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mbrandmaier's review against another edition
4.0
When Mickey’s best friend quits the wrestling team, she is now the only girl on the team.
Lev was excited to work towards qualifying for States with his wrestling partner, Josh, but he gets reassigned to having Mickey as his partner.
This is a great book about friendship and sportsmanship.
Lev was excited to work towards qualifying for States with his wrestling partner, Josh, but he gets reassigned to having Mickey as his partner.
This is a great book about friendship and sportsmanship.
sasha_in_a_box's review against another edition
4.0
This book is about girl wrestlers, boy wrestlers who are embarrassed to have to fight a girl, and the heroes that we worship.
What happens when you're the only girl on a wrestling team? What if you're already an awkward boy and now your partner has bits that you feel weird grabbing?
That's only the first layer of this book. Laura Shovan is really brave in her exploration of wrestling, the challenges that come with breaking the gender barrier of the sport, and the violence that bubbles beneath sportsmanship. I couldn't believe how warm and interesting this book is! I like wrestling alright and it's hard for me to read sports books sometimes, but this one is a very special work. Love the humanity and how unafraid the author is to dig deeper and excavate the things we're afraid of at our very core. Wonderful!
What happens when you're the only girl on a wrestling team? What if you're already an awkward boy and now your partner has bits that you feel weird grabbing?
That's only the first layer of this book. Laura Shovan is really brave in her exploration of wrestling, the challenges that come with breaking the gender barrier of the sport, and the violence that bubbles beneath sportsmanship. I couldn't believe how warm and interesting this book is! I like wrestling alright and it's hard for me to read sports books sometimes, but this one is a very special work. Love the humanity and how unafraid the author is to dig deeper and excavate the things we're afraid of at our very core. Wonderful!
miszjeanie's review against another edition
5.0
Takedown follows two middle-schoolers, Mikayla (Mickey) and Lev, both of whom are wrestlers. I don’t know much about the sport itself and couldn’t picture a lot of the moves the kids performed in the book, but the stand out themes for me were friendship and identity. Both kids grew so much by the end of the book, it made my heart very happy. Plus, I love reading about sensitive male characters and Lev is just the sweetest boy!
the_fabric_of_words's review against another edition
5.0
So it took me a while to pick this one up. I'm not a wrestling fan, but my two kiddos read it first and persuaded me to give it a chance. I'm glad I did.
Mickey is a 12-year-old girl growing up with brothers and a father devoted to the local wrestling team. It's only natural she follows in their footsteps -- right onto the mat.
Not everyone knows what to make of her, but rather than go to an "all-girl" team, she holds her own and wrestles her way onto a club team. It's not the one her brothers wrestled for, but it's a good team and she finds a true friend and partner in Lev, who admires her grit and determination to make it to the state championships.
I liked the ending -- she doesn't win it all, and almost loses her best friend, but does realistically well.
Visit my blog for more middle grade book reviews, free teaching resources and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com
Mickey is a 12-year-old girl growing up with brothers and a father devoted to the local wrestling team. It's only natural she follows in their footsteps -- right onto the mat.
Not everyone knows what to make of her, but rather than go to an "all-girl" team, she holds her own and wrestles her way onto a club team. It's not the one her brothers wrestled for, but it's a good team and she finds a true friend and partner in Lev, who admires her grit and determination to make it to the state championships.
I liked the ending -- she doesn't win it all, and almost loses her best friend, but does realistically well.
Visit my blog for more middle grade book reviews, free teaching resources and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com
b10tch's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
blissfuloctopus's review against another edition
4.0
A fun-to-read, feel-good book. Definitely something that I'd read again in the future!
wordnerd153's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a few chapters before I got sucked into Lev and Mickey’s story. Still not a fan of wrestling, but I certainly understand it more after reading this.
kateteaching7and8's review against another edition
4.0
Mikayla has grown up in a household of wrestlers. As she enters her sixth grade year, she is moving from the rec team to the local traveling team. She always thought she'd be an Eagle like her older brothers, but the coach won't allow her to join because she's a girl. This forces her to join the opposing team, the Gladiators. It also makes her more determined than ever to prove she has what it takes to be an amazing wrestler. Lev, also a sixth grader and determined wrestler, who has his eyes set on the state chamionship. He trains with his two best buddies, the fearsome threesome, on the Gladiators team. When Mickey (Mikayla) joins the team and coach pairs them together, he's positive his chances at state are gone. However, he soon realizes that maybe he's wrong and Mickey is just the partner he needs to push himself farther. The two work hard and push each other, but there can only be one state champion.
I don't read a lot of sports books, but with wrestling season coming up, I thought I'd check this one out. I like that it includes a strong female protagonist and I think it accurately portrays what many female wrestlers go through. I also enjoyed that this story was told from two perspectives: Mikayla (Mickey) and Lev. Not only do we get to see Mikayla's struggle, but we also get to see Lev's perspective and thoughts as he goes from questioning Mickey's abilities to respecting her as an opponent and friend. This was a heartwarming and fun read. I also found it to be a fairly quick book to read.
I don't read a lot of sports books, but with wrestling season coming up, I thought I'd check this one out. I like that it includes a strong female protagonist and I think it accurately portrays what many female wrestlers go through. I also enjoyed that this story was told from two perspectives: Mikayla (Mickey) and Lev. Not only do we get to see Mikayla's struggle, but we also get to see Lev's perspective and thoughts as he goes from questioning Mickey's abilities to respecting her as an opponent and friend. This was a heartwarming and fun read. I also found it to be a fairly quick book to read.
barberchicago_books's review against another edition
5.0
What an original, inspiring story of two wrestlers, Mikayla & Lev. Told in alternating points of view, Takedown is less a sports story and more about friendship and finding who you are. I loved Mikayla’s spunk as much as I was drawn to Lev’s thoughtfulness, and the supporting characters were beautifully developed.
It’s not often we get an original middle grade sports story, but this is one, and I’m proud to share it with my students.
It’s not often we get an original middle grade sports story, but this is one, and I’m proud to share it with my students.