A review by bickie
The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson

I found this book a little hard to follow, which was probably similar to Faith's feeling at her new middle school. When she signs up for the soccer team, she doesn't realize it's on the 3rds (C) team. Most of the players there don't really care about soccer, and neither does the coach, who is one of the players' (Huang) dad. Some of the kids have nicknames, both self-selected (Sodacan) and assigned (Bulldog and Warthog). Faith realizes that a lot of people are mean to each other, and most of the time just stays silent but does speak up a few times. One pair of friends has a rift when one tells the other she likes a boy (who is one of the player's older brother), then the other decides to "hit on" him instead.

Some readers might find the interspersed storylines confusing. A few show some of the teammates at their homes once; another recurring storyline is one that Faith draws herself in her notebook about a girl (her) and a knight-looking person named Mathilda who is a messenger between kinds and queens.

Spoiler

There is one scene where one of the teammates (Marie) is having a sleepover with another (Sammy) and sharing a bed. Sammy (on the girls' soccer team) discloses that he "thinks I'm a boy." Marie has had a crush on Sammy and, while surprised at first, is completely affirming. The scene ends with a consensual kiss in the bed.