Quick Take
- Narration: Rachel F. Hirsch navigates the ensemble of sisters, teammates, and brothers with clear vocal differentiation, she finds a light, encouraging register that matches the series’ tone throughout.
- Themes: Sibling rivalry and collaboration, finding your own space in a crowded family, confidence through performance
- Mood: Warm and encouraging, with just enough friction to feel real
- Verdict: A satisfying mid-series entry for young gymnast readers already invested in Alexis and the Perfect Balance team, accessible and purposeful, though it rewards returning listeners over newcomers.
I picked this one up on a weekday afternoon, a quick listen before a longer one I had queued. Two and a half hours later I’d stayed with it longer than planned, partly because Hirsch’s narration has an easy, welcoming quality, and partly because the central problem, how do you stand out when every space in your family already seems claimed by someone else, is one that lands regardless of your age or relationship to gymnastics.
Brothers Have Talent, Too is the fourth entry in Melisa Torres’s Perfect Balance Gymnastics Series, following Alexis, the youngest in a family of five children. Her brothers are athletic. One of them, Drew, is a gymnast. Even the thing she loves is shared. When her school announces a talent show, Alexis sees a clear path to something that could be entirely hers, until complications arrive, as they always do in well-structured middle-grade fiction. Her teammates at Perfect Balance Gymnastics Academy can’t participate, which forces a series of decisions that drive the second half of the book.
When the Siblings Are Part of the Solution
The most effective element of this audiobook is how Torres handles the brothers themselves. The title implies rivalry, and there is friction, but the book’s resolution leans toward collaboration. The brothers become part of Alexis’s solution rather than obstacles to it. That’s a harder story to tell convincingly than pure competition, and Torres pulls it off without making it feel contrived. The lesson about flexible problem-solving, the series explicitly frames flexibility as both a physical and a life skill, is delivered through plot mechanics rather than through the characters stating it aloud, which is the correct approach for this age group.
Hirsch’s performance is consistent with the warmth the Perfect Balance books have established across their earlier entries. She keeps the emotional register optimistic without flattening the frustration that Alexis feels early on. A nine or ten-year-old listener will recognize the feeling of watching siblings occupy every niche while you search for your own, and Hirsch makes sure that recognition has space to breathe before the resolution arrives.
Series Placement and Entry Point Guidance
Book 4 in an ongoing series is not the place to begin. Torres structures each entry with some self-containment, but characters, ongoing relationships within the gymnastics team, and Alexis’s established dynamics with her family will carry more weight for listeners who’ve started from Book 1. The parent reviewers who purchased this report daughters already invested in the series reading it every chance they get, that’s a series commitment, not a casual single-book discovery.
If you’re buying for a young reader who is new to the Perfect Balance Gymnastics Series, start with the first entry. If you’re already in, this is a strong continuation that develops Alexis further while staying true to the series’ emphasis on kindness, courage, and the kind of inner strength that shows up in the way you treat other people under pressure.
The Gymnastics World as Listening Context
One consistent note from parent and young reader reviewers: actual gymnasts and aspiring gymnasts connect with this series in a particular way. The sport is not just decoration, it shapes the characters’ physical self-awareness, their understanding of discipline, and the team dynamics that run through every book. At Level 5, as one reviewer’s daughter was, the details of training and competition will resonate as recognizable rather than generic. Torres did her homework on the world of competitive gymnastics for young girls, and it shows.
Who Should Listen and Who Should Skip
Best for: girls aged 7-11 who are in or interested in gymnastics, young listeners who have read earlier entries in the Perfect Balance series, and families looking for fiction that addresses sibling dynamics without reducing them to pure conflict. Skip this as an entry point if you’re new to the series, the investment is real and best built from the beginning. Adults listening without a child in tow will find the material thin for solo grown-up listening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Brothers Have Talent, Too work as a standalone listen, or does it require reading the earlier books in the Perfect Balance series first?
Torres writes with enough context that a new listener can follow the plot, but the emotional payoff depends heavily on existing attachment to Alexis and her teammates. Relationships, backstory, and team dynamics from earlier books inform how certain moments land. For the best experience, start with Book 1 in the Perfect Balance Gymnastics Series.
What age range is this audiobook designed for?
The series targets roughly ages 7-11, with strong appeal for girls in that range who participate in gymnastics or dance. The writing level and themes are appropriate for second through fifth grade. Parent reviewers with 9 and 10-year-old daughters report particularly strong engagement.
Does the book have any religious or faith-based content?
No. Unlike some other children’s sports series, the Perfect Balance Gymnastics books are secular. The series focuses on sportsmanship, friendship, inner confidence, and family dynamics without religious framing.
Is Rachel F. Hirsch the narrator for the entire Perfect Balance Gymnastics Series?
Based on available information, Hirsch narrates this entry in the series. Listeners who’ve followed earlier entries will find the vocal performance consistent with the series’ tone, though it’s worth checking individual entries for narrator credits when purchasing through audio platforms.
