Big Shot

Reviewed by Anonymous

Big Shot explores Greg’s experience with team sports, competition, confidence, and the pressure to perform, while maintaining the series’ emphasis on family and school comedy. The story is well suited to middle-grade readers who recognize the mixed feelings surrounding teamwork: wanting success, avoiding embarrassment, and figuring out where one belongs. Kinney’s cartoons, short chapters, and sharply timed observations make the book inviting for reluctant readers. Its strongest feature is the humorous treatment of ordinary competitiveness. A mild limitation is that the sports framework may feel less engaging to readers uninterested in athletics.