by Kwame Alexander
HoughtonMifflin, 2016, Intermediate Fiction, 314 p
Nick has a sweet life. He is the star of his soccer team and has a best friend who loves soccer as much as he does. He even gets to dance with the prettiest girl at school in the dopey ballroom dance class his mother made him take. Everything starts to fall apart when his mom and dad announce that they are separating. All of a sudden he can't sleep at night and often has a stomach ache. The bright side of his life is still soccer and when his team qualifies to go to a national soccer competition it seems like things might be looking up.
I really liked Crossover, Alexander's book about basketball that won the Newbery Award, and this book is very much like that one. It is written in free verse poetry, and like Crossover has some really good sports action narrative. The relationships within the family are sweet and Nick's reaction to his parent's breakup is sympathetic. I love it that there are good sports books out there for guys who might otherwise be reluctant readers.
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