Ash Barty, Champion: a memoir of tennis and teamwork (Young Readers Edition), HarperCollins Children’s Books, August 2023, 288 pp., RRP $22.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781460762738
This is the official young readers edition of Ash Barty’s memoir My dream time. It is written in a breezy conversational tone which flows well. Combined with an easy-to-read layout using what looks like double-spaced lines of text, it may well appeal to young sports fans – especially those keen on tennis.
There is a timeline at the beginning showing Ash’s progression from #623-ranked player in 2017 after a 17-month break from the game to attaining #1 and winning both the Wimbledon and Australian Open grand slams in 2021-22. The text takes a chronological view from her birth in Ipswich in 1996 through to her retirement. One of the strengths of the book is that it doesn’t shy away from her mental health struggles and the help she received from her family, friends, and various professionals. She also acknowledges the enormous sacrifice her parents and siblings made in both financial and time commitments to enable her to achieve her dreams.
There is an 8-page colour photo insert between pages 134 and 135 with some well-known snapshots from her childhood and career. This is a well-written and engaging autobiography for middle-grade readers. However, a glossary of tennis terms may have been useful for those unfamiliar with the sport’s terminology.
Reviewed by Lynne Babbage
