Shutout

by Brendan Halpin

Overview

Lena and Amanda are best friends and star soccer players—but what happens when the thing they love most threatens to tear them apart?

Soccer has always been a part of Lena and Amanda’s friendship. For six years, they have been an unstoppable team on and off the field: best friends and great teammates. Amanda is sure they’ll both make the varsity team in ninth grade and go on to win the state championship. But when Lena makes the cut and Amanda doesn’t, everything seems uncertain, and Amanda worries that her best friend is leaving her behind.
 
With Shutout, Brendan Halpin has created a powerful story of friendship, sportsmanship, and growing up.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781504006835
Publisher:	Open Road Media
Publication date:	04/07/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	182
Lexile:	930L (what's this?)
File size:	981 KB
Age Range:	12 - 16 Years

About the Author

Brendan Halpin is a teacher and the author of books for adults and young adults including the Alex Award–winning Donorboy, Forever Changes, and the Junior Library Guild Selection Shutout. He is also the coauthor of Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom, with Emily Franklin, and Notes from the Blender, with Trish Cook, both of which the American Library Association named to its Rainbow List. Halpin’s writing has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, Rosie and Best Life magazines, and the New York Times’ “Modern Love” column. Halpin is a vegetarian, a fan of vintage horror movies, and an avid tabletop gamer. He lives with his wife, Suzanne, their three children, and their dog in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston.
Brendan Halpin is a teacher and the author of books for adults and young adults including the Alex Award–winning Donorboy, Forever Changes, and the Junior Library Guild Selection Shutout. He is also the coauthor of Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom, with Emily Franklin, and Notes from the Blender, with Trish Cook, both of which the American Library Association named to its Rainbow List. Halpin’s writing has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, Rosie and Best Life magazines, and the New York Times’ “Modern Love” column. Halpin is a vegetarian, a fan of vintage horror movies, and an avid tabletop gamer. He lives with his wife, Suzanne, their three children, and their dog in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston.

Editorial Reviews

A quick, good-natured, and perceptive read about best friends growing apart, no doubt one of the hardest parts of growing up.” —Starred, Booklist

“The dialogue is spot-on, and the characters are fully fleshed out . . . . While there is plenty of soccer action for fans of the sport, the book will also appeal to teens looking for a solid friendship story. Halpin manages to convey the benefits of doing the right thing, but without preachiness.” —School Library Journal

“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.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

A quick, good-natured, and perceptive read about best friends growing apart, no doubt one of the hardest parts of growing up.

Booklist Starred

Gr 7–9—Best friends Amanda and Lena have always been an unstoppable pair on the soccer field. Although ninth graders rarely make the varsity team, they are hopeful. But a recent growth spurt has caused Amanda to develop Sever's disease, a temporary disorder that causes significant heel pain and that has affected her game. It's still an unexpected blow, though, when Lena makes the cut and she has been relegated to JV. As much as the two girls try to pretend that their friendship won't be affected, it is; in addition to the different practices and games, Lena is socializing more with the juniors and seniors. Things come to a head when she asks Amanda to accompany her to a party so that she can meet up with a guy she likes. Unable to deceive her dad and stepmom, Amanda comes clean about the evening's activities, and Lena's parents find out where she really was. The dialogue is spot-on, and the characters are fully fleshed out. Amanda's loss of her mom when she was young and the resulting blended family are important threads. Her narration rings true with a captivating mix of teenage humor and insecurity. While there is plenty of soccer action for fans of the sport, the book will also appeal to teens looking for a solid friendship story. Halpin manages to convey the benefits of doing the right thing, but without preachiness.—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

School Library Journal

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)

Kirkus Reviews