Marino, Max. Balancing Act. Amanda Erb, Illus. Addl. Creators Elliott Smith and Roman Diaz. Lerner Sports Stories. Lerner, 01/2025. 71pp. Fiction. PLB $30.65. 979-8765619698. Paper $11.99. 979-8765619742. GRADES 2–4. ADDITIONAL.
Sports can be a big part of kids’ lives, which these two entries in the Lerner Sports Stories series demonstrate via short, easy-to-read stories that middle elementary readers are likely to enjoy. Basketball can be all absorbing, which Max does not recognize until his health is affected. Ava loves to dance, especially ballet, which also seems to translate to gymnastics, but there’s trouble with a bully and self-doubt. These quick-paced stories show off the fun, and the problems, in either basketball or gymnastics specifically, as well as sports in general. Limited b&w illustrations break up the text to help demonstrate the story’s action and characters. Useful for readers in middle elementary, especially reluctant readers due to easy-to-understand sentences, plot, and characters.
Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library