I’ve joined up with the IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING? kid-lit edition, hosted by Unleashing Readers and MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY hosted by Always in the Middle…
Today I’m featuring BEA MULLINS TAKES A SHOT by Emily Deibert, a heartfelt MG contemporary about taking chances in life.
Read on for my review of the book, and then make sure you also check out the author’s list of top ten addictions to find out more about her!
Bea Mullins Takes a Shot by Emily Deibert Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on February 25, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Middle Grade, Sports & Recreation
Pages: 336
Source: Edelweiss, Purchased
Cover Artist: Isabelle Duffy
My rating:
A League of Their Own meets The Mighty Ducks in this fierce and heartfelt queer MG contemporary novel about learning to face your fears even when your goals are on thin ice.
Some goals are worth falling for.
After a lifetime of humiliating sports experiences, Bea Mullins knows the best way to survive middle school is to stick to the sidelines. When PE is suddenly canceled, though, Bea is forced to join an after-school activity...which is how she ends up as a member of the Glenwood Geese, her middle school's first all-girls hockey team.
Bea would be happy sitting on the bench, but she doesn't want to let down her best friend, Celia. Plus, the more time Bea spends on the rinks, the more she comes to enjoy her teammates, especially the incredibly talented--and incredibly cool--co-captain Gabi. But when low funding puts the Geese in danger of never playing again, Bea realizes she may lose everything she didn't know she wanted.
A hilarious and heartfelt middle-grade contemporary about first crushes and fierce friendships from debut author Emily Deibert.
Buy from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Bookshop.org
An empowering story about the benefits of taking chances and taking on challenges (even when you’d rather run and hide). Bea is a typical 7th grader, doing her best not to stand out. The last time she joined a sports team, she ended up getting made fun of, and she really doesn’t want to repeat that experience when she’s semi-coerced into joining the girls’ hockey team. The story highlights Bea’s struggles with self-esteem and her inability to “put herself out there” because she’s afraid of looking bad. Similarly, when she finds herself crushing on a teammate, she can’t quite bring herself to admit it to anyone. I think many middle grade readers will relate to an MC who refuses to admit to a crush and then wishes she had after the fact! (Did I, in fact, do exactly this at about this age? Yes, yes, I did.) The book also has a secondary message about the ways women in sports don’t get enough credit that gets just the right amount of page time (it’s definitely there without overtaking the main plot). Hopefully kids we be inspired to take a few chances themselves when they read Bea’s story!
Thank you to Edelweiss for the review copy! (But I also bought a copy of my own!)
Emily Deibert’s Top Ten Addictions
- Reading
Maybe a little obvious, but I’ve loved reading for as long as I can remember! I’ve always got a physical book, an eBook, and an audiobook on the go.- Ice Cream
I’ve got a big sweet tooth, and nothing satisfies it more than ice cream. In fact, just a few weeks ago I went to my favourite ice cream shop (Ed’s Real Scoop) in the middle of the winter! It’s hard to pick a favourite flavour, but if I had to, I think I’d go with mint chocolate chip.- Mint
Speaking of mint chocolate chip ice cream, I love mint-flavoured anything. Gum, tea, candy, you name it!- RomComs
I love good romance books and stories—especially those that combine humour and heart. As a middle grade author, it’s been exciting to see more and more romcoms for the tween crowd. As You Wish by Nashae Jones is a recent favourite of mine!- Ice Skating
In the winter, I love going skating on outdoor ice rinks and warming up with a hot chocolate afterwards. In fact, I came up with the plot of my debut novel while skating laps around an ice rink outside my apartment!- Coffee
Nothing beats a hot chocolate after skating, but my warm beverage of choice is definitely coffee. I start every morning with a cup of black coffee brewed in my moka pot.- The New York Times Games
I also start every morning by playing the New York Times games and sending my results to my friends: Wordle, Connections, and Strands, in that order.- Biking
In the summer, I love going out for bike rides. My favourite place to ride my bike is the waterfront trail in Toronto.- Toronto
Actually, I love everything about the city of Toronto: the food, the people, the bookstores, the public transit…. It’s where I spent most of my life, and although I’ve been living abroad for the past few years, it will always be home!- Writing
Also a little obvious, but definitely true. I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can remember, and it’s still a bit surreal to think about the fact that one of my books is out in the world!
Thanks so much for sharing, Emily! I do the NYT Games every day too! My order is Connections, Wordle, The Mini (I used to play Strands, though–might have to get back to that one). I used to play Letterboxed too, but I got too obsessed with always getting the answer in only two words, and I had to force myself not to spend way too much time on it. I now only play very occasionally since I can’t convince my brain I don’t have to get it in two words.
What I’m currently reading:
Right now I’m listening to Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton, the third book in the Rebel in the Sands trilogy, so I’ll be able to read my ARC of The Notorious Virtues, which is releasing in April!
What are some of your favorite MG contemporaries? I want to know!
Ooh, I love sport stories and hockey too! This sounds like a great story, and I love that it has a great message.
I am more a fantasy/spec fiction reader than contemporary so I don’t have any favourites to recommend, sorry! Sadly also not into sports either, so while this book wouldn’t be for me, I can see it finding many enthusiastic readers (especially with that ‘devoured it’ rating!). Love the top ten addictions feature 🙂 . Thanks for sharing!
I think a lot of kids will relate to having a secret crush and not wanting to draw attention to yourself. Plus I really like that the story is about a girl’s hockey team.
I love to watch hockey at any level so this will be a must read. My recent favorite MG contemporary was THE BUG BANDITS. Thanks for being a part of MMGM this week.
This looks like a fun one that I need to get. Our sports section doesn’t have enough titles.
I do enjoy hockey and this looks really good. The only contemporary that came to mind that I read in 2024 was Elephant Touch by Susan R Greenway.
You don’t see many books that feature girls’ hockey. Interesting. Sounds like a good one. For contemporary books — Not Nothing was awfully good. I recommend it. Thanks for the postl
I think I just heard about this book in a BookTube video, too! It sounds really great. I’m adding it to my reading list right now. Thanks for sharing this!
I’m waiting for my hold to come in for this one! I was excited to learn about a MG hockey book with a girl protagonist AND a Canadian author. Good to hear it’s a relatable read.