GET IN THE GAME

I remember watching High School Musical and hearing, "Get your head in the game, gotta get your head in the game!" For many that was a "hot" song fit only for a movie, but for the Williams Sisters, Serena and Venus, getting in the game and changing it was their life story.

Growing up in Compton wasn't easy, but the two sisters had a bond that neighborhoods and people could not break. Serena admired Venus and often followed her lead. When Richard, their father put one daughter in tennis, it wasn't long before the other followed suit. Their dad saw potential in the girls and used football and other sports to prepare them for the game of tennis. Ironically as the girls dodged bullets in their neighborhood they also had to dodge bullets or harsh words from society in their efforts to play tennis and make it all the way to Wimbledon.

This biography teaches readers how the girls went from humble beginnings to winning tournament after tournament and gaining respect in a field that was often racially exclusive. Readers will be inspired by the words and illustrations presented by another group of strong individuals who are giants in their own right, husband and wife, author and illustrator, Lesa and James Ransome.

Readers will surely learn that how you start in life, is not how you have to finish. Teachers can also use this book to help students understand what it means to "never mind the noise, and just play." That piece of advice given to their girls by their dad in the book, helped them become champions on and off the court. However, this book just might inspire the game changers who read it to step on their own courts in life.

You should also check out the documentary on

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