Breakaway
Grade 5-8 Lily, 12, is the star of her soccer travel team. When her coach notices that her temper tantrums and self-centeredness prevent her from being the team player she could be, he benches her. There are several didactic monologues interspersed among some excellent play-by-play action scenes as Lily learns to overcome her disappointment and gain a better perspective. Montalbano brings a bit of humor to the story by describing parents of players as either Berries or Nuts those who occasionally glance up at a game between texting on their BlackBerries and those who are overly obsessed with their child's performance on the field. Even though Lily's thorough transformation appears to be a bit abrupt, soccer-playing readers will recognize some of her traits either in themselves or in others and enjoy this tale of friendship through teamwork.Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.