Seventh-grader Joanna Giordano is great at hockey, but the only way she can play in her school is on the boys’ team, a fact that doesn’t sit well with everyone. Even Ben, Joanna’s long-time best friend, is leery. She tries out for the team and makes it. This creates more problems with the bully of a teammate; a vixen classmate; and even Ben, who also makes the cut. The bully tries to sabotage Joanna on the ice, and Ben seems to be pulling away from her. When Joanna’s winning goal crushes an opposing team, she earns some grudging respect. Her waning friendship with Ben continues to raise concern, but all ends well, though the author offers no easy solutions to all Joanna’s problems. FitzGerald provides humor and has a good ear for the way teens really speak and act, so the kids come off as realistic and familiar. Subplots point out hassles Joanna faces at home. Joanna’s relatable, feisty and stands up for herself. (Fiction. 10-12)
