Now, I happened to be a bit biased and know that some people will scoff at the idea of spending $100 for a doll, but her stories will be meaningful for the 8-12 year old set and I am sure the messages will be positive. The book summaries go like this:

• McKenna – Girl of the Year 2012 Book 1 (American Girl Today) by Mary Casanova – Seattle fourth-grader McKenna Brooks, who lives for gymnastics, struggles with school work until Josie, a tutor confined to a wheelchair, helps her with reading comprehension and much more. (Library of Congress summary)
• McKenna, Ready to Fly – Girl of the Year 2012 Book 2 (American Girl Today)by Mary Casanova – When Seattle fourth-grader McKenna Brooks’ cast comes off she dives back into gymnastics training in hopes of making the competitive team, but after volunteering at a therapeutic horseback riding center, she considers broadening her interests. (Library of Congress summary)

There is a movie in the works as well, starring Jade Pettyjohn as McKenna. I am not sure if the movie is being released with the doll on January 1, 2012 or will come later in the year to renew interest in the line as the Olympics approach.

For more information about the American Girl of the Year 2012, McKenna Brooks including a picture of the actual doll, visit my other site, www.dolldiaries.com. The official release date of the books is December 27, 2011 and the debut of the doll should be January 1, 2012.  It will be interesting to see the various press coverage of her debut and in the week’s after her release.

From Universal Sports:

Torres, eight months removed from her performance in Beijing during which she won three silver medals, released her memoirs on Tuesday. “Age Is Just A Number,” which she co-wrote with New York Times Magazine contributing writer Elizabeth Weil, takes a walk through her entire swimming career — from when she was a teenager living in California and then as a student-athlete at the University of Florida, to her three comebacks as an adult.

She revisits past successes — setting world and American records, winning Olympic medals — and talks about the more difficult times in her life too. During her four years as a swimmer at Florida, she became bulimic. She’s dealt with two divorces, the death of her father and fertility problems. Michael Lohberg, the coach who guided Torres during her comeback for the Beijing Games, was stricken with a serious illness and was unable to travel to China for the Olympics.

Dara’s successes have obviously come at a price.  I think it takes a very special person to be able to face adversities in life and continue to follow and achieve their dreams. While Dara’s comeback was certainly not without controversy, her story is still remarkable and inspirational

Age is Just a Number is definitely going to be on my summer reading list!

The series, published by Razorbill (Penguin Group) illustrates the lives of female athletes in a way that’s never been done before. The books show the sweat and tears that a championship team must endure to be the best but there’s also elements that appeal to girl readers including friendships and crushes.

Pretty Tough and Playing with the Boys are two titles that our friends at Pretty Tough have got at a special price just for SportsGirlsPlay readers right now. You can get both books for 10% off for a limited time.

While you are at the Pretty Tough site, don’t forget to check out the rest of the store. I love their hoodies and t-shirts that let girls show off their pretty side and be proud to be athletes at the same time. They also have a great selection of greeting cards, jewelry, and sport specific gifts.

Heidi Strauss, a former athlete and now a high school soccer coach, does a great job of making this series of videos helpful and fun to watch.

The team also has a series of fiction and non-fiction books about girls in sports:

• PrettyTOUGH
• Playing With the Boys
• Screwball: An Ashley Clarke Novel
• Behind Lacrosse: Maximum Attack with Sheehan Stanwick Burch

From picking your sport, providing a healthy training atmosphere, and giving athletes tools to use for peak competitive performance, Dr. Silby uses real life examples and grounded techniques. Many of the issues facing female athletes are the same as those of their male counterparts, but many of them aren’t. Dr. Silby and co-author Shelley Smith highlight some of the most lessons to be learned.

Playing like a girl is more than just signing up for a sport. Next time you are at the library or book store, pick this one up. You’ll be glad you did!