Clippinger, Carol

Personal

Female. Hobbies and other interests: Tennis.

Addresses

Home—CO. Agent—Chudney Agency, 72 N. State Rd., Ste. 501, Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510.

Career

Writer.

Writings

Open Court, Knopf (New York, NY), 2007.

Sidelights

Carol Clippinger taps her deep insight into the world of the tennis circuit in her debut young-adult novel, Open Court. In the novel, readers meet Holloway "Hall" Braxton, a thirteen-year-old tennis prodigy who is facing some very difficult decisions. Holly has been competing since she was six, and in order to advance to the professional tennis circuit she needs to attend a tennis academy. Her parents are supportive, but are feeling the strain of paying for equipment and tournaments even before the expensive tennis academy's fliers start arriving. When Holly's training partner, Janie, suffers a mental breakdown that causes her to question whether she wants to continue in the sport, pressures begin to mount for Hall. Questioning whether she still has the mental and competitive edge she needs to continue, the teen weathers a setback at the tennis academy and recon-firms her belief that she does have the inner drive needed to win.

According to School Library Journal reviewer Roxanne Myers Spencer, Clippinger's tale presents "the ever-present and relentless demands of the game, creating a

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tension and rhythm that will capture readers' attention to the finish, just as a good tennis match should." A Kirkus Reviews contributor predicted that Open Court will appeal to "fans of tennis and readers who have experienced the similar pressures."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July-August, 2007, Deborah Stevenson, review of Open Court, p. 458.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2007, review of Open Court.

School Library Journal, July, 2007, Roxanne Myers Spencer, review of Open Court, p. 99.

Voice of Youth Advocates, June, 2007, Mary Ann Harlan, review of Open Court, p. 139.