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CM . . .
. Volume XX Number 14. . . .December 6, 2013
excerpt:
Despite being self-conscious of her �freakish� height, Emma Jackson has her eighth-grade life on track: she�s friends with Hailey, the most popular girl in school; she goes shopping; and she never does anything without her cell phone. When her math teacher, Mr. Marshall, catches her texting in class, her punishment is to volunteer with the girls� volleyball team. After a few practices, the coach sends Emma on court, against both the teams� and Emma�s wishes, in order to benefit from her height. The life-shattering detail is that her �good friend� Hailey thinks that sports are gross. Thus, Emma tries to keep her two worlds from colliding� a daunting task that is pretty much impossible in the world of middle school. When Hailey uncovers Emma�s little secret, not only does school become a social nightmare for Emma, but also consequences escalate as the feud takes new shape on the Internet. While I agree that technology and social media are a large part of a teen�s social experience these days, I find that the way this particular element of cyberbullying is played out in the text feels artificially added to the plotline and that the content is somewhat of a non sequitur within the volleyball context. The overall pace of the story is quick, and there is a lot of action packed in there, both in terms of on the volleyball court and in the grade eight social world, but the plot is not necessarily logical. Many times I find myself questioning the basis of Emma�s motivation behind wanting to remain friends with Hailey. Even when they were friends, Emma�s internal dialogue reveals that she did not truly like her friend�s mean-spirited personality. However, without this contrived friendship dilemma to drive the conflict forward, the storyline wouldn�t have a pulse. As a female and an athlete myself, I completely support the idea of girls participating in sports. For this reason, I find that for a book that purports to encourage girls into sport, there was a lack of positive characterization of female strength. Emma suffers her social ostracization, but she never takes control of the situation herself. The resolution of her turmoil is not a result of her personal perseverance or initiative, and thus it is not satisfying. Even the volleyball team�s bonding party only amounts to the girls creating a team cheer, effectively placing them in the typical female typecast role of cheerleaders. Furthermore, many of the supporting characters also feel like blatant stereotypes: the pretty-but-mean girl, the easy-going jock, the over-controlling-and-competitive team captain, and my list could go on� Overall, I think that this book might appeal to a reader who is highly interested in volleyball, that is, as long as he or she would have a high tolerance level for the over-embellished stereotypical �girl drama� of middle school. Recommended with reservations. Dorothea Wilson-Scorgie is a teacher-librarian at a middle school in Victoria, BC. She has recently completed her MA degree in Children�s Literature at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca. Copyright � the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
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