Throwing Like a Girl

Gr 6–10—Ella dreaded her family's move from Chicago to Dallas halfway through her sophomore year in high school. At her fancy new private school, she seems to be the only one being driven there by her mother. If only she had her license. However, things start to change when she tries out for softball, for which she surprisingly has a talent. There is also Nate, the boy she's partnered with for the schools infamous "Marriage Project, and her new friend Rocky, who has a mysterious and troubled past. Ella tries to fit all the pieces of her new life together, but there may be some things she just can't fix. Angela Dawe does a fine job at bringing Ella's inner and outer voices to life as she deals with the angst of being a teenager and pressures both on and off the field. The supporting characters are lively as well, but Nate's narration is a little one-note at times. Fans of Ann Brashares and Sarah Dessen will enjoy Macken's (Amazon Children's Pub., 2007) light, fun sports-mance.—Michaela Schied, Indian River Middle School, Philadelphia, NY