Babymouse #20: Babymouse Goes for the Gold
by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm · Babymouse #20
A funny, heartfelt graphic novel about learning that effort matters more than medals
The story
Babymouse is a dreamer who spends most of her time on the couch imagining Olympic glory. When she finally joins a swim team called The Shrimps, she discovers that the road from daydream to achievement is paved with tangled goggles, team bonding, surreal underwater encounters, and the humbling reality of competitive sports.
Age verdict
Best for ages 6-9. Younger kids enjoy the visual humor; the emotional themes about effort and belonging resonate most with early elementary readers experiencing team activities.
Our take
Kid-friendly graphic novel with strong gateway and reluctant-reader appeal, moderate emotional and educational depth
What stands out
Each audience's top 3 dimensions. Out of 30 scored per book.
Kids love
- Laugh-out-loud Strong
Comparable to Amal Unbound (MG, tier 3) — Four humor channels (slapstick, narrator, situational, absurdist) fire nearly every page. Triangulated with Lunch Lady (GRAPHIC, tier 8) shows this matches tier 8 intensity.
- First-chapter grab Strong
Comparable to Sunny Rolls the Dice (GRAPHIC, tier 5) — Opening montage with dream-bubble hook creates immediate engagement similar to tier 5 anchor. Triangulated with Lunch Lady (tier 8) shows this sits at tier 5 level, not higher.
Parents love
- Reading gateway Strong
Comparable to Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute (GRAPHIC, tier 8) — Fully illustrated, humor-dense, 96 pages, conversational narrator, relatable protagonist. Triangulated with Baby-Sitters Club (GRAPHIC, tier 8) matches gateway power tier 8.
- Stereotype-breaker Solid
Comparable to Amal Unbound (MG, tier 6) — Female athlete who is clumsy, anxious, ungifted; centers effort and team without appearance. Triangulated with Babysitters Club (MG, tier 7) confirms tier 6 stereotype-breaking.
Teachers love
- Reluctant reader rescue Strong
Comparable to Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute (GRAPHIC, tier 8) — Graphic novel with visual storytelling every page, constant humor, 96pp, relatable protagonist. Triangulated with Baby-Sitters Club (GRAPHIC, tier 8) matches reluctant-reader tier 8.
- Read-aloud power Solid
Comparable to The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party (EARLY, tier 5) — Rhythmic narrator and Coach dialogue perform aloud; graphic visual comedy loses impact in audio. Triangulated with Dog Man (GRAPHIC, tier 6) confirms tier 5 read-aloud.
✓ Perfect for
- • reluctant readers who need a visual, humor-driven entry point
- • kids navigating team sports and competition for the first time
- • fans of graphic novels with heart beneath the comedy
Not ideal for
Readers seeking complex plots, deep character development, or text-heavy novels — this is a light, fast graphic novel experience
At a glance
- Pages
- 96
- Chapters
- 10
- Words
- 3k
- Lexile
- 500L
- Difficulty
- Easy
- POV
- Third Person Omniscient
- Illustration
- Fully Illustrated
- Published
- 2016
- Publisher
- Random House Children's Books
- Illustrator
- Matthew Holm
- ISBN
- 9780307975461
Mood & style
You'll know it worked when…
Most kids will finish in one sitting (30-45 minutes)
More like this
Same genre, similar age range. Ranked by kid score.
Want more picks like this?
Get 5 hand-picked book reviews for your child's age — one email a month.