Summary
The book follows Venus and Serena Williams starting in their childhood when they learned to play and win tennis without the resources and safety that their peers had. They started winning at a young age, and they continued to beat out the competition. By the time they got to the Australian Open, they finally faced each other, and Venus won. They won gold together at the Olympics in 2000, and at the French Open in 2002, Serena won, and her sister celebrated her the same.
Theme(s):
Family, Competition, Sportsmanship, Determination
Personal Response
I really enjoyed reading about their lives because I didn’t know very much before; I was inspired by all the work they put in to get to where they are and be as successful as they had been. I loved and related to the competitive camaraderie in their family because I am also very competitive with my sisters. This book reminded me of other books I’ve read about female athletes like Gabby Douglas.
Teaching Ideas
Students could create a timeline that follows the events in this book, research the different types of competitions, including the Olympics, and calculate statistics related to Venus and Serena’s matches. They could compare and contrast these sisters with other athletes they’ve learned about or read about other sports they are interested in. After researching tennis, students could write about how to play.
Recommended Reading Level
Grade 01, Grade 02, Grade 03, Grade 04
