Takedown

Takedown is a novel that tells the story of Rowen, a grade 11 student who is one of the top female wrestlers in the country. She spends her days training for wrestling tournaments, hanging out with her best friend, Pia and her boyfriend Ozzy, who is acting in the school’s production of Romeo and Juliet. She works hard at everything she does as she wants to make her parents proud, but especially her dad who is suffering from ALS. She knows that her dad does not have much time left, and she wants to know he is proud of all she has accomplished.

Out of the blue, her wrestling gym opens up to MMA athletes, and Rowen soon catches the eye of Axel, the MMA trainer, and Caspian, one of his athletes. Rowen’s coach does not want her to become involved in MMA, but a brief discussion with Caspian about the monetary rewards of underground fights soon changes her mind. One fight could help pay for her father’s medical bills, especially a new treatment in Sweden which could cost her family thousands of dollars. Will Rowen become an underground fighter? Will she do well at a wrestling tournament in New York? Will her dad get the life-extending treatment? All these questions and more are answered throughout the course of the novel.

Readers of Takedown will appreciate the quick pace of the novel and the realistic depictions of teen life. Student athletes will also like the depictions of varsity level athletics in the novel. Most teens will have that annoying younger sibling or will try to figure out if their boyfriend is still into them. Most teens will also be trying to figure out what they want to do after high school and what post-secondary school they will attend. Most teens, however, will not have to experience the slow death of a parent. This novel could, however, help those teens that are going through this experience with coping. Takedown is a great read on so many levels.