Trish loves to play softball, but her parents don’t seem to care about her interests. When an opportunity comes up for Trish to take her game to another level, she’s faced with a choice – play softball or continue with the orchestra. If the decision was left up to her parents, softball wouldn’t even be considered.
Taking matters into her own hands, Trish tries out for the Lady Tigers. But in the process of making her choice, she needs to be dishonest – something that even her new friend sees is wrong. Will Trish’s actions hurt her and the team?
Trish’s Team reinforces the fact that actions have consequences, as Trish discovers when the truth is finally revealed. But it also demonstrates that kids have opinions too, and good parents take time to listen, even if what their kids say makes them uncomfortable. Girls who love sports will relate to Trish’s dilemma and cheer for her to make the right choices.
5-stars
Have you ever had to choose between what your parents want you to do and what you want to do? Trish, the main character in Trish’s Team, the first book in the Lady Tiger’s Series by Dawn Brotherton, often finds herself at odds with her parents. The problem is that all her parents want her to do is play violin in the school orchestra, while Trish is most passionate about playing softball.
One day, after one of her softball games, Trish gets invited by Coach Kory to play on his elite travel softball team, the Lady Tigers. It all seems perfect to Trish until she finds out that the practices for the Lady Tigers conflict with orchestra rehearsal. Will she be able to balance sports and music? Will she make the choice that’s right for her?
Opinion:
Trish’s Team by Dawn Brotherton teaches many important lessons for kids, like the value of honesty, trust, and friendship. It also emphasizes how young athletes need to make good decisions to keep their lives balanced. Trish learns that her decisions affect not just herself, but also her entire team and her family.
Trish’s Team is a fast-paced book that will appeal to readers ages 7-11, especially girls who love sports. Readers who aren’t familiar with softball will still enjoy this book, because there is a helpful glossary of softball terminology in the back.
“Through the Lady Tigers’ series, young readers will learn about softball, but also about friendship, consequences, disappointment, bullying, and other modern-day issues that are confronted during the tween and teen years. The first volume in what promises to be a truly outstanding ‘Lady Tigers’ series from the pen of Dawn Brotherton, “Trish’s Team” is very highly recommended for both school and community library collections for young readers”
