August 25, 2026 by Dial Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
In this graphic novel, Samata Sánchez lives in Santiago, Chile and is obsessed with weight lifting. While her older brother, Pedro, is supportive of her dreams, her parents are not. They think that competitive sports in Chile are not a good choice, so discourage her. She’s never had a coach, and has learned everything from Barb Miller , a US influencer, but when Eva dos Santos, an Olympic weightlifting coach, is recruiting for the HPC school, Sam tries out. When she makes it, her parents so let her attend the school, and she is surprised to find that Barb is also there. There are teens from across Latin America there, competing in a variety of sports. Sam ends up rooming with Barb, and befriends JoJo, Karen, and Tom, whose father works in the kitchen. There is some mix up with Sam’s accommodations, so she ends up eating in the kitchen for several months, and gets to know Tom well. Sam dedicates herself to training in a single mided way that isn’t particularly healthy, and is isolated from the other students. When she attends a competition to qualify for the Pan American Championships, she pushes herself far beyond her capabilities, even though Eva warns her that it is a bad idea. Sam ends up injuring her knee, but decides to stay at the school to recuperate, and ends up making friends and helping out. She also is able to regain some of the joy of weight lifting that she had lost. She develops a romantic relationship with Tom (and other students, like JoJo and Karen, couple up as well) and finally makes peace with her parents and their expectations.
Strengths: Sam’s love of weight lifting will resonate with athletes who are fond of their own sport, and her attendance at the prestigious HPC school will seem like a dream come true to them. The cast of characters is interesting and diverse, and Sam’s relationship with her “rival”, Barb, is particularly well done. While I was surprised that the coach allowed Sam to attempt liftin beyond her range, young athletes definitely push themselves too far sometimes, and even the most cautious teens have to suffer through injuries from time to time. The addition of a little romance makes this even more appealing, and the artwork is charming.
Weaknesses: There are a lot of technical explanations of weight lifting that will appeal to fans of the sport, but might slow down the story for those who are unfamiliar. This is on the long side, and was originally conceived as an animated show, although it was never developed as such.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy sports books with different sports, like Pérez’s Tumble or Egbe’s Run Like a Girl.
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