From back cover:

Eric’s smile is so dazzling, Maisie is wiling to do anything to be near him – even join the school wrestling team. But she is astonished at the avalanche of hostile opinion she provokes, in and out of school. Is Eric worth it? Not if he keeps dating Liz (“Lizard”) Lampley! The sign in the coach’s office sys, “It takes a little more to be a champion.” Does Maisie have what it takes to stick it out – and win?

9/15/04 Sending to harmaja

I received "There's a Girl in My Hammerlock" today. Thanks, casseytara! What a nice beginning for my day! (I always check my mail in the mornings.)

I have read Jerry Spinelli's "Maniac Magee" before, and I liked it immensely. I'm looking forward to read more of his books!

Arg! I was cleaning my table today, and guess what I found? Yes - the book I've been looking for quite a while - There's a Girl in My Hammerlock! I'm glad I hadn't really truly lost it, but ashamed of having such a messy desk that I can lose a book there. And what's even more embarrassing, I realized I have failed to write a journal entry after reading this book! I'm pretty sure I've read it before Christmas!

Aramena, I am SO sorry for being so disorganized! I often am, and I try to mend my ways, but I still haven't managed. I'm absent-minded and I tend to lose, forget and procrastinate things. I guesss that doesn't make me the model bookcrosser. :-(

Anyway - better late than never, I hope - now I'll write the journal entry I should have written months ago! Luckily this was such a good book that I still remember it very well, and can recall what I thought of it.

While I did like this book a lot, my feelings about the general theme of the book were pretty ambivalent. (I guess that's one of the reasons why I enjoyed reading this book, really.) Maisie first joins the wrestling theme to get Eric's attention, but later on she really gets to like wrestling and wants to do well, just like everyone else on the team. Instead of helping her achieve her goal, her team-mates keep ridiculing her and putting her down because she's a girl, and a girl should know her place isn't in the wrestling team! And heaven forbid that a girl can actually do well in such a manly sport!

Now, the ambivalency of my feelings had to do with Maisie's persistency to stay in the team and to show the guys what she's made of. On one hand, I thought her brave and determined. And on the other hand, it seemed stupid that she was ready to take all that physical aggression and downright violence to stay in the team. (I know wrestling is not a violent sport, but in this book the boys in the team are really aggressive - I don't know if this is true in real life as well.) She wants to be "one of the guys", to show she can take the aggression, and to me, that's not unproblematic.

I like to kind of play-wrestle myself, in a good company. (I've yet to beat Endre, my old nemesis!) I think girls should be allowed to show physical activity and take physical contact as well as boys. On the whole, the boys are allowed to show aggression while the girls are not, and I don't think this is all good for the girls. And yet I like to think myself a pacifist, and I'm not sure if it's acceptable for kids to fight in the first place. I was a tomboy and I did fight, and it didn't harm me. But would I allow my kids to do so? I don't know.

Reading this book did make me think about this aggression issue a lot, but let me point out once again that the wrestling itself wasn't depicted as violence - the mobbing took place during the times when the coach wasn't watching. I should also mention that it wasn't just the guys in the wrestling team that were giving Maisie a hard time, but just about all the kids in her school. Maisie really stepped over some boundaries by starting to wrestle, and she had to bear a lot of heat because of that. The pressure she faced felt very true to life - this is probably how it is for a girl to try out such a macho sport...

There were other themes in the book, such as Eric's and Maisie's dating - yes, it did finally happen. And what happens next is very fulfilling, I can tell you that! ;-) I thought the book was well written, and funny, and very interesing all the way to the end. All in all, it was one of the best children's books I've read in a while. Thank you so much, Aramena, for giving me the chance to read it! And sorry again for the long-delayed journal entry!

This book is now reserved for KleptoKitty.

How peculiar that this has arrived in Portugal on the same day as my book to Harmaja has arrived in Finland (I've just received the journal entry!).

Although this is a book for young people, I really enjoyed reading Stargirl on a Ring a few months ago so am looking forward to it. Thanks for sharing it :-)

I would have read this all in one sitting, only my boyfriend made me go to bed last night & leave the last few chapters so I had to get back to it this morning!

This is the second Jerry Spinelli book I've read, and if I had a girl of the intended age range I'd be making sure these were on her shelf. This one covers some pretty hot issues in a lively way, and is very readable.

I'm offering this up as a Ring, participants to follow.

This is heading off to the first participant of a Book Ring tomorrow. It's still open to further readers (open internationally), so please drop me a PM if you'd like to join.

Book Ring Rules (Adapted from psychjo)

1) Please leave a journal entry when receiving the book and after you've read it! Please let us all know what you think about it...
2) PM the next person on the list for a mailing address and if that person doesn't answer within 7 days MAX! please PM the one after...
3) Everybody should also try to read the book soon (max - one month?)- but at a joyful speed. It's not about how many books you can plough through - it's about enjoying it...
4) You can send the book via surface mail or airmail - that is completely up to you.
5) If you find you don't have the time to read it when it's your turn please PM and I'll move you to a later slot.

Participants are:

Scotsbookie - UK
Catroinamoore - UK
Beebarf - UK
Olliebear - UK
Rillaith - UK

... You ?

Arrived safely this morning , thank you kleptokitty,

Although a young adults book I thoroughly enjoyed the way Spinelli tackled the hot issues discussed in the book. Peer pressure, aggression, violence & bullying. If I had a daughter this is a book I would put on her bookshelf.

Thank you Kleptokitty for putting this out on a ray.

Posted to catrionamoore today 22 Nov 2005

Arrived safely; thank you. I will read this once I have finished struggling with Ben Elton's Gridlock.

‘It takes a little more to make a champion.’

Jerry Spinelli is one of those authors who should have been around when I was an awkward teenager. Although his work reads in a very similar way to a remarkable book I read when I was younger. Shame I can’t remember what the book was now and who wrote it!

Maisie was willing to do anything to win her beau. She even joined the wrestling team. She would probably have joined the mixed hockey and rugby teams too, if they had them at her school. Maisie learnt that some boys don’t like you beating them at wrestling. They aren’t too keen on you beating them in hockey and rugby either. Thankfully she learnt that the only person she can do these things for is herself.

A good dose of the social misfit and a fine tale for any awkward pre-pubescent or teenage girl.

Apologies for taking so long, I read it weeks ago but I've struggled to find time to catch up with my journals and posting.

This book arrived this morning - I'm a little swamped with bookrings at the moment, but having been made redundant at Christmas, I should have some more free time to read :o)

I really enjoyed the author's book "Stargirl" so I'm looking forward to this.

Although Maisie joins the wrestling team from the most girlie of motives, she soon shows she has more balls than the rest of the team put together!

By trangressing some of the most subtle and deep of gender boundaries - girls aren't supposed to be aggressive and enjoy fighting - she stirs up a lot of ill feeling, not just on the team, but in the school and community at large.

The story plots Maisie's struggles to come to terms with both the outward hostility, and also her growing self awareness.

Sensitively written, with some genuinely funny moments - I loved Maisie's mum showing up for a sleepover! How can this guy write so well about the inner life of a teenage girl?

Not as haunting as "Stargirl" but a very good book nontheless. I'd recommend it to any teenage girl or parents of a teenager.

Olliebear wasn't sure if she wanted this, and was going to get back to me, but I haven't heard anything. As Rillaith is going to the Unconvention, will take this with me and pass to her.

I had completely forgotten about this, so was thoroughly confused when it was pressed upon me at the Unconvention yesterday! It's number 4 on my shelf but they'r all pretty small books - this weekend was a good opportunity for people to exchange ring books, and it seems several people did so!

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this! It was a very quick read (2 train journeys), but it was easy going without being inane or childlike.

Thank you for luring me into reading this book! ;)

To return to Kleptokitty unless anyone else wants to join the ring first.

RELEASE NOTES:

Posting to Kleptokitty shortly

My Mum tells me that this has arrived back safe & sound. Thanks to all who´ve enjoyed it. I´ll read it again myself,then decide where it´s to head off to next.

Enjoyed it just as much on a second reading. I'm now marking this available & hoping to find a new reader ...

This is no longer in our guest accomodation, so I guess one of our WWOOFers has taken it with them on further adventures. Bon voyage!

RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Released during the release walk today.