4.5/5

Characters-9

Tryouts had entertaining characters. I’m not one for sports books, but I enjoyed reading about the characters in this one. I loved the friendships in this book and the characters’ support for each other. Community support is important in the middle school years, and I loved how supportive the characters were of each other. They would do anything for their friends, and I loved seeing that throughout the story.

Writing & Illustrations -9

Tryouts had a fun art style. I loved the colorful pallet, and I thought it worked well to tell the story. With graphic novels, finding the balance between writing and art can be challenging, and Sarah Sax does a great job of both. I found the writing style to be charming and engaging.

Plot-8

This graphic novel had an engaging story. I enjoyed how Al broke barriers, and joined the boys team. She helped turn the team around by motivating them to do better, which I loved. I loved the Girl’s Basketball team getting coverage thanks to Al, and the rest of the teams shining a light on them. Al’s friends Viv and Milo were fun to follow as they both had their own journeys. Each character in this book grew and I loved seeing how much they grew.

Enjoyment-8

This book was fun. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I loved the characters and felt for some of them. The story was enjoyable and fun, while also talking about important topics.

I was sent a print ARC by the publisher and a galley here on NetGalley. A very enjoyable story, relatable for many girls even nowadays, I’m sure. A unique main character and great illustrations

"'Do you think you're any good?'
'What?! Obviously, duh.'
'Like... you say it all the time, but I don't know if you really believe it. Let yourself feel as good as you say you are.'"

I had an absolute blast reading Picture Day last fall so when I saw this graphic novel available on NetGalley, I immediately requested it. The Brinkley Yearbooks remind me of Terri Libenson's Invisible Emmie series or Svetlana Chmakova's Awkward series: we are introduced to a cast of characters but each book follows a different character and we get to see the beloved characters from other books make an appearance in newer additions. I love these graphic novel series and I know my students do as well!

Tryouts follows Al, a fantastic baseball player. Al has been playing Little League baseball for years but now that she's reached middle school, she has reached the end of Little League. When a friend encourages her to try out for the middle school baseball team, Al decides that's a great idea. When she makes it, she figures playing on this team will be just like her days playing on Little League. Unfortunately, middle school baseball brings a whole new host of challenges. Al is such a strong character and I loved her relationship with her family. I wish we had a bit more of her family dynamics, to be honest! Meanwhile, there's a whole side plot going on with Viv from Picture Day trying to resurrect an old mascot costume while picking fights with the new mascot.

This graphic novel series is bound to be popular with middle grade readers who enjoy middle schoolers getting into middle school shenanigans. There is fantastic representation and strong female characters. A super solid new graphic novel series. 👏🏼⭐️

Recommended for: Grades 5-8

**Thank you to Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. The artwork was stunning and the story was easy to follow. It also gave a great narrative for women in sports and speaking up for yourself. Many young girls are afraid of the day that they might have to give up the sport they have worked on for so many years. This book gives them the voice to say I won't give up.

I love stories about girls and women in sports and this graphic novel was no different. I will say the mascot side story was a bit odd and somewhat unnecessary to me, but the payoff of it made it worth it. The illustrations and story were both great and I loved the emphasis on team sports being about the team, not the individual. Finally, the addition of the girls’ basketball team’s undefeated season and subsequent championship and the added tidbit of women and girls sports only receiving 5% of media coverage was very much appreciated as someone who is a huge advocate for increased media coverage of women’s sports. Overall, this was a wonderful book that would be inspiring for any young athlete looking to pave their way in their sport.

Graphic novel love hits a new level with these lovable characters. As bold artwork drives the story, there are no strike outs with the engaging text. Coupled with baseball, the underlying themes include these wonderful characters finding themselves and doing what’s right for both themselves and the community. Friendship is a slam dunk – oops – wrong sport… Friendship is the grand slam that will keep you engaged throughout.

Before I start this review I have a little confession to make. I already had a pre-order for tryouts as I loved Picture Day so much.

This time it is centred around Al and even though I know nothing about Baseball as I am from over the pond I found the story very captivating.

But my favourite thing was that both Viv and Milo had their own side stories connected to Al's main story which I thought was nicely done.

For all the above I am giving Tryouts 4 stars and I will be continuing on with this fabulous series

I love this empowering read! I read it with my sport-loving 4th grader and she really enjoyed watching Al follow her dreams.

Although I'm not a sportsy person, I do love reading about sportys gals who are great at it! This was wholesome, cute, a little emotional, and full of love.

Tryouts is fantastic as a stand alone middle grade/middle school graphic novel about friendship, beloved hobbies, and what it means to be a team. It's also a great installment in Sarah Sax's "Brinkley Yearbooks" series, which has been entirely stellar so far. I really hope there will be more future installments!

Tryouts is a great follow up to Picture Day! This book follows Alexandra, who is the first girl to make her school’s baseball team. Throughout the season, the team faces pressure from their community to defend their championship title and Alex faces a different pressure of doing well so that she can continue to have opportunities to play in traditionally boys-only spaces. I love the side storyline with Alex’s friends and reviving the school’s old mascot - it brought some humor to the story and something that kids may relate to even if they don’t play sports. This story comes at a perfect time as more people are watching and investing in women’s sports.

I received an ARC from Random House Children's | Knopf Books for Young Readers via Net Galley. This middle grade graphic novel follows 7th grader Al as she tryouts for the boys baseball team. This is a cute middle school slice of life story. While it is the 2nd in a series, you don’t have to read Picture Day to enjoy Al’s story. It is a nice balance of school life, family, friendship overcoming challenges and teamwork. Good incorporation of secondary characters. Easy to read, fun, and affirming.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Tryouts is the sequel to Picture Day, where sporty Al is trying out for the school's baseball team. She would be the first girl on the team and hopes to help the team win their tenth championship. The heart of the story is Al dealing with team conflicts, losing games, and helping give girls' sports teams as much recognition as boys. I enjoyed this probably even more than Picture Day because Viv is a difficult character to like and root for, while Al is just the best. Viv does have a side story that brings some much-needed comedy to juxtapose the more serious issues found in Tryouts. The artwork is solid with full-color illustrations and backgrounds that match the main characters. The Brinkley Yearbooks is turning out to be a loving series and I can't wait to read the next installment (hopefully about Milo and his nerdy Art Club friends).

When Al tries out for baseball and becomes the first and only girl on the team, she's thrilled just to be able to play the sport she loves. But the pressure to perform well and maintain a winning record takes its toll on the players. And when local media focuses on Al and her role on the team more than the team as a whole, the team falls apart.

A good middle grade graphic novel that focuses on finding your passion and getting involved in something you love.

"Tryouts" by Sarah Sax is the second book in addition to the Brinkley Yearbook series. I adored this book!! | felt it was the perfect book that I needed to feel lighter and to laugh!
Follow Alexandra, aka Al, as she challenges gender norms in middle school sports and joins the historically boys-only baseball team. As the team struggles to maintain their championship title, Al's determination and love for the game shine through every situation that arises!
Sax beautifully captures the excitement and tension of middle school sports, making "Tryouts" a delightful read for middle schoolers!

Tryouts by Sarah Sax is a fabulous MG graphic novel that will help readers navigate working together with a team, following their dreams, and standing up for what they believe in. Alexandra (Al) has always played and loved baseball, but she is faced with a challenge when the only way to play would be to join the boys team. She needs to convince them to give her a chance, encourage the team to work together, and prove herself as a player good enough to play with the boys. This book is part of a series, but absolutely can be read without reading the others. MG reader will love it!

A fun, sporty graphic with plenty of middle-grade appeal. I would argue that this one is much better than its predecessor.

The artwork of this one pulled me immediately into a comfortable urban scenario with confident and bold lines, characters, and colors. All shows very well and it's easy to read. I love all the characters, not just the main one, Al who wants to follow her passion to play baseball but the school's team is usually just for males. Viv with her obsession to know all about the mystery mascot is a fabulous character with amazing moments of compassion, and Milo with his amazing skills and passion for creating quilts. As the author mentions in her note, this is not just trying out for baseball, many characters are experimenting with things, from small to impacting their lives or community. Being active for the sake of a better community, for change and to do what is right. It was very uplifting. The drawings of the baseball game were well done and exciting as well. My favorite page is the double page almost at the end and I love that we get insights from the players of their current emotions or expectations. Very cool not only for baseball fans but as a celebration of friendship.
I read this one as a standalone.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc.

I'm not really a huge sports person, but this book was pretty heartwarming and inspiring nonetheless!

Welcome Back!

I really love reading graphic novels and manga. There is just something so fun about diving into these stories and just getting to enjoy them alongside images that help to represent the characters, settings, situations, and more. Recently I picked up a graphic novel E-ARC (thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest review). I had no idea when I decided to pick this one up there was a graphic novel before it (so now I am trying to hunt a copy down to read) but in the meantime let’s talk about Tryouts!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Al is a female baseball player but now in middle school she is not sure she will get to play anymore. They have a boy’s team but not a girl’s team. After some research performed by her friends and a chat with her family, she decides she is going to sign up for tryouts for the boy’s team. The new coach does not put up a fight and is actually very excited to have Al trying out. Al tries out and does her best, she patiently waits for the news of if she made the team, and when the day comes that the coach makes the announcements, Al learns she made the team! She is beyond excited and they are able to start the session off strong. However, there starts to be some follies when Al is recognized by the media and they cut out some items from the interview to make it appear like Al is attributing all the success to herself instead of the team. Now the team is mad and Al and Al is feeling all off. But can the team make a comeback? This is very important to everyone but it would require them to pull together to pull this off!

I absolutely loved this graphic novel. Al, her family, her friends, and her teammates were all interesting and I loved getting to be a part of their world for just a little bit. Additionally, this graphic novel’s colors pop off the page and catch your attention, they make you want to continue reading this story and learning more about Al’s journey. I am currently hunting down the first graphic novel in this series and I am so excited to get to have more time in this world. This graphic novel is coming out on May 7th! I highly recommend giving it a try!

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

***Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.