Books & Literature

Book Review: Grace back on Court, by Maddy Proud

YOUNG ADULT: Grace back on Court is the second book in netballer Maddy Proud’s Grace series but can be read as a stand-alone novel.

An exciting novel written by one of our finest netballers that effectively presents the hardships of the sport.
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Grace Parker is one of the best 14-year old netballers going around. She is also dating the extra gorgeous Sebastian King. She is trying to live out a normal childhood all while juggling the demands of trials for the South Australian under-15 team. How is a young girl supposed to juggle all of this without something giving way?

Maddy Proud is one of this country’s greatest netballers. Starting her career as a precocious 16-year-old with the Adelaide Thunderbirds, she gained a reputation for being fierce in contests and being zippy around the court. Her innate knowledge of the game (as well as her phenomenal ability to play it) led her to become captain of the NSW Swifts in 2019. Injury, however, has kept her out of competing for her country on more than a handful of occasions.

All this is to say that Proud knows netball and, as it turns out, knows how to write an engaging book for younger readers about netball—something the market is desperately lacking. It is wonderful to see someone dip their toes into this field and to do it so successfully.

Grace back on Court is the second novel by Proud and is a follow-up to her highly successful first novel Grace on the Court. These novels are aimed at readers from approximately year six to year nine and Proud creates an exciting world of challenges that will keep the younger readers engaged.

Grace is a wonderful character. She oozes with compassion and caring whilst maintaining her fire on the court. She also makes mistakes along the way which she wrestles with. Proud is strong at breaking down the dilemmas faced by the main character so that her readers can understand where she is coming from. Her friends are also well-presented with many relatable habits such as squealing a lot and being obsessed with boy bands. There is a beautiful storyline involving her new friend Daisy that is a wonderful example of acceptance and a gentle reminder that not everybody has the same story or background.

Of course, the main focus in this novel is netball and this is where Proud’s writing really comes to the fore. Her depictions of the various matches throughout the book are extremely well-written and help explain some of the finer points of the game to those who may not know them. She is skilful at creating strong action scenes— undoubtedly the many matches she has played over her illustrious career have helped this along nicely.

This a joyous book that young, aspiring netballers, or just young girls with a passing interest in the game, should read over and over again. Undoubtedly, we will be blessed with further Grace adventures and that will be a great joy to those young readers who feel left out when it comes to representation of their favourite sport.

Reviewed by Rodney Hrvatin
Twitter: @Wagnerfan74

This review is the opinion of the reviewer and not necessarily of Glam Adelaide.

Published by: Wakefield Press
Released: April 2022
RRP: $19.95

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