Books with title There's a Girl in My Hammerlock

Last year, Masie Potter was voted most outstanding seventh grade female athlete. She is a super basketball player. But last summer, she developed a crush on classmate Eric Delong. Now her priorities have changed. She will do anything to be near Eric - even join the wrestling team. From the first, Masie gets opposition and antagonism from all sides: friends, classmates, teachers. Soon, her place on the team isn't about Eric any more. It's about determination, discipline, and perseverance. As Masie struggles against opponents on the mat, she must also deal with cruel jeers and taunts in the halls. Can Masie be a champion? Jerry Spinelli has written many popular books for young readers, including Space Station Seventh Grade and Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush?. With a solid talent for creating realistic characters and dialog, he is sure to have listeners cheering for the feisty Masie as she wrestles with some of the tougher issues of peer pressure.

I'LL START WITH SIMETHING THAT MAY SURPRISE YOU. WHAT I REALLY WANTED IN JUNIOR HIGH WAS TO BE A CHEERLEADER. IF I HAD MADE IT, ALL THIS WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED.... Maisie Potter isn't quite sure why she signed up for the boys' wrestling team. She's never been all that interested in boys, so it can't have anything to do with Eric Delong, in spite of the disturbing effect his smile has on her. And she's certainly not prepared for the effect her presence on the team has on the people around her. Her brother's totally disgusted with her, her best friend drops her, her classmates ridicule her, and opposing teams forfeit rather than wrestle her. But Maisie's not a quitter, and she discovers that she really likes wrestling -- and that while Eric might not be worth the flak she puts up with, feeling good about herself is.

I'LL START WITH SIMETHING THAT MAY SURPRISE YOU. WHAT I REALLY WANTED IN JUNIOR HIGH WAS TO BE A CHEERLEADER. IF I HAD MADE IT, ALL THIS WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED....Maisie Potter isn't quite sure why she signed up for the boys' wrestling team. She's never been all that interested in boys, so it can't have anything to do with Eric Delong, in spite of the disturbing effect his smile has on her. And she's certainly not prepared for the effect her presence on the team has on the people around her.Her brother's totally disgusted with her, her best friend drops her, her classmates ridicule her, and opposing teams forfeit rather than wrestle her. But Maisie's not a quitter, and she discovers that she really likes wrestling -- and that while Eric might not be worth the flak she puts up with, feeling good about herself is.

Eric's smile is so dazzling, Maisie is willing to do anything to be near him -- even join the school wrestling team. But she is astonished at the avalanche of hostile opinion she provokes, in and out of school. Is Eric worth it? Not if he keeps dating Liz ("Lizard") Lampley! The sign in the coach's office says, "It takes a little more to be a champion." Does Maisie have what it takes to stick it out -- and win? Signed & Dated by Author