Select by Christie Matheson

Select by Christie Matheson. Random House, 2023. 9780593567234






Rating:  1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4.5



Format : Hardcover fiction



Genre :  Sports



What did you like about the book? Alex has always loved soccer and has played on local rec teams since she was little. In fact, her rec coach Jayda is an important role model. Jayda taught Alex foot juggling, and has imbued her with the value of teamwork and the love of the sport. Alex’s overworked mom is not really in touch with Alex, and seems to gravitate towards men who belittle her. In addition, her mom relies too much on Alex to take care of her little sister Belle. And her mom won’t recognize that Alex wants to be called Alex now, not her given name of Alexa.



But when Alex’s mom meets an overbearing coach of an elite travel team and wants to sign Alex up, Alex is interested. Won’t playing on this team give her the exposure she needs to eventually qualify for a college athletic scholarship? There’s no way to fund college unless she gets one. But the reality is that her new coach is an overbearing and cruel man who belittles the team, seems to hate women and girls and creates an atmosphere of tension on the team. The sport that she loves has become a travail. Can Alex speak up? Who can she confide in? And will her new teammates have her back?



This novel was hard to put down. Matheson writes urgently and compellingly of Alex and her love of the sport, and of her increasing discomfort with what she knows is abuse. The elite travel team the author portrays has earnest, hard-working girls on it, but the parents are often just as bad as the coach. I wonder if this problem is common at this level of play. There are lots of great scenes of play on the field which will thrill soccer loving readers. I loved seeing kids confront abuse. Alex reads as white; Jayda is Black, and many of the teammates are kids of color.



Anything you didn’t like about it? Alex’s mom and her new coach are portrayed with a really heavy hand – I found it hard to find them both as realistic characters. A little more nuance would have been great. Also, when the coach was [SPOILER ALERT!] removed at the end, there was no follow up as to any sanctions he may have received.



To whom would you recommend this book?  For middle grade readers who love realistic portrayals of soccer drama, especially involving girls.



Who should buy this book?  Elementary school and public libraries



Where would you shelve it ? Fiction



Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No, but it’s good to have on your radar.



Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City and State: Stephanie Tournas, Robbins Library Library, Arlington, MA



Date of review:  May 5, 2023