Pole-Vaulting Reviewer Goes Sky-High for Maggie Vaults Over the Moon

DURHAM, N.C. — An acclaimed author, master’s pole-vaulter, and college English professor goes sky-high in his praise for Maggie Vaults Over the Moon in a new review published in the June issue of TAKEOFF Magazine.

Author, Professor and Master’s Pole-Vaulter Ralph Hardy

'I didn't like Maggie Vaults Over the Moon. Reader, I loved It!" writes Ralph Hardy, a professor of English at North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C.

READ THE REVIEW IN TAKEOFF MAGAZINE

Hailed one of the great track and field novels of all time, the saga of a gritty Kansas farm girl’s quest to master the daring sport of pole-vaulting has stirred the hopes and dreams of readers around the world.

Ralph Hardy is the author of Argo: The Story of Odysseus as Told by His Loyal Dog.

“A great novel transports the reader to a different time and place, a fictional universe where the world one knows is altered and expanded,” Hardy writes. “Unlike the fabled tornado in The Wizard of Oz that transports Dorothy to a place outside Kansas, Maggie Vaults Over the Moon takes us to the heart of that state, where wheat fields must be threshed and family and friends are sometimes the only buffers against the harsh realities of farm life.”

Maggie Vaults Over the Moon has been reissued as a classroom reader, with discussion questions to help students reflect and regroup following the pandemic that has disrupted their lives.

In addition to the original story by author Grant Overstake, the new version includes an inspiring foreword by reigning Olympic Pole Vault Champion Katerina Stefanidi, with group discussion questions for young people in hard times by a Language Arts (ELA) Teacher and Mental Performance Consultant with a Doctorate in Sport Psychology, Dr. Melissa White.

In addition to writing reviews and features for the magazine, Ralph is the author of several novels including Argo: The Story of Odysseus as Told by His Loyal Dog, The Cheetah Diaries, Lefty: A Novel, and a number of short stories.

And, he’s a master’s pole-vaulter who spends his runway time at Pole Vault Carolina, in Durham.