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Description
Maddy doesn't find it easy adjusting to grade nine.
The friendships and loyalties Maddy took for granted in middle school are being challenged, and there's so much more competition on her track team now. When she stumbles across a friend being bullied behind the school after a track practice, she suspects something nasty is going on. So when Coach announces one of the team members has been robbed, she realizes the two incidents must be connected. Everyone on the track and field team is under suspicion. How can the team function with so much uneasiness among its members? Maddy realizes the only way to bring the team together again is to make some changes.
This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!
Contributor Notes
Deb Loughead is the author of more than twenty-five books for children and young adults. Deb conducts workshops and readings at schools, festivals and conferences across the country. She has written and directed children’s plays and taught creative writing classes. Back in her youth, she was a sprinter, as well as the anchor, for her school relay team. Nowadays she prefers walking her dog. Deb lives with her family in Toronto, Ontario.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 9 to 12
- Grade:
- 4 to 7
- Reading age:
- 9 to 12
Awards
- Commended, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Quick Picks
Editorial Reviews
"This high-interest, low-reading-level title balances slow pacing with a well-developed story as bullying, theft, and surrounding secrets add challenges for Maddy, her friends, and their entire track team. Loughead explores the importance of friendship, communication, forgiveness, standing up to bullying, truthfulness, and doing the right thing in this timely story, and readers will empathize with the subtle misunderstandings that lead to Maddy's alienation from her old friends, while cheering for her as she tries to set things right."
— Booklist
"Realistic and well-paced, it should appeal to fans of the Orca Sports series."
— Tucson Unified School District
"Moves at a moderate pace and uses clear, straightforward language...A good read for a student who is not sure what to expect of the transition to high school, or who is experiencing anxiety over the transition, and for those readers interested in reading about sports and athletics."
— CM: Canadian Review of Materials
"Loughead has created rich and evocative characters in Maddy, Kat and Shauna. Their struggles are universal and explored with insight."
— Resource Links
