Sabotage Season

August 15, 2013
Team co-captain and eighth-grader Devin returns (The Kicks: Saving the Team, 2013) for another tale of soccer teamwork, this time with a little sleuthing thrown in. The Kentville Kangaroos started off the season poorly, but they find themselves in contention for a playoff berth. This opportunity sends Devin into overdrive as she plans practices, researches drills and watches the team rankings with an eagle eye. When more than one suspicious problem occurs, all eyes turn to Mirabelle, ex-teammate and ex-best friend of one of the Kangaroos. A gym bag goes missing, a practice field reservation is cancelled, and even a fake email from the coach is sent out. The girls bring their observations to the league director, who rebuffs them. Taking matters into their own hands, the girls plan their detective work and their revenge. But will they identify the saboteur in time to focus on the playoff game? Can they even concentrate as the boys' team comes to watch them play? Morgan's new soccer series is wholesome and simple. She portrays the mindset of a committed young soccer player well, bringing readers in on dreams and plans. Although formulaic, the story's fast pace and plot buildup will appeal to female athletes. (Fiction. 8-10)

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December 1, 2013

Gr 4-6-The Kentville Kangaroos, a California middle-school soccer team, return. Devin is a cross-county transplant, but as a serious student and zealous cocaptain, she aims to lead her team to victory through drills, hard work, and extra practice. The Kicks find themselves unexpectedly within reach of the playoffs. Then minor troubles crop up, and they can't help but suspect sabotage. Through her nightly video texting with her Connecticut buddy, readers follow Devin's interactions with boys, soccer, a little sister, and other distractions like an exploding soccer ball, damaged team materials, and scheduling mix-ups. Devin's narration sounds artificial, but overall this book is a good choice for girls looking for mysteries or stories about sports or friendship.-Glynis Jean Wray, Ocean County Library, Toms River, NJ

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2013
Grades 5-7 After a rocky season start, Kentville Middle School's girls soccer team, the Kangaroosaka the Kickshas steadily improved and may even get to the play-offs. Seventh-grade cocaptain Devin Burke and teammates, including friends Jessi, Emma, and Zoe, are really excited. Then a series of mishaps and misfortunes starts hampering efforts and dimming hopes: Devin's soccer gear mysteriously disappears; Zoe gets injured; scheduling snafus keep delaying practices. When disruptions continue, the girls start wondering if events aren't coincidences but someone trying to ruin their tournament chances. With play-offs nearing, the Kicks must stay focused and also identify and stop the perpetrator. But are their suspicions misdirectedand is retribution the right answer? Despite some conventional plot elements and routine characters, this is an entertaining, breezy read. Devin's lively first-person narrative incorporates plenty of soccer and daily-life details while highlighting themes about the importance of teamwork, good sportsmanship, and maintaining perspective about what mattersfrom playing your best to friendship.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2014
In this second book, Devin finds her once "pretty awful" soccer team in the play-off hunt. Unfortunately, suspicious obstacles keep getting in their way--lost uniforms, confused schedules, strange emails. It takes teamwork on and off the field to figure out the sabotage mystery. Lively characters buoy the conventional plot, and Olympic-gold-medalist Morgan's continued focus on teamwork and sportsmanship is laudable.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)