Simone Biles: Golden Girl of Gymnastics

Simone Biles is the greatest gymnast of all time: she’s won more world championship medals in her sport than anyone else ever, has broken a significant number of records, and even has gymnastic moves named after her. Clearly she has a huge amount of talent, but as this story about her life so far shows, Simone worked incredibly hard and had to face many challenges and tough decisions to achieve what she has.

This accessible biography chronicles the main events of Simone’s life, from being shuffled between foster carers as a young child to discovering gymnastics and her path to the 2016 Olympics. Some difficult subjects are briefly touched on (including sexual and racist abuse), but in a constructive and non-sensationalised way. We learn how Simone has a way of turning challenges around, the depth of her strength and determination, and how she advocates the importance of speaking up for yourself and being proud of your achievements – especially as a woman.

A really inspiring story about an inspiring person. The book has an easy-to-follow format, including facts and information about the subjects being discussed alongside Simone’s personal story, and a timeline of her achievements is included at the back.