Review by Booklist Review
Liv Rodinsky has softball on the brain: she's a star player at Windsor Prep, the private school she attends on a scholarship. But when a girl from the rival Northland team makes homophobic comments about Liv's sister, the Windsor Prep coach, during an already heated game, Liv decks her. Windsor Prep has a zero-tolerance policy, so Liv loses her scholarship and heads to Northland, a public school, for her junior year. The girl she hit may have graduated, but her teammates and coach remember, and if Liv wants to make Northland's softball team, she'll have to convince them she can be a team player. Then injured Northland quarterback Grey Worthington turns up with a crazy idea: he needs a backup quarterback, Liv has a good arm, and if she can survive the Northland football team, she can make any team. Fantasy writer (Sea Witch, 2018) and former sports journalist Henning offers up a scrappy contemporary debut in the vein of Morgan Matson. Sports fans and romance lovers unite there's plenty to satisfy both teams here.--Maggie Reagan Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Olive "Liv" Rodinsky, 16, is a softball phenom, lauded by the private school she attends on scholarship. But when Liv takes a swing at an opposing player who makes a homophobic remark about Liv's older sister, she and her scholarship are abruptly suspended. Her family's finances are already strained from her mother's cancer treatments, so Liv enrolls at the local public high school (also the alma mater of the girl she socked and several rival players who aren't anxious to have Liv on their team). There, she is unexpectedly recruited by handsome Grey, injured star quarterback and son of the school's softball coach, to join the football team. Liv jumps at the opportunity, hoping to curry favor and place on the softball team. Determined and talented as a quarterback, Liv steals both Grey's starting spot and his heart. Henning offers a fun romance twined with a fast-paced sports story, and a headstrong protagonist who is easy to champion. Liv's relationship with Grey is the perfect mix of heat and heart, and her acceptance by the all-male football team, refreshingly easy. There is little doubt where the story is headed, but drama both on- and off-the-field propel this feel-good underdog story about a girl who refuses to quit. Ages 12--up. Agent: Whitney Ross, Irene Goodman Literary Agency. (Jan.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An impulsive punch in a high-profile game ends up costing softball star Olive Rodinsky almost everything she values.High school junior Livor "O-Rod"is willing to try just about anything to play againeven supercute Grey Worthington's crazy plan that she could be his backup quarterback. Liv's toughness and talent shine through in the detailed portrayals of football training, practices, and games; while the thrills of the sport aren't downplayed, the hard work and injuries (the risks of concussion are a running subplot) are ever present. And if her sweet romance with Grey feels a bit rushed, the strength Liv draws from coaches, teammates, and friends comes through as rock solid. It's an unexpected delight to read a "girl on the football team" plot that does not revolve around sexist objections (not that Liv doesn't encounter a few); nor are homophobic attacks on her sister, her mother's cancer, her family's precarious financial situation or race (Liv and Grey are white; supporting characters are realistically ethnically diverse) made the focus. Instead, Liv's major obstacle is learning to forgive and trust again: the family who doesn't respect her decisions; the teammates who keep secrets; the boyfriend with an agenda; and, above all, her own flawed, complicated, driven, triumphant self. This charming sports story reflects classic tropes of the genre while still feeling fresh and relevant.A winner. (Fiction. 12-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
