CARPOOL DIEM

A businesswoman attempts to transform herself into a soccer mom.

Annie Fleming is a superstar when it comes to organization and motivation. Failure is foreign to this can-do executive. But when upper management taps her to take a three-year assignment that involves a grueling commute, Annie puts her foot down. Accustomed to receiving support and accolades from her bosses, she never suspects that she is disposable—until she gets fired. Suddenly, Annie, who’d been absent from home a lot due to work, finds herself in the house with her perspicacious 12-year-old daughter, Charlotte, and she throws herself into remaking her own image. She’ll be the best work-from-home consultant and Alpha Mom in all of suburbia. All she needs to do is get her trusty babysitter, Hildy, and elusive husband, Tim, on board and she can start implementing her “Plans for the Day.” When Hildy quits and Tim starts embarking on mysterious business trips, Annie is left alone to rebuild her relationship with her daughter and master the art of motherhood. Getting Charlotte onto a competitive travel soccer team seems like a good place to start, so Annie throws herself into the crazy world of suburban sports. From megalomaniacal coaches to backstabbing parents, Annie is blindsided by the time commitment and emotional energy required. But quitting would mean setting a bad example for her daughter. The resourceful Annie remains determined: She studies the soccer culture and masters its politics, all while getting her consulting business up and running. Any parent who’s had to juggle a career and kids will relish Star’s believable characters and spot-on assessment of the minivan set.

Star scores big.