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jugglingpup's review
5.0
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I got an ARC in return for an honest review from NetGalley.
I grabbed this book because I love this publisher. They publish books for reluctant readers and lower level readers that allow major things to be talked about. This book covers death, losing friends, and socioeconomic status.
The book focuses on Dylan adjusting to life after his dad dies. His mom sold their house, sold their car, cancelled their cell phones, and moved them to the other side of town. Dylan loses his dad, his soccer team, everything he has known. He is angry, but no one can really blame him. So when he starts a fight during gym the principal’s punishment is having him join the soccer team. The story from there is Dylan learning what friendship really means.
My favorite part of the book is actually the focus on class. Dylan learns what it means to be poor. He can’t have the things he used to have. He notices that even the uniforms are different. He is very quick to judge everyone for being poor, he even refuses to eat a granola bar because it is a hand out. It was such a subtle and powerful look at class from a kid’s perspective. He learns that money isn’t everything. He learns that family and friends matter a lot more. So while playing paintball is really fun, it won’t be what you need when you are in trouble. I have to applaud the author for tackling such a difficult subject with this book and doing it really well. Dylan learned, but it didn’t feel like a Brady Bunch moment where everything was perfectly wrapped up. Dylan was still far from perfect.
There is a companion book to this one from the same author, Golden Game. There are two other books in the series by another author, Tournament Fugee and Team Fugee.
I got an ARC in return for an honest review from NetGalley.
I grabbed this book because I love this publisher. They publish books for reluctant readers and lower level readers that allow major things to be talked about. This book covers death, losing friends, and socioeconomic status.
The book focuses on Dylan adjusting to life after his dad dies. His mom sold their house, sold their car, cancelled their cell phones, and moved them to the other side of town. Dylan loses his dad, his soccer team, everything he has known. He is angry, but no one can really blame him. So when he starts a fight during gym the principal’s punishment is having him join the soccer team. The story from there is Dylan learning what friendship really means.
My favorite part of the book is actually the focus on class. Dylan learns what it means to be poor. He can’t have the things he used to have. He notices that even the uniforms are different. He is very quick to judge everyone for being poor, he even refuses to eat a granola bar because it is a hand out. It was such a subtle and powerful look at class from a kid’s perspective. He learns that money isn’t everything. He learns that family and friends matter a lot more. So while playing paintball is really fun, it won’t be what you need when you are in trouble. I have to applaud the author for tackling such a difficult subject with this book and doing it really well. Dylan learned, but it didn’t feel like a Brady Bunch moment where everything was perfectly wrapped up. Dylan was still far from perfect.
There is a companion book to this one from the same author, Golden Game. There are two other books in the series by another author, Tournament Fugee and Team Fugee.
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