SHUTOUT

Fourteen-year-old Amanda is on the cusp of many changes at the outset of her freshman year. Until now, soccer and her best friend Lena have been constants in Amanda’s life. However, varsity tryouts and Sever’s disease (a common heel injury found in many young athletes) alters her plans. From the sidelines of junior varsity, Amanda watches as Lena’s sudden social success with the varsity soccer team spirals into a series of poor choices. Amanda faces tough decisions: Should she succumb to peer pressure in the name of friendship, and should she bother to salvage a friendship gone awry? The resulting rift with Lena leads Amanda to explore new friendships, the benefits of yoga and a potential relationship with a reclusive boy in English class. Halpin’s narrative adeptly segues between adrenaline-filled soccer matches to more reflective, contemplative passages. Amanda’s quandary will resonate with readers as she tackles timely topics such as friendship woes, teen drinking and family life with admirable aplomb. (Fiction. 12 & up)