TRAILBLAZERS: THE UNMATCHED STORY OF WOMEN’S TENNIS, YOUNG READERS EDITION, by Billie Jean King, Jolie C. Matthews, Alexandra Badiu, Andrews McMeel Publishing, Aug. 12, 2025, Hardcover, $21.99 (ages 7 and up)
Discover the story of women’s tennis in Trailblazers, a young readers edition by tennis great Billie Jean King and Jolie C. Matthews.
Celebrate the incredible achievements of women in tennis with this beautifully illustrated collection of biographies. Young readers will be captivated by the stories and inspiring records of trailblazing athletes like Serena and Venus Williams, Billie Jean King, Naomi Osaka, and many more.
This young reader’s edition is packed with real facts about the history of tennis and features brand-new illustrations by the renowned artist Alexandra Badiu.
Through a powerful blend of art, history, and inspiring stories, this book aims to educate, inspire, and empower readers to chase their dreams and achieve their goals. —Synopsis provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing
Trailblazers is a nonfiction collection of biographies featuring 25 athletes who changed women’s tennis for the better. This is a young readers edition of the adult book printed in 2023.
At 66 pages, its $21.99 price point is comparable to other picture books and features the amount of text/information I would expect for the suggested age range.
Where I think the creators missed the mark, however, is that the original (adult) book featured actual photographs, bullets, underlined information and a really strong layout. I would have loved to see them follow that format for readers 8 to 12 or even 10 and up.
That said, kids will be drawn to Trailblazers just from the cover alone. Illustrator Alexandra Badiu’s stylized illustrations are bright and full of movement — they look almost like posters. The text is accessible and I can see this being checked out from the library on a regular basis.
Copyright © 2025 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.
