TEAM CANTEEN

Four seventh graders help each other find confidence.

After struggling to fit in, Tasha, Billie, Raelynn, and Claire finally found their people at summer camp. But now, they must separate and return to their own challenging realities. Talented hockey player Billie longs to pursue theater, but pressure from his dad holds him back. Claire struggles with shame over her family’s financial hardships and anxiety caused by her father’s volatile anger. Raelynn, who loves gaming but knows it won’t make her popular, is tormented by sibling rivalry and her fraternal twin sister’s rejection. Tasha feels insecure and resentful as her adoptive dads add a recently orphaned niece and her destructive dog to their family. Though their situations differ, the friends are on parallel journeys. Can they find the courage to tackle new experiences and relationships and ultimately be their true selves? Thankfully, they’ve got each other…plus the hot pink feather boa they found on their last night of camp, which they share through the mail whenever one of them needs extra luck. Readers may find wisdom in the validation and vulnerability within their group texts, and they’ll root for Team Canteen as they discover ways to express their feelings and personalities. The chapters rotate among the main characters’ points of view, proceeding through the school year until it’s time to reunite at camp. Raelynn reads Black, and the other leads are cued white.

Sweetly underscores friendship as a lifeline to self-acceptance.