Lizzy Legend

Gr 4–6—Lizzy's worked harder than anyone else at being the best basketball player for most of her 13 years, spending hours each day practicing on the rundown court outside her apartment. All the work pays off when Lizzy makes it onto her school's eighth-grade boys basketball team and quickly proves herself to be the MVP. Meanwhile, she is also dealing with bill collectors calling constantly to get a hold of her father. At first, upon receiving a strange call from a robot, Lizzy thinks it's someone else looking for her dad, but when the robot asks her what her wish is, she blurts the first thing she can think of: to never miss another basketball shot. When the fantastical wish actually comes true, her life is shot into a completely new orbit, she's winning games, and she ultimately gets recruited for an NBA team! The story is complete fantasy and even a bit goofball, but Lizzy is a likable character. She continually works hard and stays focused on her goals, even when things get difficult.