Break Point

by Kate Jaimet

It's the summer of Connor Trent's sixteenth birthday, and the stakes for him have never been so high. Connor's summer job at the Bytowne Tennis Club allows him to train at a historic facility. It also throws him into confrontation with his rich-kid rival, Rex Hunter, whom he will battle for a berth in the National Junior Tournament. After a series of fundraisers is sabotaged, Connor suspects that someone wants to bankrupt the club and take over its valuable riverfront property. A fabled trophy, rumored to contain hidden cash, might solve all of Connor's problems—if he can win it.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Sports

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2013

About the author

Kate Jaimet spent 13 years as a daily news reporter before turning to fiction and freelance magazine writing. Her critically-acclaimed comedy Dunces Anonymous was a finalist for the Ottawa Book Award and the Silver Birch Fiction Award. Her books in the Orca Sports series -- Break Point, Edge of Flight, and Slam Dunk -- draw from her experience as a reporter to tell fast-paced, gripping stories for teen readers.

Reviews

[George Ilsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very simple, straight-forward short novel, with an unrealistic plot which provides a happily ever after ending. I read it for the tennis. It's hard to work tennis into a narrative, and hard to capture the tension and excitement of a tennis match in prose. Even an enthusiastic tennis fan (me!) might not enjoy reading about a tennis match.

Luckily in this short book, most of the tension is not about tennis itself.

I try not to judge hi-low books too harshly. I'm sure "reluctant readers" would enjoy this.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

After two fundraisers for their local tennis club are vandalized the night before, Connor and his friend Maddy suspect that someone is trying to bankrupt their beloved tennis club. Connor and Maddy start investigating who would gain from the tennis club’s demise and learn that if the tennis club does not have a $100,000 payment in a few weeks it will have to declare bankruptcy. It turns out that saving their club might just come down to who wins the trophy in an upcoming tournament that is rumored to have a secret compartment worth a fortune.

Like most Orca novels, reluctant readers will enjoy this fast-paced mystery full of riveting tennis scenes and likable characters. This book’s reading level is 3.9. Teens who love tennis will love (pun intended) this book.

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Connor Trent is a likable kid who works hard at a tennis club and hard at his tennis training. There isn't much money in his family and he's always up against the rich kids with money to burn on expensive equipment and trainers. He's crushing on Maddy, daughter of the club's manager. But they all have bigger problems - someone is sabotaging the fundraising efforts of the club.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

good hi-lo tennis mystery