A crucial, necessary reminder: Sports should be fun!
This basketball saga critically redefines “love of the game.”
In Walthorne, middle school sports revolve around the storied rivalry between the Walthorne North Middle School Cougars and the Walthorne South Middle School Panthers. North is captained by point guard Austin Chambers, whose well-off parents provide him with everything he needs to succeed—in part because his father is a Penn State basketball legend. Things aren’t so rosy for Carter Haswell, captain of South. As far as his parents are concerned, basketball is his job, as an athletic scholarship could relieve financial strife. What could be a tale of haves and have-nots swerves, instead examining the pernicious effects poor judgment, vicarious living, and outright self-interest can have on the physical and mental well-beings of student athletes. Peer relationships cause problems: Austin pressures wounded teammate Clay to play a high-stakes game, exacerbating his injury. Best intentions go awry: Alfie Jenks, a die-hard hoops fan and aspiring journalist, learns the importance of oversight, diligence, and context as her reporting sparks scandals. Egocentricity reigns: Carter’s coach encourages him to cheat in class, leading to the player’s suspension and the coach’s resignation. When misconduct brings their season screeching to a halt, North and South settle their differences without adult interference. Most characters are White; racism and socio-economic status come in for critical evaluation.
A crucial, necessary reminder: Sports should be fun! (author’s note, reading list) (Sports fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4827-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Charming, funny, and endearing.
Thirteen-year-old Ingrid never wanted to be anything but invisible.
In person, Ingrid Ant is shy, introverted, and content to let her real-life best friend, Rachel Allan, have the spotlight. But online, her Scrollr page “Bye Forever, I Guess” is ridiculously popular. Known as Anony Mouse on Scrollr, Ingrid maintains her anonymity and keeps her popularity under wraps while sharing the hilarious wrong number texts she receives. Ingrid’s life is a careful balance of school, a largely nonexistent social life, posting to Scrollr, and playing her favorite MMORPG, Ancient Tomes Online, with her online best friend, Lorren Watson, who lives in Michigan, far from Ingrid in Virginia; the two have never met in person. When a new family moves to town, Ingrid’s awkwardness causes a rift with her friend group. Lonely and isolated, Ingrid finds that a new wrong number text blossoms into a desperately needed friendship. This mysterious texter—known only by his ATO username, Traveler—gives her a chance to not only make a new friend, but to find her way forward after being isolated by her peers. And who knows—maybe this chance wrong-number encounter will turn into something beyond friendship. This online-savvy tale of friendship uses text message chains to add a digital dimension that perfectly matches Ingrid’s life. Ingrid’s experiences with navigating middle school, friendships, and the online world provide important lessons about online safety and boundary setting in relationships. Characters largely present white.
Charming, funny, and endearing. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2024
ISBN: 9780823456383
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
Like a catchy song, this hits all the right notes.
A teen musician is at a crossroads, both musically and romantically.
In this third series installment, 14-year-old Bina’s band, Fancy Pink, gets a break: After a disastrous show opening for hit band Anne Surly, they hit upon a stroke of luck when one of their songs is picked up by a streaming show. Now the band has an offer of a record deal on the table, but Bina’s parents say no. Determined to make an album, Bina and her band mates decide to finance it themselves, but this involves lying to their parents. Bina’s band issues aren’t her only worry. A few fizzled dates with Anne Surly singer Cooper cause her to realize that maybe she finally reciprocates the feelings of her on-again, off-again BFF, Austin. Will Bina be able to get her record made and tell Austin how she feels? Larson’s comic charms with its two-tone pink panels and sweetly wrought tale. Although she occasionally stumbles, Bina’s journey of self-discovery is captivating, as she takes time to think and work things through and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Bina and Austin’s friendship has had its ups and downs, and those who have followed this series will relish seeing resolution in the will-they, won’t-they leading up to this volume. Bina is biracial, with a dark-skinned mom and White-presenting dad; the supporting cast is racially diverse (conveyed largely through illustrations), with queer members.
Like a catchy song, this hits all the right notes. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-374-31163-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
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