Rating: 4 out of 5 | girl power, feminist, novel in verse
My Thoughts:
Yes to girls on dirt bikes and the families who sacrifice for them!
Hurray for Title IX!
This novel in verse by Rebecca Caprara packs in action, fear, heartbreak, character growth and heart-expanding friendship all within poems and words that race across the page.
Outside of school, Eva gets to live her passion through racing, while also hanging out with her dad, her best friend and his dad. In the garage, she is safe. Eva can be the muddy, hard driving, competitive "Eva Knievel". But at home with her mom, as well as in her new middle school, Eva has the same fears of fitting in, not standing out, wanting to disappear. She has already moved schools to get away from the bullying of girls that teased her about her love for motocross. She has to face her mother's disappointment that she cannot be the kind of daughter that will focus on school and find a hobby that is safe.
What helps her grow is that she has a great pit crew who can give her space to fail upward in both her personal life as well as her racing life. This is a feel good story because Eva has to learn to balance disappointment and upheaval without further sacrificing her dream and her relationships.
Finally, stay for the historical notes on the actual history of female motocross. I am noticing more girls on dirt bikes in our middle schools. This is definitely not just a boy's world.
From the Publisher:
Motocross is Eva’s life. Nothing beats the rush she feels ripping it up on the course—except maybe the moment just after the race when she removes her helmet, and the other riders realize they just got smoked by a twelve-year-old girl.
While fear of bullying leads Eva to keep her passion a secret at school, she’s known in the local racing circuit as “Eva Knievel,” a brazen competitor willing to risk it all to win. But when her daredevil behavior leaves her with a bruised ego and a busted bike, Eva is forced to reckon with the high costs of her beloved sport—financial, physical, and emotional.
As if that reality check weren't harsh enough, there's a new girl at school whose arrival not only threatens Eva's carefully crafted school persona, but her place on the podium, too.
While fear of bullying leads Eva to keep her passion a secret at school, she’s known in the local racing circuit as “Eva Knievel,” a brazen competitor willing to risk it all to win. But when her daredevil behavior leaves her with a bruised ego and a busted bike, Eva is forced to reckon with the high costs of her beloved sport—financial, physical, and emotional.
As if that reality check weren't harsh enough, there's a new girl at school whose arrival not only threatens Eva's carefully crafted school persona, but her place on the podium, too.
Publication Information:
- Author: Rebecca Caprara
- Publisher: Dial Books
- Publication Date: May 19, 2026
- Print length: 400 pages
- Reading age: 10 years and up
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