Wildcats is an empowering story about trust, camaraderie, and sportsmanship (or should I say sportswomanship). There are too few truly empowering sports novels for young women, and just like Michigan vs. The Boys this book has forever won a place on my shelf.

Realistic Fiction          Samantha Helwig, Dover Area SD

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