Swish by Elena Delle Donne (English) Paperback Book

Description: Swish by Elena Delle Donne After briefly playing on the volleyball team, twelve-year-old Elle rejoins the basketball team, helps them reach the playoffs, and creates a booster club to support girls sports teams at school. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description From WNBA MVP, Olympic gold medalist, and global ambassador to the Special Olympics Elena Delle Donne comes the fifth novel in a middle grade series with as much heart as there is game.Elle has been having a lot of fun on the volleyball team, a mentality she has decided to take with her to basketball once she rejoins the team. But even though Elle has decided she wants to return…will her teammates and coach welcome her back with open arms? It may take more than a swish to make this a winning decision! Author Biography Elena Delle Donne has been a professional womens basketball player since 2013, when she was selected by the Chicago Sky second overall in the WNBA draft. She was the 2015 WNBA MVP and won the gold medal with the USAs womens basketball team in the 2016 Olympics. She is the global ambassador for the Special Olympics and became the first national ambassador for the Lyme Research Alliance. Elena also plays host to De11e Donne Academy, a basketball camp that runs throughout the year, where she mentors and coaches girls ages seven to eighteen. She now plays for the Washington, DC, Mystics. Excerpt from Book Chapter 1: Im Back! 1 Im Back! Pepperoni is the only kind of pizza that matters," Dina was saying. Natalie made a face. "Ew! What is pepperoni supposed to be, anyway? I mean, theyre like weird spicy coins of unidentified greasy meat." "And delicious!" Dina replied, taking an enormous bite of her pizza slice. It was a typical post-game pizza lunch celebration at Spikes Pizza Joint for the Nighthawks, the girls seventh-grade basketball team at Spring Meadow School. That morning, the team had won a game against the Cardinals. Everybody was laughing and talking, and Dina was eating more slices of pizza than looked humanly possible. There was only one problem. I wasnt on the team anymore. That had been my own choice. A few weeks ago, Id decided to take a break from basketball. Id been questioning whether I really loved the sport, or whether I felt I had to play. When youre six feet tall and twelve years old, everybody expects you to be a basketball star. So Id quit. Id helped out the girls volleyball team for a few games while one of their players was out with an injury. Some of the girls on the Nighthawks had understood, like my best friend, Avery. But a few others, like Natalie, Hannah, and Bianca, had been pretty upset with me for leaving in the middle of the season and joining another sport. But the season wasnt over yet. The Nighthawks were just a few games from the playoffs. I had gone to their game today, and theyd played great and won. Lauren, the injured player on the volleyball team, was better, so they only needed me for one more game. After watching the Nighthawks play Id decided: I wanted to rejoin the basketball team! The problem was, I didnt know how my coach or my teammates were going to feel about that. I wasnt sure how to tell them, but I thought it might be easier to start with my friends first. "Do you want me to tell everybody?" Avery whispered, leaning in to me. "This might be a good time." I scanned the faces of my former teammates. Natalie and Hannah would probably be happy to hear that I was coming back, since theyd been angry that Id left in the first place. Caroline was chill, Amanda was sweet, and Patrice, the coachs daughter, was quiet and nice. No problem there. That left Dina, Tiff, and Bianca. Dina could be pretty hot-headed and unpredictable, so I wasnt sure what she would do. Tiff was cool with me, but loyal to Bianca. And Bianca ... she and I had had problems since the beginning of the season, when Coach made me center and moved her to shooting guard. I guess I was most nervous about her reaction, but before coming out for pizza she had talked to me and asked me to come back. And promised to stop calling me stupid names and criticizing me all the time. I had to believe her if I wanted to come back to the team. Just girl up and tell everybody! I coached myself. I took a deep breath and raised my voice. "Hey, everybody!" I said, and everyone quieted down and looked at me. I could feel myself blushing. "I just wanted to say that ... um ... Ive been thinking, and ..." "Elle is rejoining the team!" Avery shouted out happily, and I flashed her a grateful look. To my relief, a cheer went up from the table. Even Bianca looked happy about it. "I still have to ask Coach," I said. "But if she says yes, Ill be back." Patrice grinned at me. "That is awesome, Elle!" "We missed you," said Caroline. "Welcome back, Elle," Hanna added. Amanda looked at me, her freckled nose wrinkled with concern. "Are you sure, Elle? Youre not going to leave again, are you?" From the tone of her voice, I couldnt tell if she was saying it because she cared, or if she was challenging me. I was a little bit surprised, because Amanda and I get along really well. I figured I was misreading her. She couldnt be annoyed with me, could she? "No, I wont quit the team again," I said. "I promise." Bianca smiled. "Just in time to help us get to the playoffs," she said. Dina raised her soda bottle. "Cheers to Elle! Cheers to the playoffs!" We all raised our beverages and clinked. I felt great and couldnt wait to get back on the basketball court! My bubble started to deflate just a teeny bit when I broke the news to my family at dinner that night. The whole Deluca family was seated around the table, eating Dads famous Sunday night spaghetti and meatballs. Dad, Mom, me, my brother, Jim, and my sister, Beth. My dog, Zobe, sat next to me on the floor, watching jealously as we passed plates of food back and forth. "So Ive decided to rejoin the Nighthawks," I blurted out between bites of garlic bread. "Thats good news!" Dad said. "I knew you would," Jim added. Mom looked at me with concern. "Are you sure about this, Elle? Really sure?" I nodded. "I dont regret quitting. I had some good reasons to. Volleyball was a lot of fun, and I loved the energy of that team. Everyone there is really supportive of one another, and I didnt stress out during the games. I think I figured out that when I relax, I can concentrate better on my game." "So why not stick with volleyball?" Mom asked. "Even though it was fun, I didnt love the game. The pace, the action, its really different than basketball," I explained. "It made me realize how much I missed being on the court. And that I really do love basketball." Dad nodded. "Well, you know, Elle, you were--" I interrupted him. "Please do not say that I was born to play basketball. Everybody always says that, and thats one of the reasons why I quit. I dont want to feel like I have to play. I want to do it because I want to. And I do. I want to be back on the team." "Well, if thats the case, then Im glad Coach took you back," Mom said. "Well, I havent exactly asked her yet," I admitted. Mom frowned. "Dont get your hopes up, then, Elle. She might not let you play again until next season," she said. "After all, your other teammates have been putting in a lot of work, and you havent played in weeks." "I think youre wrong, Mom," Jim interrupted. "A few weeks away from the court hasnt hurt Elle. Coach Ramirez loves to win. Shell take Elle back in a heartbeat." I was starting to feel unsure of myself. After dinner, I pulled up a chair next to Beths wheelchair. She cant see or hear, so we communicate using a special form of sign language. When I sat next to her she grabbed my hand and formed the symbol for dog into it. I laughed. "I think Beth loves Zobe more than she loves me now," I said. "She loves both of you," Mom assured me. I called Zobe over to us and started scratching his head. "Dont worry, Zobe, Im not jealous. You cant help being so lovable." Zobe is a Great Dane, so hes a big dog, but hes as cuddly and sweet as one of those giant teddy bears you win on the boardwalk. Beth reached out with both arms to pet him, and he nuzzled right into her with his big snout. I joined her in petting Zobe, and soon his tail was wagging with doggy happiness. Being with Beth always calmed me down. Tomorrow was Monday, and I planned to talk to Coach before basketball practice--and hopefully, shed let me stay. I knew that asking Coach wasnt going to be easy, but it wasnt going to be terrible, either. Still, I had butterflies in my stomach thinking about tomorrow! The next morning, me and my other best friend, Blake, got a ride to Spring Meadow School with Jim, whos a senior. Spring Meadow is a small private school near Wilmington, Delaware. There are three buildings: One for K to fifth grade, one for middle school, and one for high school. Each grade has about fifty kids in it, so we all pretty much know one another. I walked into the building with a duffel bag containing my basketball shoes and practice clothes tucked under my arm. I was taking a chance that Coach Ramirez would let me back on the team--but I wanted to show Coach that I was prepared and ready to go. As I floated through the school day--taking a World History quiz, eating a turkey burger at lunch, trying to sculpt Zobe out of clay in art class--in the back of my mind, I was preparing the speech I was going to give to Coach. When the final bell rang, I grabbed the duffel bag from my locker and bolted across the field to the high school building, where we practiced in the gym. I found Coach behind the desk in the athletic department office, looking all-business as usual in a yellow polo shirt without wrinkles, and not a dark brown hair out of place. I knocked on the door, and she looked up. "Coach, can I talk to you please?" I asked. She didnt seem surprised to see me, which puzzled me, until I remember that I had told Patrice about my decision. She had probably told her mom that I wanted to come back. I didnt know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but my palms started to sweat. "Have a seat, Elle," she said. I sat down and took a deep breath. "So, Coach, Ive done a lot of thinking, and I really want to come back to the team." "Patrice told me," she said, confirming my guess. I waited for her to say more, but there was an awkward pause. "Im sorry for leaving the team before," I said. "I just needed to make sure th Details ISBN1534441298 Pages 144 Audience Age 8-12 Series Hoops Language English Year 2021 ISBN-10 1534441298 ISBN-13 9781534441293 Format Paperback Series Number 5 Author Elena Delle Donne Publisher Simon & Schuster Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States Illustrations f-c gloss cvr (no spfx) NZ Release Date 2021-03-09 US Release Date 2021-03-09 UK Release Date 2021-03-09 Edition Description Reprint Publication Date 2021-03-09 Alternative 9781534441286 DEWEY FIC Audience Children / Juvenile AU Release Date 2021-03-31 Imprint Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:137964623;

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