Bea Mullins Takes a Shot captures the awkwardness of being a middle schooler. While not always likable, Bea is an interesting main character. At times, I wanted her to stop jumping to conclusions and making silly assumptions. But, young teens are not known for their good judgment. The author does well to capture the atmosphere of a hockey rink. Overall, I love that this book encourages girls to participate in sports and it highlights the importance of friendship.

This was such a heartwarming story of empowerment in women's sports as well as first crushes and navigating middle school friendships! I loved every chapter, and am excited to read more from Deibert.

This was so fun!!! I love a good hockey romance, and there's no reason why middle-grade readers shouldn't get in on the fun. The characters were well-developed, the depiction of a young queer crush was as un-cringey as possible, and who doesn't love a children's book that uses the phrase "consciously uncoupled"? I'm excited to recommend this book to readers and to see what Emily Deibert does next!

I liked the look into hockey and finding a place to fit in. But I didn't love Bea. I think her anxiety really takes over who she is. I get that is a very real thing, but I just wanted more development of her. I liked that she does find a place to fit in on the hockey team.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

This is a queer friendly MG hockey novel set in Canada that focuses on the importance of self confidence and teamwork. Bea Mullins is a frankly neurotic middle school student who loathes team sports due to a past experience being the weakest player on children’s summer basketball team. When she’s forced into participating in a team sport she and her best friend select ice hockey, a sport neither of them have ever played. Bea spends most of the novel convinced everyone is laughing at her, often to a degree that quite frankly doesn’t make sense even given her backstory. She also struggles to realize her incredibly obvious crush on a fellow player is, in fact, a crush. The usual MG romance hijinks are present and the story is, overall, sweet. That being said, I’d love to see more books about the other characters, all of whom seem to be more interesting and less navel gazing than poor anxious Bea.

A hilarious and heartwarming middle grade debut that celebrates taking a chance on yourself and finding friendship through sport!

This charming debut middle grade novel has everything young readers could ask for: friendships, school angst, first crush, sibling dynamics, and finding ways to take action. In this case, it's finding a way to save a hockey team the protagonist, Bea has come to love--even though she joined it grudgingly.

I loved the humor, the hockey references, and the genuinely sweet discoveries Bea makes throughout the novel. In times that feel rather dark, this novel is a bright light. Bea improves as a hockey player, but realistically. Her growth feels organic and natural. She develops a crush on fellow player, Gabi and but isn't sure if the feelings are reciprocated--one of the most relatable situations possible to middle grade readers! She loves her older brother, but has to deal with his teasing and annoying behavior towards her, which is also a very relatable experience.

This book ends on a bright and hopeful note. I enjoyed watching Bea's growth over the course of the book and I think young readers will find her story relatable. There are plenty of lessons here about friendship, finding a love for playing a sport and not just winning, and handling bullying behaviors by fellow students. But the book never feels as if it's trying to teach lessons. Bea Mullins Takes a Shot will make a great addition to upper elementary and middle school classrooms.

This was a great read! As a hockey fan, I loved seeing how Bea learned to love the game and brought attention to the lack of coverage for girls’/women’s sports. I enjoyed the discussions about friendship and teamwork. A must read.

Very cute middle grade novel about a girl who reluctantly signs up for her schools hockey team. She eventually ends up enjoying it and her teammates. The LGBTQ rep was amazing and honest. Them not knowing whether it was a date is so sapphic coded. I gave this one 4/5 stars

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read and share it.

Bea isn't good at sports. At all. But when the gym floods and the kids are "strongly encouraged" to join a team to make up for the cancelled PE class, she signs up for hockey....due to an immediate crush on Gabi, one of the captains.

I honestly love reviewing queer romance books because 90% of the book is building a relationship between the characters, who rarely even feel comfortable disclosing that they're attracted. It ends up being an amazing model of consent and communications that often "romance" books lack.

This book is no exception. Bea gradually becomes better at hockey, gradually becomes part of the team, and, gradually, connects with Gabi. None of which comes easy. I think sports fans would enjoy this book, even if they don't know much about hockey, but this non-sports fan also enjoyed it, and those who like sweet, light books with a hint of romance would also enjoy it.

Unfortunately, the fact that Bea and Gabi are both girls may well keep this book from reaching the audiences it deserves. Which is a shame, because it's exactly the sort of thing I would love to see tween/early teens reading. I am adding it to my Little Free Library list.

I loved this! Great characters, great hockey, a realistic coming of age story. Definitely will be recommending it to patrons and colleagues!