Out of Sync

Humann, Amanda. Out of Sync.(Counterattack)
1 April 2013, Lerner Classroom

Madison loves soccer, and is looking forward to playing in college, and hoping for a scholarship. She also enjoys playing with her friend Dayton, with whom she has played since they were very young, sharing a mad "soccer sync". When Dayton starts to prefer partying to playing soccer, Madison is both hurt that her friend has different priorities, and worried that without Dayton, her own skills on the team won't be able to shine. For a while, Madison tries to continue to hang out with Dayton, going to parties and pretending to be interested in older guys, but when it starts to effect her playing, she realizes that she has to be true to her own dreams no matter what path Dayton chooses to follow.
Strengths: Like the other book in this series that I read, Offside, this has a character who happens to be Asian, but the story is not about her ethnicity. The cover photo is better than Offside! This has a lot of good soccer descriptions, and I think girls will like it because it talks about partying but certainly doesn't glorify it. The theme of losing friends is one that packs a lot of emotional impact. Definitely buying this entire series for next year.
Weaknesses: While Madison was able to make her peace with Dayton's actions, I felt like Dayton somehow needed more help than she was getting. That wasn't what the story was about, but I worried!