Match Point!

By Maddie Gallegos. Published by First Second. 

Softcover, 256 pages, Colour, 2023. 

A debut middle grade graphic novel by Maddie Gallegos about two girls: one who hates racquetball and another who loves it—and the strong friendship that blossoms through, and often despite, the sport.

Rosie Vo is at odds with her dad. He pushes his racquetball hobby on to her to the point that she dreads ever spending time with him. Thankfully, new kid Blair moves to town and becomes fast friends with Rosie. She's cool, a great listener, and even better, the best distraction from the tension Rosie feels at home.

Rosie’s convinced Blair is the answer to all her dad-problems. If only Blair could be the racquetball genius Rosie's dad has always wanted! But Blair disagrees, hoping to show her that with a friend by her side, Rosie can face both her dad and racquetball.

"Visually unique and intersectionally diverse characters populate this warmhearted jaunt, rendered in eye-catching full color and teeming with onomatopoeia depicted in bouncy, kinetic text bubbles." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A heartwarming sports story showing a journey of personal growth. " — Kirkus Reviews

"This story is instantly relatable to tween and teen readers trying to live up to parental expectations while establishing their own autonomy." — SLJ

"It can be difficult to translate the action of a sport into just a few panels, but Gallegos does a great job making those scenes dynamic and engaging." — Booklist