MMGM-Balancing Act and Kid Olympians (Winter)

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Chase, Paula. Balancing Act
October 21, 2025 by Wednesday Books
Copy provided by the author

Chyna is an exceptional gymnast who has been recruited by a new privately funded charter school, The Heights. In her town of Diamond Falls, fights often emerge over sports between the public school and the private school. In one of these, her boyfriend, Jacquees, is killed trying to protect his brother Jamaal. This isn't a rare occurrence, and Chyna is leery of the many "help the underprivileged" programs tried in her community, since the fights continue. The Heights has gotten heat for recruiting good athletes from the public school, including Chyna, who is just trying to survive after Jaquees' death, and take advantage of all of the opportunities she can to better her situation. Jacquees brother, Jamaal, is on the school's basketball team, but struggling with randomly passing out. There is a lot of social media buzz in "Da Icy City", with an influencer, Hot Lipz, who seems to have a lot of inside information on Chatter, and the Black Swan, a radio d.j. who grew up with Chyna's ailing mother and Aunt Tam. Swan's daughter, Alicia, is also attending The Heights. She and Chyna are picked as co-captains of the gymnastics team, but Alicia doesn't like this, since Chyna is an unproven quantity. Chyna is struggling to deal with her mother's health, and hopes that she can soon get a kidney transplant. She has also not told Jamaal about her relationship with his brother. When Jamaal is picked to play in the prestigious Peace in the Streets game, Swan takes an interest in him, as does Alicia. The radio personality suggests that Jamaal get a second opinion about his condition; Swan's wife, also a media personality, is more blunt, and tells him to find a doctor who will give him the diagnosis he wants so that he can play. The pressure on both teens mounts as Hughes University announces it will be the first HBCU to have a gymnastics team, and the community is thrilled that a reality television show called "Da Icy City" set in Diamond Falls featuring The Heights and its students will be produced. At the end of the book, Jamaal must deal with the consequences of his actions, and Chyna finally finds out the identity of her father after a family tragedy. There is a sequel planned to follow up on all of the drama in Diamond Falls.
Strengths: In addition to being a founding member of the wonderful literary resource The Brown Bookshelf, Chase has a great list of books that my students have enjoyed, like So Done, Dough Boys, Turning Point, and Keeping It Real. While I'm too old to have enjoyed Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley High books to which this has been compared, I can definitely see the appeal of a drama laden, soap opera style story centering on a community like Diamond Falls where success can sometimes be hard to find. Alternating between Chyna and Jamaal's perspectives draws the reader into all of the fraught emotions and interpersonal drama. The Swan's family's opulent lifestyle contrasts nicely with Chyna's constrained one, especially given the surprise twist at the end. The sports drama, with fights over captains and competitions, is just as important to teens as the weightier issues of health problems and dealing with the death of family members. The fictional community of Diamond Falls is well portrayed, and acts almost as another character. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!
Weaknesses: At over 400 pages, with several f-words, this is definitely a young adult book, although there is no mention of any sexual activity other than kissing, or any substance abuse, which I appreciated. There's a lot of slang and dialectical speech, and I never know how well that will fare over a long period of time.
What I really think: This is an excellent choice for readers who love Ms. Chase's work and want an updated version of her Del Rio Bay Clique series, or who want grittier stories that center around sports, like Waltman's Next or Buford's Kneel. There are very few books that center gymnastics, so that was great to see. High schools will definitely want to purchase this, as will middle schools where more mature language isn't an issue.

Stevenson, Robin and Steinfeld, Allison (illus.). 

Kid Olympians: Winter: True Tales of Childhood from Champrions and Game Changers
November 11, 2025 by Quirk Books
Copy provided by the publisher

Just in time for the Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo 2026 Winter games, this collective biography shines the spotlight on 16 athletes who represent different sports and different cultural backgrounds. Divided into four categories (Olympic Pride, Powerful Women, Olympic Firsts, and Taking the Ice), we get a rare look into the childhood of these sports enthusiasts. We learn about their living situations with parents, their experiences in school, and their introduction to their sport of choice. While it's possible to look up news articles about the Olympic exploits of all of the subjects, it's nice to have an overview of what the historical times were like when they were active, and the challenges that they faced in competition. For some of the older athletes, we also get a look at what they have done since they have retired from the sport. 

It's interesting that there are two sets of siblings included; ice skaters Alex and Maia Shibutani (who have also written the Kudo Kids  middle grade series!) and skiers Charles and William Flaherty. Supportive family is so important to the training process that it's good to see so many parents discussed as well. While younger readers will appreciate that most of the athletes are from the 2000s, with Michelle Kwan being about the oldest inclusion, I would have liked to see some older Olympians like track and field star Bob Mathias or swimmer Arati Saha. 

Steinfeld's colorful illustrations give a good feel for not only Olympic moments but childhood ones as well. Their cartoon style will appeal to readers of graphic novels. As a huge fan of Simon Kids classic Childhood of Famous Americans series (which I mention every time I read one of these!) I love seeing the new categories that Stevenson and Steinfeld find to highlight in this Kid Legends series. There are eleven titles in all, starting with  Kid Presidents (2014) and continuing through Kid Innovators (2021) and Kid Musicians: True Tales of Childhood from Entertainer, Songwriters, and Stars (2024). I don't know how I managed to miss Kid Authors!