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201 pp.
| Delacorte
| April, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-0-385-74183-5$16.99
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-375-99026-7$19.99
|
EbookISBN 978-0-375-98714-4
(2)
YA
If any girl can make Pilchuck High School's football team, it's fourteen-year-old wide receiver Tessa Dooley. As the summer unfolds, Tessa defends her love of the game and also becomes the girlfriend of quarterback Caleb. In alternating first-person narratives, Tessa and Caleb voice their feelings about each other and about football. Heldring writes with insight and restraint, letting complicated feelings remain complicated.
Reviewer: Dean Schneider
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2017
(4)
4-6
Wyatt, an awkward, bullied eighth grader, hopes that playing football will earn him some respect. When his parents refuse to let him join the team, Wyatt's older brother Aaron makes him an offer: he can play for the underground "League of Pain," but he must maintain their secrecy. Although a little didactic, this is a solid read for middle-school reluctant readers, particularly those interested in football.
(4)
4-6
In this predictable sports novel, eighth-grader Roy is more motivated by baseball than by history class. He loses his spot on the All-Stars and has to play with the sub-par Rec League to allow time for school. Roy initially feels the Rec League is beneath him but eventually sees the parallels between athletic and academic success.
(3)
4-6
Having evolved from a "gym rat" playing pickup basketball at the neighborhood rec center to a member of his middle school team, Toby works to get off the bench and impress his archrival from another school. This engaging sports story gains depth from subplots involving Toby's tricky relationships with his former best friend and with the coach's daughter.