Description: "Soccer star Kristy Barrett, a thirteen-year-old who dreams of playing for the women's Olympic team, faces an identity crisis and struggles with pain and panic attacks after a severe concussion sidelines her"--
Brief description: James Preller is the author of the popular Jigsaw Jones mystery books, which have sold more than 10 million copies since 1998. He is also the author of Bystander, named a 2009 Junior Library Guild Selection, Six Innings, an ALA Notable Book, and Mighty Casey, his own twist on the classic poem, "Casey at the Bat." In addition to writing full-time, Preller plays in a men's hardball league and coaches Little League. He compares coaching kids to "trying to hold the attention of a herd of earthworms." He lives in Delmar, New York with his wife, three children, cats and dog.
Review Quotes:
A Bank Street Center for Children's Literature Best Book of the Year
"Kristy Barrett has always attracted attention on the soccer field: ... She was special. This phrase has been repeated her whole life. Now, as a seventh grader, Kristy is starting on the varsity girls' soccer team, dominating players who are several years older than she... But after she's kicked in the head while diving for the ball, she suffers a traumatic concussion. Suddenly, Kristy is a different person--and no one seems to understand her or what she needs or even how to talk to her now that she's not that special soccer player. Preller's careful pacing matches the fuzziness and slow healing of Kristy's brain, introducing readers to the realities of the pain, loss, and feelings of isolation that dedicated athletes experience when they can no longer play. ...Strong themes of healing (both physical and emotional), family, and friendship abound. An introspective and realistic coming-of-age story about rediscovering oneself."--Kirkus Reviews "Rife with strong metaphors and powerfully realistic characters."-- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB)