Jiu-Jitsu Girl by Jennifer Dutton | Book Review

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An early middle schooler is trying to learn the ropes of middle school life.

Angie Larson has many reasons to dislike jiu-jitsu, a martial arts combat form (close physical contact, sweating, choking, EWWW:-).). Angie wants to live an ordinary middle schooler life with friends, have fun, and play a typical sport like dance or soccer. But her mom decided differently and enrolled her in a Jiu-jitsu tournament. When the most popular girl in the school, Olivia, invites her to her birthday party, Angie is thrilled. But Angie now faces many challenges that she must overcome on and off the Jiu-Jitsu mat.

Fun fact: I used to do taekwondo, another martial arts form. It was fun for my little sister and me.

Olivia is the self-proclaimed queen of middle school. She is two-faced at times and very calculating. Angie is trying hard to fit in, much like I am at school now. I can relate to her challenges and middle school with all the drama. With the obstacles middle school tries to put forward on Angie, she tries to tackle them with her very best. 

Friendship is one of the core parts of fitting in at school, but Angie will soon find the true meaning of true friendship.

The theme of Jiu-Jitsu Girl is to tackle your challenges head-on. I recommend this book to middle schoolers who try hard to fit in at school and love sporty realistic fiction.

My rating

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About the author

“Jennifer Dutton is an author of middle-grade fiction, a teacher, and a ninja. At the ripe old age of seven, she started selling original manuscripts in lieu of lemonade at a neighborhood stand. This tendency progressed to a career writing in the finance industry. In need of a dramatic career change, Jennifer earned a master’s degree in education and has since worked in a variety of elementary and middle-grade classrooms, where she has the privilege of being a keen observer of the life experience. Her writing reflects the diversity and resilience she witnesses firsthand. After wrestling with kids during the day, she spars with adults at night. She is a black belt in taekwondo and a practitioner of mixed martial arts.” – Amazon.