I love this book. This book has sweet illustrations, and it depicted the realities of young girl friendships. I realize that it’s based on a true story, but it’s still raw and authentic.

Play Like a Girl is a great middle grade graphic memoir themed around gender stereotypes and how they affect young people. It follows Misty who is the only girl on her 7th grade (American) football team. Some of the boys don't want her playing on the team despite her being dedicated and good at the sport. On top of trying to find herself as she plays a traditionally male sport, Misty experiences other middle grade hardships such as dissolving friendships and the awkwardness of being at that age.

I really liked this book a lot. I love anything that challenges gender stereotypes and roles already, but this is a great middle grade book all around. It reads like fiction so young readers will like it. It's genuinely funny with moments that made me chuckle. It explains American football in an easy to understand way without info dumping. And it covers other middle grade problems with moodiness and friendships. Middle school sucks for most kids and I think this book will help a lot of kids feel seen.

Also, there is a picture of Misty in her football uniform at the back of the book which is absolutely great and her husband provided the illustrations!

Thank you to netgalley and harper collins for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Play Like a Girl is a motivational graphic memoir that depicts Misty Wilson's 7th grade experience as the only girl on her school's football team. Misty has to overcome many obstacles in her life. That doesn't stop her though. She has grit and determination. She needs it as she faces adversity from her friends and teammates for joining the football team. She navigates changes in friendships and struggles at home.

Readers will enjoy reading Misty's story. I was captivated by her courage and resilience. Many girls will look to Misty as a role model. This was a fast read, and the artwork was fantastic. I am looking forward to reading more from this author

4.5 stars

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Misty Wilson, and the publisher for eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This story is a semi-memoir graphic novel of Misty's adventure playing for her school's 7th grade football team.
Misty never says no to a challenge, so when the boys tell her she'd never be successful as a football player, she decides to play on their team. What Misty never anticipated was how hard the training would be and how some of her teammates would treat her. This makes middle school even harder for Misty! Especially when her best friend labels her as weird? Will Misty be able to show the boys she's just as good as they are while not losing her best friend at the same time?
I am always for a book that shows girl power! I think this will be a great book for girls out there who are told they can't do something because it is for boys. This book definitely shows girls they can do anything they set their minds to! I will highly recommend this book to friends who teach middle school!

As the author, I'm probably a little biased, but I think this book is pretty great. I just wanted to share the letter to readers that is in the physical ARC:

Dear Reader,
I used to sit in class in elementary school and stare at the clock, willing time to move faster as I counted down the seconds to the best part of the day—recess, the short twenty minutes or so when the only thing that mattered was beating the boys at whatever sport we decided to play that day. I was extremely competitive and perhaps a little too aggressive. But those weren’t necessarily bad qualities to have as a girl trying to become the arm-wrestling-champion of the playground.
Then I got to middle school, and everyone seemed to change—including me. Suddenly, being popular felt important. I wanted to fit in with the girls everyone seemed to like. So, I tried to become who I thought I needed to be.
But even as I strived to be accepted by them—to become one of them—there was something in me, tugging me back to who I truly was, pulling me toward my own path. I couldn’t help but be myself. This led to the unlikely but transformative experience of being the only girl on the boys’ football team.
And now, I’m excited to share my story with you, about being in middle school, trying to figure out where I fit in—both on and off the field—and ultimately discovering that happiness comes from staying true to yourself.
I hope this story speaks to anyone struggling to find their place, anyone who might feel friendships beginning to crumble, or anyone daring to follow their passions—especially in the face of adversity.
Thank you so much for reading.

Sincerely,
Misty

Misty just wants to play football. In this enjoyable graphic novel, the author recounts her 7th grade experiences as a girl on the middle school team, her struggles when her best friend becomes friends with a snarky queen bee, new friends, and a crush on one of her fellow players.

This is a book which seems relevant in a lot of ways. Misty isn't a gender conforming girl, but she's comfortable being a girl in relaxed clothes who loves sports, She has a crush on Ben, who is one of the nicer members of the team, and wants to be accepted. She is a relatable protagonist, and this would be a good entry to discuss the problems gender diverse kids face in sports and in being accepted.

I would recommend this book for inclusion in middle school or older elementary libraries and classroom collections.

In seventh grade, Misty decides to prove the boys wrong and be successful at playing football. Along the way, she learns about friendship and accepting yourself for who you are.

Play Like a Girl is a graphic memoir about the author's time in middle school and playing on the seventh-grade football team. In terms of technicality, this is the perfect graphic novel: the plot, characters, and panels all move along smoothly, and the story itself makes you root for Misty all along the way. The art style captures the feelings of middle school really well - both the awkwardness and the way we perceive others as being "cooler" than ourselves. While I don't know a thing about football, you don't need to in order to read this book - in the end, it's really all about how to find your real friends, even if you have to leave some old ones behind.

Thank you to Balzer + Bray and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.