Shut Out review

Shut Out 
by Kody Keplinger 
Poppy 
September 2011


I loved Kody Keplinger's debut novel, The DUFF, a frank and honest exploration of high school romance. In her second novel, the author delivers a very capable re-telling of Greek playwright Aristophanes's Lysistrata. In the original play, a comedy, the title character Lysistrata arranges a "sex-strike" to convince the armies of Athens and Sparta to stop fighting.

The opening scenes of Shut Out are like a slap in the face, and I mean that in the best possible way. Readers are rudely reminded that most high school boys are not dreamy romantics. Indeed, most are horny, inconsiderate jerks. Teen Lissa's boyfriend, football quarterback Randy (get it? Randy??) barely pays attention to her - even when they're making out, he's busy planning some sophomoric prank to play on the soccer team. While many schools enjoy a football rivalry between schools, Hamilton High has an internal rivalry between the football team and the soccer team. Fed up with Randy's disgusting behavior, Lissa decides to enlist her friends in shutting out the boys' advances until they can behave like gentlemen.

In the meantime, Lissa develops a growing interest in Cash Sterling, leader of the soccer team. Even though she's underwhelmed by Randy's charm, she's afraid of letting down her dad and her brother, both big football fans. It's obvious that Cash is the better choice for Lissa but it takes them a while to figure it out. They hooked up briefly a year ago, but due to a misunderstanding never pursued things. They're thrown back together when they end up working at the local library together. I'm always a bit skeptical when I read a book with libraries or books in it; is the author pandering to librarians? But, I loved the scenes where Lissa trains the new clerks. She's simultaneously bossy, detail-oriented and perfectionist, yet still manages to come across as a loveable nerd who is just trying to figure out how to master social skills.

Of course, the book suffers from the same weaknesses as the original play: an overemphasis on sex, and a somewhat juvenile approach to relationships. I had trouble believing that the girls would feel so sex-starved so soon - they have as hard a time with their celibacy vow as the boys do. On the whole though, Keplinger's version warms and humanizes Aristophanes rather two-dimensional characters. All of the characters, including Lissa, her family, her circle of girlfriends, even disgusting Randy really ring true. Cash is a hero, but not in a "too good to be believed" way. There's a lot of discussion, from a feminist perspective, of the double-standard for sexually-active men and women. Keplinger has her finger on the pulse of how teens speak. I'll recommend this book for older teens.


I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Heat review

Heat

by Mike Lupica

Philomel

2006

After a steady, steady diet of teen girl fantasy and science-fiction, I really felt that I should stretch myself a bit, and read something outside of my normal comfort zone. I couldn't have chosen better than Heat by Mike Lupica, a baseball story about the challenges that a Cuban-American kid faces as he plays in his local Little League.

Michael Arroyo and his older brother Carlos are feeling the pressure mount as they try to hide the fact that their father has recently died of a heart attack. Michael throws himself into his baseball games with more fervor than ever as a way of blocking out all his troubles at home. As their money dries up, Carlos turns to working with a gang and other shady opportunities to make money. With the opportunity to play for the Little League World Series in Yankee Stadium at stake, the rival team spreads a rumor that Michael is lying about his age. While it is never directly addressed, proof of whether they're in the country legally or not must be behind the drive to see Michael's official papers. When their original story that their father is visiting a sick relative in Miami begins to wear thin, the boys go so far as to hire an actor to play the part of their father as part of their gambit to remain out of foster care. What could be a grim story is saved by the comic relief of Michael's goofball best friend Manny. Michael has a very tentative and innocent romance with a girl named Ellie and the happy ending felt a bit deus ex machina to me, but I think most readers will be pleased to see everything wrapped up in such a satisfactory way.

Lupica is a prolific writer, with many other sports titles under his belt. I'm sure I'll be returning to the rest of his books as soon as I need a sorbet to cleanse my fantasy palate again. Much more sophisticated, with an urban voice, this is a far finer book than most of the Matt Christopher offerings. I would give this to middle-grade readers in a heartbeat.


I blogged this during the 48-Hour Reading Challenge.
I borrowed this book from my public library.

Goal Review

Goal!

by Mina Javaherbin, illustrated by A.G. Ford

Candlewick Press

2010

A friendly game of football (or soccer, as we'd call it here in the U.S.) provides a rare bright spot for some boys growing up in a shanty township in South Africa. The repeated phrase, "Left is clear / Right is clear" underscores the wariness with which they must conduct themselves because, "the streets are not safe."  Ajani has won a new regulation leather ball, and his friends Jamal, Hassan, Magubani, Keto and Badu are persuaded to join him for a game of football in a weatherbeaten alley, using dented metal buckets as goalposts. Just as they begin to relax and enjoy the game however, a group of bullies rides up on bikes. With a bit of inspired thinking, the boys hide their treasured new ball under a bucket, letting the bullies grab their old plastic beach ball instead. Javaherbin's lyrical use of language creates a very readable flow to the story.

Ford's full-spread oil illustrations emphasize the contrast between dusty brown streets and ramshackle buildings with the bright blue of the clear open sky. One of the most striking images is the scowl on the lead bully's face as he rides away the plastic ball. The luminous warmth in the boys skin tones is rendered beautifully, while their grimy and tattered clothing is a clue to the kind of poverty they live in. Their smiles and agile postures as they jump, kick and race about the street will be familar to any sports fan.  Goal! is a thought-provoking story and is sure to be a welcome addition for teachers or librarians who want to increase their collections on bullying and social issues.


I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Farms and Football

Dairy Queen

by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Listening Library

2006

I was immediately drawn in by the eye-catching cover on this audiobook featuring an adorable cow wearing a tiara. Unfortunately, the cover has been changed for the paperback edition. The new cover features a boy and girl, reclining in a green field.

D.J. Schwenk is a girl jock in a sports-obsessed family in rural Red Bend, Wisconsin. Her older brothers have gone off to college on football scholarships, and when her father needs hip surgery, it falls on her shoulders to keep the dairy farm going over the summer. The cows have been named after famous football players and coaches, and, of course, 4-H plays an important part in their lives. D.J. takes up an offer from a family friend to help train a player for the neighboring football team (as if she doesn't have enough to do already.) But, football is her passion, and over the course of the summer, she comes to realize she doesn't want to be a coach, what she really wants to do is play the game herself. I thought her gradual coming around to the decision of wanting to play football was very well done. It's a journey and she takes you along with her.

D.J. is funny and likable, and almost too nice. I can't believe how much she does on the farm, how much she forgives and how quick she is to see other people's sides, especially Brian Nelson who was the instrument of her brother's football field humiliation a year ago. But, it is a small town where you must move past and live with these things if you want to be able to cope at all. D.J. and her family aren't big talkers: "When you don't talk, there's a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said." Her younger brother Curtis almost never speaks at all. It turns out that he secretly wants to be a dentist, and in a family of jocks, he feels like a misfit. Anything that strikes her as sensitive, kind or intelligent she thinks of in terms of her heroine, Oprah Winfrey.

D.J. isn't perfect... when her best friend Amber comes out to her, she drops her like a hot potato, uncertain of how to handle this surprising news. Thankfully, things do resolve in a satisfactory way by the end of the story. D.J. handles being called names, "dyke" and so on for being a female athlete with aplomb.

The only thing that I found unbelievable was the turn-around with D.J.'s dad suddenly being a "good cook" by the end of the summer. When D.J. describes one casserole dish as being akin to "hot vomit" I was utterly grossed out. And her father's improvised chicken and prunes dish sounded positively nauseating. At the end of the book, when D.J. admits that her dad's meals are "actually pretty good." I just couldn't believe it. No way, no how.

I enjoyed the accent, although I had to wonder: would it be considered accurate enough to please a Wisconsin native? The last audiobook I listened to had plenty of positive reviews for the New England accent -- though it didn't sound entirely genuine to me. Natalie Moore's narration sounded believable. It was strong enough to give a sense of place, yet not indecipherable in the least.

Dairy Queen took me to a completely different world. I can't imagine being a jock. Can't imagine being surrounded by people who like and actually care about football. Can't imagine living on a farm. But, I found the characters and situations to be compelling and relatable, nonetheless. The story is soon to be a trilogy. There is a sequel: The Off Season, and the third book, Front and Center will be released this fall. There are also rumors that the book may be in development for a movie or tv series.