A Stroke of Luck and The Perfect Gymnast are the latest entries in Lorimer’s fast-expanding series of sports novels. Although their covers are unattractive, these two novels are entertaining, well-paced stories that young readers will enjoy.

In A Stroke of Luck, Angie has always been jealous of Paula, who has lots of friends, money, and former skating champions as her parents and personal coaches. When strange accidents start plaguing Paula, Angie can’t believe that she is the prime suspect. With the help of Paula’s new pairs partner, Jason, Angie works hard to solve the mystery and hone her skating skills for the upcoming competition. In the end, she solves the mystery, and finds an unexpected culprit.

The Perfect Gymnast deals with the highly competitive world of gymnastics. Abby Berkowski, a painfully shy girl, is horrified when her mother enrolls her in beginners gymnastics classes. To her surprise, however, she enjoys the classes, and becomes close friends with a skilled young gymnast named Hilary. Just when things are going well, however, Abby discovers that her new best friend is bulimic. Hilary extracts a promise that Abby never, never tell, but Abby is really worried, and must face a hard choice.