Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I enjoyed this book. It was about a girl whose dad had recently died. She has been having a hard time adjusting and when she realizes her neighbor owns a wrestling school, she leaps at the chance. After a long persuading her mom, she is allowed to be on the show, but it does come with some rules. I enjoyed the ideas of what happened and how MJ adjusted. to her new life and the ups and down of being on a show. It's a great book for reders ges 9-12.

MJ understands pain. The pain of not having any friends, pain at losing a father, and always being seen as an outsider. Her life changes when a drone she's flying lands in her neighbor's backyard. A whole new world opens up to her when she discovers her neighbor is a retired pro-wrestler and a school coach. Wrestling was something she and her father both loved. Now all she has to do is convince her mother it is safe.

MJ finds a home in the gym. The other wrestlers take her "under their wings" and give her advice in and out of the ring. When one man's anger threatens to shut down the gym forever, MJ fights to save the gym she loves.

I love how strong MJ is. She understands the pain and her feelings, but she doesn't deny them. She tries different ways to solve her problems and doesn't rely on others to tell her what she should do or how she should feel. The adults in her life are respectful and keep her safe. Wallace takes the world of pro-wrestling and helps readers who may have preconceived notions and stereotyped beliefs understand the sport's positivity and art.

I devoured this book and can't wait to recommend it to readers. This is a perfect suggestion, not only for kids who love wrestling but also for readers who enjoyed Lupe Wong Won't Dance or the Comeback.

Thank you to the publisher Katherine Tegen books for an e-ARC of this book.

This book was a breath of fresh air and tons of fun to read. Like I mentioned earlier, it's a middle-grade book all about wrestling!!!! How could I not enjoy it?! I wish I had something like this growing up, which is probably why I wrote a book inspired by wrestling too! We should see more wrestling books out there that are fictional!!

MJ loves Lucha Libre, thanks to her dad. It's the only thing that makes her feel safe and happy, which she really, really needs to feel right now. So, when she discovers something very, very cool about her next door neighbour, she isn't going to let up until she gets to do what she loves. Thus ensues a story about facing your fears, making new friends, finding a place where you belong and following your dreams!

Honestly, this book was really cool for me. I got into wrestling when I was 12, then started training a week before my 16th birthday. It gave me a place to belong and I met people who became instant friends, who felt like family, so I could very much relate to MJ. It was pretty awesome reliving training days and reading about wrestling in so much detail from MJ's point of view. Matt Wallace also used to be a professional wrestler which comes across in this book, because he knows so much about the business.

'Bump' ties in the colourful, electric world of Lucha Libre with a very emotional, heartfelt story about finding your people, growing up and dealing with loss. I could feel the passion MJ had in her veins and how much she needed wrestling. I could feel her nerves, her excitement, her pain. It was quite a journey to go on and though there is heartbreak, it was a very entertaining and enjoyable read.

I highly recommend 'Bump' for young and old wrestling fans alike!

I never would have expected to enjoy a book about wrestling as much as I enjoyed this one. I never really watched wrestling so I expected that I would feel lost by the terminology, or just by the focus on the sport. But Wallace does an excellent job of integrating definitions naturally into the plot via MJ's introduction to various skills. This book celebrates how a wrestler's individual skills and showmanship works towards the overall benefit of the school. The plot of the Athletic Commission trying to shut down the school serves to ratchet up the tension but bay not have been entirely necessary and makes extreme. Personally, I have liked a bit more about luchadores and their relationship to American wrestling. Even so, its a highly entertaining read.

I loved this book. I know very, very little about pro wrestling but I didn't feel lost when the author was describing wrestling training and shows. That said, a fan would probably appreciate it more.

MJ was a very likable narrator and I think kids will connect with her feelings of loneliness and anger (what kid hasn't felt that at some point?) as well as her determination to learn and grow.

Hand this to your fans of realistic fiction, and your fans of lucha libre.

MJ is having a bad year. It’s her first year at middle school, which is difficult enough, but her dad not being around anymore is the worst. And she didn’t want to be on the gymnastics team this year, not since she was bullied and felt excluded, despite being one of the best gymnasts on the team. And since her dad left, MJ and her mother had to move out of their house, and now her mother has to work two jobs and take online classes.

MJ doesn’t have any friends, so she spends her lunch time watching wrestling videos of luchadores, Mexican wrestlers who wear masks and wrestle with an entertaining, energetic style. Without friends or afterschool activities, she just sits alone in her room after school flying her drone. It had been a gift from her father before he’d left. But when it crashes into a neighbor’s yard, MJ decides to go after it and discovers an old wrestling ring in her neighbor’s yard. It turns out her neighbor used to be a lucha wrestler, and now he owns a training school for wrestlers.

MJ wants to join her neighbor’s wrestling school more than anything, and after wearing her mother down, the two strike a deal. MJ has to keep her grades up, and if she gets seriously hurt then she’ll have to stop, but her mother agrees to let her wrestle. Since she’s only 12, it takes her some convincing to get her neighbor to let her in the school, but she wears him down too and gets ready to start training as a wrestler.

At first, she’s paired with an older girl to learn the basics of wrestling—how to interact with another wrestler in the ring and how to fall down without getting hurt. As the weeks of training go on, she learns more about what it takes to have a match. She builds her endurance and expands her in-ring skills. She even gets to try out some simple matches before a small audience in their weekly wrestling shows.

But when an investigator with the State Athletic Commission comes to do his inspection, MJ gets a bad feeling, like the inspector has a problem with her neighbor and is trying extra hard to shut down the wrestling school. This is the first thing in months that has made MJ happy, and she doesn’t want to lose that. But will she be able to help save the school that means so much to her?

Bump by former professional wrestler Matt Wallace is a heart-warming story of healing and self-discovery told in the world of lucha wrestling. Filled with lots of heart, some sadness, some courage, lots of bumps and bruises, and a respect for professional wresting, this novel for young girls will encourage and inspire them to follow their dreams no matter what. As MJ learns, it doesn’t matter how much you get knocked down. What matters is how often you get back up.

I loved Bump. It has a sweetness that can’t be denied. I admit I’m a later-in-life fan of professional wrestling. I didn’t pay much attention to it until I met my current boyfriend, who as been a lifelong fan. But I have come to respect the hard work and athleticism it takes to be a good wrestler and to admire the stories these athletes tell through their actions. MJ is a fantastic character, and her journey is one that I’m glad to have witnessed. She has a lot of heart and a lot of spunk, and I think she sets a wonderful example to readers of all ages who read about her experiences in and out of the ring. I only wish I could have read this when I was a kid. Her courage would have inspired me to be stronger against the bullies and mean girls I knew through the years.

Egalleys for Bump were provided by HarperCollins Children’s Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

MJ is a twelve-year-old wrestling fan who is dealing with loss in her home life and racism in her school life. She feels isolated, alone, with only her wrestling show for company until she notices a covered wrestling ring in her neighbor's yard. Turns out, her neighbor is the owner of a wrestling school, and after some intense discussion with her mother and some successful nudging on MJ's part, Mr. Arellano - Papí, to his wrestling students - agrees to take her on as a student. At the Victory Wrestling School, MJ finally feels like she's part of something, but an investigator from the state Athletic Commission is doing his best to shut Mr. Arellano down. MJ is determined to get to the bottom of some shady business and save the school and her wrestling family.

I loved Bump, because it's such a good mix of family stories - the family we have and the families we create - plus the fun and work of the wrestling business. MJ knows that the bruises are real; she loves the rich history of the luchadores, and she loves being part of this history. Wrestling fans will enjoy all the nuances and peek into the ground floor of the industry, and sports fans will enjoy the heart and guts that comes with dedication. Matt Wallace addresses the casual racism that exists in our schools, and all too briefly looks at the issues with racism within MJ's friend group. The action is fast-paced, and there's a wild moment that belongs in a wrestling storyline that brings the story to its conclusion. A good read that I'd hand off to my library kids. Add some luchador coloring masks to your book discussion activity and invite the kids to explain why they chose the designs they did; make the masks an extension of their personalities. There's a good explanation of lucha libre and its place in Mexican culture at SpanishPlayground.net.  Not an #OwnVoices book, but a good read that kids will like.

Although I enjoyed the angle of a female wrestler, I wasn't fond of the writing. I found the MJ's rapid rise to success and skill rather unbelievable, the villian was predictable, and small details kept popping me out of the story when they seemed unrealistic.

MJ is a middle schooler who loves wrestling, is dealing with bullies and misses her father very much. When she discovers that her new neighbor runs a wrestling school, she gets to persue her dreams, gains some confidence and finally says goodbye to her father. A strong female protagonist who finds her voice.

Fun middle grade novel set in Mecca, CA that focuses on a grieving girl who finds purpose and joy at a local wrestling school. It goes slightly off the rails towards the end with an unnecessary and improbable Scooby-Doo type ending,leading me wonder if the plan for this book changed midway through. Topics covered include community, finding yourself, racism, and grief processing. Trigger warnings for parental death.

A fun read about a topic I haven't seen too much of in chapter books: lucha libre wrestling. Good character development and the story was engaging and informative at the same time. Somewhat predictable and good guy vs. bad guy, but that doesn't detract from the story and I think kids will enjoy it.

I received this e-ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this and NEED this for my elementary music classroom! This does such a great job breaking down the orchestra into small manageable parts. I can't wait to hear the accompanying tracks.