Got readers who love sports stories, graphic novels, and determined characters chasing lofty goals? Raise the Bar by Frick H delivers all three! This middle grade graphic novel follows a young Chilean weightlifter whose Olympic dreams take her far beyond simply getting stronger.
Author and Illustrator: Fernanda Frick H
Genre: graphic fiction, sports fiction
Setting: High Performance Center of Corazón, an elite sports training facility; exact location is ambiguous, but main characters are Chilean and Brazilian
Themes: weightlifting, girls in sports, competition, physical challenges, Olympic Games, determination, gender roles, balancing goals and well-being
Protagonist: tween female, Chilean; cast is diverse
Recommended for: Grades 3-8
Starred reviews: Booklist and Publishers Weekly
Publication date: August 25, 2026
Sam Sanchez knows exactly what she wants: to become Chile’s first weightlifting gold medalist. There’s just one problem—her parents aren’t nearly as enthusiastic about the plan. They worry about injuries, Sam’s increasingly single-minded focus on training, and everything she might be sacrificing along the way.
When Sam gets the chance to compete for a spot training with her idol, Olympic champion Eva Dos Santos, she goes behind her parents’ backs to try out. Her talent earns her an invitation to the High Performance Center of Corazón, where elite young athletes from across the Americas are preparing for the Pan American Games.
Suddenly, Sam has the coaching and equipment she’s always wanted—but reaching the next level is much harder than she imagined.
Sam trains alongside athletes competing in fencing, judo, swimming, triathlon, and other sports. The supporting cast is primarily Latin American and includes characters with varied abilities, body types, backgrounds, and experiences.
The story also explores the less glamorous side of competitive athletics. Sam struggles with homesickness, rivalry, family expectations, burnout, and an increasingly powerful sense of self-doubt. Her determination is one of her greatest strengths, but Raise the Bar also asks an important question: What happens when determination turns into pushing yourself too hard?
Frick H’s vibrant artwork captures both the physical movement of competition and Sam’s emotional struggles.
Reviewers praise the dynamic sports sequences and visual shifts that reflect Sam’s anxiety and self-doubt. School Library Journal compares Frick’s approachable cartooning to the work of Raina Telgemeier, while Booklist recommends the novel for fans of Johnny Christmas’s Swim Team.
That’s some HIGH praise!
With two starred reviews—from Booklist and Publishers Weekly—Raise the Bar is an excellent pick for Grades 5–8, particularly for readers who enjoy sports fiction, graphic novels, ambitious protagonists, and stories about perseverance, teamwork, and learning when to push harder—and when to ease up.
