Shutout (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Shutout April Spisak Halpin, Brendan . Shutout. Farrar, 2010. [224p]. ISBN 978-0-374-36899-9 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 5-9. Amanda, happily partnered with her best friend, Lena, for soccer, just wants everything to stay exactly the same when they start high school. Instead, Lena is chosen [End Page 77] for the varsity team, while Amanda gets a JV slot, and their friendship unravels quickly as Lena chooses popularity, a hunky (but not terribly bright) boyfriend, and partying over Amanda's quiet, steady loyalty. Unused to caring about anybody but Lena, Amanda must suddenly learn to cooperate with a whole soccer team and interact with other schoolmates. Luckily, she has a near-ideal set of parents (one comforting if annoyingly sentimental one and another who can sense exactly what she needs, whether it is tough talk or ice cream), two brothers to distract her, a cute boy of her own (who is smart enough to challenge her) waiting in the wings, and a new potential best friend who recently moved to town. It is all a bit too perfect, but Halpin injects subtle nuance in Amanda's slow realization that in order to be the person she imagines she is, she has to make very hard choices on occasion (as when she eventually understands how her jealousy as much as her integrity motivates her revealing a truth that will get both her and Lena in major trouble). Unfortunately, all of the characters other than Amanda remain flat, underdeveloped foils that teach her varied important life lessons. Nevertheless, readers just starting high school will likely recognize the angst, anticipation, surprises, and disappointments that can accompany this transition. Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois