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Netball Gems #1
Netball Gems 1: Hooked on Netball
A junior fiction series written in partnership with Netball Australia
Meet Maddy and her friends from the Gems!
Maddy can't wait to play her first game of netball with her new team. She's been training hard and is eager to try out her skills. But Maddy's excitement soon turns to nerves when she realises that things might not go exactly as she imagined. What position will coach Janet put her in? What if she gets asked to sit on the bench? Suddenly, the netball courts are the last place Maddy wants to be!
Perhaps some inspiration from one of the Australian Diamonds players will finally get Maddy hooked on netball!
Meet Maddy and her friends from the Gems!
Maddy can't wait to play her first game of netball with her new team. She's been training hard and is eager to try out her skills. But Maddy's excitement soon turns to nerves when she realises that things might not go exactly as she imagined. What position will coach Janet put her in? What if she gets asked to sit on the bench? Suddenly, the netball courts are the last place Maddy wants to be!
Perhaps some inspiration from one of the Australian Diamonds players will finally get Maddy hooked on netball!
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 3, 2015
5 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
B. Hellard
13 books2 followersLisa Gibbs and Bernadette Hellard are sisters who have been involved in all aspects of netball in Australia for many years. They have played at A-grade level as well as coached and umpired. Netball Gems is Lisa and Bernadette’s second published series of netball books. Their earlier series consisted of four books aimed at girls in the 9-13 age range. Lisa is an academic specialising in child health and well-being. She is married with a 19 year old son and two stepsons, one in primary and one in secondary school.
(Penguin.au)
(Penguin.au)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 24, 2017
It was great it gave me lots of tips on netball. I recommend you read it.
March 17, 2024
Awww the nostalgia takes me back 🥹 Spotted this kids book at work yesterday and borrowed it from the library today, sat and read it in one sitting while watching a netball game for the first time in years (Go Vixens!) I miss netball so muchhhh
October 7, 2018
I love this book i honestly think Maddy is awesome i love the way she mentions her problems i think kids 7-13 would enjoy reading it
From Ruth
From Ruth
May 25, 2020
Great series of books if you love netball.
January 27, 2019
From the creators of the early 2000's series Netball of Nothing, comes a new netball series for young readers, The Netball Gems. Full of tips on how to play better, and featuring characters who love the game and their team just as much as any young girl,The Netball Gems series has proven time and time to be a hit for young readers.
Growing up, I played netball and absolutely adored the game, but found it incredibly frustrating that next to no fiction books existed on the game. That changed when as a teenager in the early 2000s Bernadette Hellard and Libby Gibbs teamed up together and released a four book series titled Netball of Nothing. I devoured those books like no bodies business and could relate to a young teen playing the game and the pressures faced on and off the courts at that difficult age. Back then, these books were hard to get and often considered a very niche market title. Now, I'm happy to report things have mostly changed with both book stores and department stores carrying the range.*
B.Hellard and L. Gibbs are back and better than ever with The Netball Gems series, a new and revolutionary series aimed at younger readers who are just learning to play and live and breath netball. Ideally the book is aimed at readers between the ages of 9-11 years old.
Consisting of eight books in total (all of which are now out), The Netball Gems series focuses around the under 13s Marrang team, which each player on their team getting their own book. In Hooked On Netball, the first book in the series, the focus is on Maddy Browne, a young player who aspires to play for the Diamonds, Australia's national netball team one day.
Although the team is the under 13s, the characters and the story are safe for readers of all ages to read, as the characters themselves read slightly younger than their twelve years of age. This isn't a deterrent to older readers, but it is something to keep in mind when going into the story.
Hooked On Netball is overall a cute and sweet homage to netball players of all ages and abilities. The themes of friendship, teamwork, and the reminder that sometimes playing isn't everything - you need a balance between that and family - are universal and will resonate with readers and players of all ages.
As well as giving a few neat tricks and technique reminders expertly worked within the story itself, Hellard and Gibbs have created character bio's, game tips and even a basic breakdown of the game and its positions at the back of the book, which is a unique and welcome surprise. There is even a surprise cameo from Australian Diamond's player Madi Robinson.
All in all, Hooked On Netball is the perfect sports book for young readers learning to play the sport. Full of tips and techniques, the novel will not only entertain them, but fascinate and encourage their love for the game.
*please note that while the individual books I'm reviewing are not widely found in stores currently, there are bind ups of the books that are regularly around.
This review was originally posted at The Never Ending Bookshelf on 23.10.18 and can be found here: https://wp.me/p3yY1u-1u5
Growing up, I played netball and absolutely adored the game, but found it incredibly frustrating that next to no fiction books existed on the game. That changed when as a teenager in the early 2000s Bernadette Hellard and Libby Gibbs teamed up together and released a four book series titled Netball of Nothing. I devoured those books like no bodies business and could relate to a young teen playing the game and the pressures faced on and off the courts at that difficult age. Back then, these books were hard to get and often considered a very niche market title. Now, I'm happy to report things have mostly changed with both book stores and department stores carrying the range.*
B.Hellard and L. Gibbs are back and better than ever with The Netball Gems series, a new and revolutionary series aimed at younger readers who are just learning to play and live and breath netball. Ideally the book is aimed at readers between the ages of 9-11 years old.
Consisting of eight books in total (all of which are now out), The Netball Gems series focuses around the under 13s Marrang team, which each player on their team getting their own book. In Hooked On Netball, the first book in the series, the focus is on Maddy Browne, a young player who aspires to play for the Diamonds, Australia's national netball team one day.
Although the team is the under 13s, the characters and the story are safe for readers of all ages to read, as the characters themselves read slightly younger than their twelve years of age. This isn't a deterrent to older readers, but it is something to keep in mind when going into the story.
Hooked On Netball is overall a cute and sweet homage to netball players of all ages and abilities. The themes of friendship, teamwork, and the reminder that sometimes playing isn't everything - you need a balance between that and family - are universal and will resonate with readers and players of all ages.
As well as giving a few neat tricks and technique reminders expertly worked within the story itself, Hellard and Gibbs have created character bio's, game tips and even a basic breakdown of the game and its positions at the back of the book, which is a unique and welcome surprise. There is even a surprise cameo from Australian Diamond's player Madi Robinson.
All in all, Hooked On Netball is the perfect sports book for young readers learning to play the sport. Full of tips and techniques, the novel will not only entertain them, but fascinate and encourage their love for the game.
*please note that while the individual books I'm reviewing are not widely found in stores currently, there are bind ups of the books that are regularly around.
This review was originally posted at The Never Ending Bookshelf on 23.10.18 and can be found here: https://wp.me/p3yY1u-1u5
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews