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Shaken
Kristy Barrett is a soccer star. She's been a star since elementary school, and now is so good that she's been told she may someday make the women's Olympic team.Everything changes in an instant, when a blow to her head during a game results in a severe concussion. It's not her first head injury, but it's the worst one she's ever had. The doctors say it will take time to recover; they don't know how long. All Kristy knows is that her team is moving on without her, and her purpose—soccer—is gone, and she doesn't know what to do, or even who she is. Her days are marked by pain and panic attacks.Through two unexpected new friendships and insightful therapists, Kristy starts to rebuild her life. The question is, will her new life include soccer?Sports injuries are a reality of competitive play, for both male and female athletes. Here is a story that athletes and other readers will relate to as they navigate middle-school and their own identities.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published September 10, 2024
2 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
James Preller
201 books142 followersJames Preller (born 1961) is the children's book author of the Jigsaw Jones Mysteries, which are published by Scholastic Corporation. He grew up in Wantagh, New York and went to college in Oneonta, New York. After graduating from college in 1983, James Preller was employed as a waiter for one year before being hired as a copywriter by Scholastic Corporation, where he was introduced (through their books) to many noatable children's authors. This inspired James Preller to try writing his own books. James Preller published his first book, entitled MAXX TRAX: Avalanche Rescue, in 1986. Since that time, James Preller has written a variety of books, and has written under a number of pen names, including Mitzy Kafka, James Patrick, and Izzy Bonkers. James Preller lives in Delmar, New York with his wife Lisa and their three children.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/jamesp...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/jamesp...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 26, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Kristy Barrett is not just a good soccer player, she's been featured on ESPN and mentioned as an Olympic hopeful. Her parents are very invested in her sporting career, and her father will take her early and sit in the car while she does her warmups before games. She's a seventh grader, but playing on the high school team. This makes it a little hard to connect with other players, although she is good friends with Tia, who is three years older. When Kristy dives for a ball, she connects in such a way that she passes out. She is taken to the doctor, who tells her that she needs to stopp, assess her condition, and follow the concussion protocol. Her parents assume that she'll be back to playing within the week, but Kristy is nauseated, unable to focus, and can't even handle being at school. Her mother grudgingly lets her stay home, but doesn't understand the severity of the injury. The other girls on the team quickly forget about her, and she feels bad that she won't be able to play in an important game. She does go to a concussion specialist, who says she has post-concussion syndrome, and that it will take a lot of time before she feels better. This makes her so depressed that her mother does take her to see a therapist. This helps a bit, as does hanging out with her neighbor, Jimbo, who is a year ahead of her in school. What doesn't help is that Jimbo is a bit of a loose cannon, and some of their activities involve shoplifting from CVS, going to the golf course in the middle of the night, and sneaking in through her bedroom window. Her parents are angry about Jimbo, of course, but essentially struggling with the fact that Kristy isn't the daughter they once had. Kristy also questions who she is without soccer, although she does enjoy the art therapy that she does, and starts to embrace art as a new part of her. After months of recuperation, she is able to do some running, but the concussion has definitely changed her essential identity.
Strengths: Middle grade books should all have some element of personal identity. It's a huge concern with this age group, and tweens are constantly trying out new personalities. Kids who play soccer often start at very young ages and get VERY invested; the father sitting in the car watching Kristy warm up struck home, because during the Washington, D.C. trip with 8th graders, I volunteered to spend a half hour every morning sitting in the parking lot watching a soccer player do the same kind of exercises. She wasn't willing to give that up for even three days. Kristy's inability to focus and frustration are palpable, and her parents' reaction was surprising but very interesting! The idea that Kristy was able to play on a high school team when she was in middle school will be aspirational for many readers. A lot of my students play soccer, and this is a great soccer book to have in a middle school collection, along with Fabbri's Back of the Net series, Greenwald's The Ultimate Goal, and Matheson's fantastic Select.
Weaknesses: I would have liked a bit more medical detail about what was going on with Kristy; there is a decent amount of detail with the therapy, but more on concussion protocol, treatment, and descriptions of exactly what Kristy should have been doing to rest her brain would have been very helpful. I've had a couple of students who have suffered concussions, and it's been difficult for them to understand what is going on. There was also a strange seen with Binny talking about her younger brother that could have been omitted.
What I really think: There are a good number of football books dealing with concussion, but soccer is also a leading cause of this injury. Herbach's Cracking the Bell , Greenwald's Dinged, or Weyn's Full Impact address football injuries, so I was glad to see this soccer title. Since so many of my students play soccer, I'll definitely purchase a copy.
Kristy Barrett is not just a good soccer player, she's been featured on ESPN and mentioned as an Olympic hopeful. Her parents are very invested in her sporting career, and her father will take her early and sit in the car while she does her warmups before games. She's a seventh grader, but playing on the high school team. This makes it a little hard to connect with other players, although she is good friends with Tia, who is three years older. When Kristy dives for a ball, she connects in such a way that she passes out. She is taken to the doctor, who tells her that she needs to stopp, assess her condition, and follow the concussion protocol. Her parents assume that she'll be back to playing within the week, but Kristy is nauseated, unable to focus, and can't even handle being at school. Her mother grudgingly lets her stay home, but doesn't understand the severity of the injury. The other girls on the team quickly forget about her, and she feels bad that she won't be able to play in an important game. She does go to a concussion specialist, who says she has post-concussion syndrome, and that it will take a lot of time before she feels better. This makes her so depressed that her mother does take her to see a therapist. This helps a bit, as does hanging out with her neighbor, Jimbo, who is a year ahead of her in school. What doesn't help is that Jimbo is a bit of a loose cannon, and some of their activities involve shoplifting from CVS, going to the golf course in the middle of the night, and sneaking in through her bedroom window. Her parents are angry about Jimbo, of course, but essentially struggling with the fact that Kristy isn't the daughter they once had. Kristy also questions who she is without soccer, although she does enjoy the art therapy that she does, and starts to embrace art as a new part of her. After months of recuperation, she is able to do some running, but the concussion has definitely changed her essential identity.
Strengths: Middle grade books should all have some element of personal identity. It's a huge concern with this age group, and tweens are constantly trying out new personalities. Kids who play soccer often start at very young ages and get VERY invested; the father sitting in the car watching Kristy warm up struck home, because during the Washington, D.C. trip with 8th graders, I volunteered to spend a half hour every morning sitting in the parking lot watching a soccer player do the same kind of exercises. She wasn't willing to give that up for even three days. Kristy's inability to focus and frustration are palpable, and her parents' reaction was surprising but very interesting! The idea that Kristy was able to play on a high school team when she was in middle school will be aspirational for many readers. A lot of my students play soccer, and this is a great soccer book to have in a middle school collection, along with Fabbri's Back of the Net series, Greenwald's The Ultimate Goal, and Matheson's fantastic Select.
Weaknesses: I would have liked a bit more medical detail about what was going on with Kristy; there is a decent amount of detail with the therapy, but more on concussion protocol, treatment, and descriptions of exactly what Kristy should have been doing to rest her brain would have been very helpful. I've had a couple of students who have suffered concussions, and it's been difficult for them to understand what is going on. There was also a strange seen with Binny talking about her younger brother that could have been omitted.
What I really think: There are a good number of football books dealing with concussion, but soccer is also a leading cause of this injury. Herbach's Cracking the Bell , Greenwald's Dinged, or Weyn's Full Impact address football injuries, so I was glad to see this soccer title. Since so many of my students play soccer, I'll definitely purchase a copy.
September 21, 2024
“Fitness wasn’t the fun part of soccer. But it helped win games. It made her a better player. And, at thirteen, Kristy was determined to become the best in the state.” (2)
This isn’t just the story of a soccer phenome who suffers a concussion and can no longer play soccer, this is a story about reinventing oneself, about identity and self-discovery.
Kristy is an amazing soccer player. In seventh grade, she is part of the high school varsity team and, she hopes, on her way to the Olympics. But then a terrible accident causes a bad concussion, not her first, that ends her playing, at least for the present. She suffers from headaches, dizziness, nausea, loss of concentration and even reading comprehension, sensitivity to sound and light, fatigue, loss of memory of the actual accident. “That specific ‘moment’ cannot be retrieved from her mind. It’s been erased, like a file deleted.” (8)
Kristy stops going to school, unable to even get out of bed, and suffers new emotions, such as anger towards her parents and depression, and dissociates herself from events, seeing them as an audience member at a play. “Something inside of her had changed. A dark seed had settled into the soil of her stomach. Roots stirred and dove downward. A tear fell from the corner of her right eye. Just one, slowly. And then another, and another.” (53) She suffers not only from the concussion but post-concussion syndrome. Her whole world, as she knows it, as shaken.
But slowly, over time and through the help of two new friends and two therapists, she starts reinventing herself. Maybe she is more than a soccer player. “As a year-round soccer player, fully committed to the sport, there had been no time for musicals or ski trips, clubs, or after-school activities…And now, for the first time in her life, there was time. And freedom.” (170-1)
As twelve-year-old violin prodigy Rosie Solomon from THE SOUND OF COLOR (which I reviewed on September 1), Kristy finds she is more than her talent and that her friends and parents can accept her new reality, whatever that may be.
This is an important read for all readers who are, as most adolescents, discovering themselves and all they can be.
This isn’t just the story of a soccer phenome who suffers a concussion and can no longer play soccer, this is a story about reinventing oneself, about identity and self-discovery.
Kristy is an amazing soccer player. In seventh grade, she is part of the high school varsity team and, she hopes, on her way to the Olympics. But then a terrible accident causes a bad concussion, not her first, that ends her playing, at least for the present. She suffers from headaches, dizziness, nausea, loss of concentration and even reading comprehension, sensitivity to sound and light, fatigue, loss of memory of the actual accident. “That specific ‘moment’ cannot be retrieved from her mind. It’s been erased, like a file deleted.” (8)
Kristy stops going to school, unable to even get out of bed, and suffers new emotions, such as anger towards her parents and depression, and dissociates herself from events, seeing them as an audience member at a play. “Something inside of her had changed. A dark seed had settled into the soil of her stomach. Roots stirred and dove downward. A tear fell from the corner of her right eye. Just one, slowly. And then another, and another.” (53) She suffers not only from the concussion but post-concussion syndrome. Her whole world, as she knows it, as shaken.
But slowly, over time and through the help of two new friends and two therapists, she starts reinventing herself. Maybe she is more than a soccer player. “As a year-round soccer player, fully committed to the sport, there had been no time for musicals or ski trips, clubs, or after-school activities…And now, for the first time in her life, there was time. And freedom.” (170-1)
As twelve-year-old violin prodigy Rosie Solomon from THE SOUND OF COLOR (which I reviewed on September 1), Kristy finds she is more than her talent and that her friends and parents can accept her new reality, whatever that may be.
This is an important read for all readers who are, as most adolescents, discovering themselves and all they can be.
September 16, 2024
Kristy's world is all about soccer. She's only thirteen, but she is already playing at the varsity level. Everyone says she'll probably win national awards and maybe play at the Olympic level someday. Soccer is on her mind as soon as she wakes in the morning and fills her dreams at night.
She doesn't really remember the play that put her on the sidelines. All she remembers is lying on the ground with her coach and players asking if she is okay. Doctors diagnose her with a severe concussion. What follows are horrible headaches, dizziness, blurry vision, sensitivity to light, and the inability to concentrate. She is told to rest, and things will improve.
How long will it take for things to improve? When will she be able to play again? She is even wondering when she will be able to sit through a day at school. Doing her classwork at home isn't working. She's failing all her classes, and she's pretty sure all her teammates hate her because the team isn't doing well. Her dad isn't talking to her, and her mother seems constantly disappointed in her.
Months pass as Kristy tries to figure out what will happen if she can't play anymore. Maybe she doesn't even want to play anymore.
Author James Preller artfully captures the pain and disability of concussion for a young athlete. A condition that used to be dismissed as just part of sport, concussion is now getting the attention it deserves. Preller shows readers how Kristy must deal with the physical and emotional impact of a potentially career ending injury. I highly recommend SHAKEN for middle grade, high school, and even adult readers.
She doesn't really remember the play that put her on the sidelines. All she remembers is lying on the ground with her coach and players asking if she is okay. Doctors diagnose her with a severe concussion. What follows are horrible headaches, dizziness, blurry vision, sensitivity to light, and the inability to concentrate. She is told to rest, and things will improve.
How long will it take for things to improve? When will she be able to play again? She is even wondering when she will be able to sit through a day at school. Doing her classwork at home isn't working. She's failing all her classes, and she's pretty sure all her teammates hate her because the team isn't doing well. Her dad isn't talking to her, and her mother seems constantly disappointed in her.
Months pass as Kristy tries to figure out what will happen if she can't play anymore. Maybe she doesn't even want to play anymore.
Author James Preller artfully captures the pain and disability of concussion for a young athlete. A condition that used to be dismissed as just part of sport, concussion is now getting the attention it deserves. Preller shows readers how Kristy must deal with the physical and emotional impact of a potentially career ending injury. I highly recommend SHAKEN for middle grade, high school, and even adult readers.
June 11, 2024
Kristy Barrett’s life is soccer. She lives and breathes soccer every minute of the day and is always with her beloved soccer ball. And, she has been a star since elementary school, and now is so good that she's been told she may someday make the women's Olympic team. Middle schoolers Lristy has been invited to p,as on the high school girls soccer team.
As with athlete sports injuries are a reality of competitive play and Kristy suffers a serious concussion. Everything changes in an instant, when a blow to her head during a game results in a life changing moment. It's not her first head injury, but it's the worst one she's ever had. The doctors say it will take time to recover, but they can’t predict how long. Kristy sees her team is moving on without her, and her purpose, soccer, seems suddenly out of reach. Her identity is gone and her days are filled with pain and panic attacks. Now her supportive sports dad is frustrated with Kristy, complicating the matter.
She encounters two unexpected new friendships and helpful therapists, who help her rebuild her life. Will the new Kristy’s life include soccer again?
This is a good story for readers who love sports, of course soccer, even though the story is not about the game. It’s her journey through a middle school girl’s difficult recovery.
James Preller is the author of the ever so popular Jigsaw Jones mystery series.
As with athlete sports injuries are a reality of competitive play and Kristy suffers a serious concussion. Everything changes in an instant, when a blow to her head during a game results in a life changing moment. It's not her first head injury, but it's the worst one she's ever had. The doctors say it will take time to recover, but they can’t predict how long. Kristy sees her team is moving on without her, and her purpose, soccer, seems suddenly out of reach. Her identity is gone and her days are filled with pain and panic attacks. Now her supportive sports dad is frustrated with Kristy, complicating the matter.
She encounters two unexpected new friendships and helpful therapists, who help her rebuild her life. Will the new Kristy’s life include soccer again?
This is a good story for readers who love sports, of course soccer, even though the story is not about the game. It’s her journey through a middle school girl’s difficult recovery.
James Preller is the author of the ever so popular Jigsaw Jones mystery series.
June 22, 2025
3.5 stars
Good sports selection. About a 7th grade soccer phenom who is injured with a severe concussion. It takes her out of the sport and as she recovers, she struggles to define herself as more than an athlete. Good description of concussion and its impacts as well as pervasive anxiety. Her parents are well intentioned and supportive but lean into her getting back to the soccer star she was until they finally have their own aha moments. Seems very relevant to my community where so many of our students play on elite teams and put their whole focus on the sport(s). Not necessarily bad but it does require a lot of focus and dedication with tradeoffs. And what happens when the dream faces setbacks or challenges? And whose dream is it really? I recently read an article about the top middle school football player in the country. He’s projected to be a highly sought after college player. He’s already earning a lot of money in sponsorships. His mom, a guidance counselor, believes he will earn a million dollars by the time he’s a freshman in high school! No pressure. I have to wonder what would happen if he does have an injury or if he suddenly realizes he wants something different? I feel like the cogs are in motion and it would be hard to extricate himself from all of those expectations and pressures. I think this is a good book for middle school athletes and gives good insights.
Good sports selection. About a 7th grade soccer phenom who is injured with a severe concussion. It takes her out of the sport and as she recovers, she struggles to define herself as more than an athlete. Good description of concussion and its impacts as well as pervasive anxiety. Her parents are well intentioned and supportive but lean into her getting back to the soccer star she was until they finally have their own aha moments. Seems very relevant to my community where so many of our students play on elite teams and put their whole focus on the sport(s). Not necessarily bad but it does require a lot of focus and dedication with tradeoffs. And what happens when the dream faces setbacks or challenges? And whose dream is it really? I recently read an article about the top middle school football player in the country. He’s projected to be a highly sought after college player. He’s already earning a lot of money in sponsorships. His mom, a guidance counselor, believes he will earn a million dollars by the time he’s a freshman in high school! No pressure. I have to wonder what would happen if he does have an injury or if he suddenly realizes he wants something different? I feel like the cogs are in motion and it would be hard to extricate himself from all of those expectations and pressures. I think this is a good book for middle school athletes and gives good insights.
August 29, 2024
I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.
How do you go from being at the top of your game, to not even being on the bench? Kristy is good at soccer. So good that she's a top high school varsity player in 7th grade. So good that she's been scouted for the National team and as a potential Olympian. So good that her future is written for her,
Until a bad fall and head injury causes a major concussion, and lasting post-concussive syndrome. Panic attacks, mood swings, headaches, unable to even tolerate being in school for a day, and, perhaps, never stepping onto a soccer field again.
Concussions are something that often aren't talked about much. I appreciated that they pointed out that Kristy had experienced mild ones in the past, which set her up for the more major one down the road. Kristy's struggles both with her change in condition and that her life had revolved around soccer, so she really didn't have a lot of friends her age nor was she a social peer to her teammates, were real...and hard to read. There's no easy win, no miracle cure.
I think a lot of kids will benefit from this book. I'm glad it exists.
How do you go from being at the top of your game, to not even being on the bench? Kristy is good at soccer. So good that she's a top high school varsity player in 7th grade. So good that she's been scouted for the National team and as a potential Olympian. So good that her future is written for her,
Until a bad fall and head injury causes a major concussion, and lasting post-concussive syndrome. Panic attacks, mood swings, headaches, unable to even tolerate being in school for a day, and, perhaps, never stepping onto a soccer field again.
Concussions are something that often aren't talked about much. I appreciated that they pointed out that Kristy had experienced mild ones in the past, which set her up for the more major one down the road. Kristy's struggles both with her change in condition and that her life had revolved around soccer, so she really didn't have a lot of friends her age nor was she a social peer to her teammates, were real...and hard to read. There's no easy win, no miracle cure.
I think a lot of kids will benefit from this book. I'm glad it exists.
November 11, 2024
Shaken by James Preller has the most inviting, show-stopping, powerful prologue I’ve ever read. After reading the opening and taking a breath to prepare for the powerful story I knew was to come, I devoured the book in a single sitting. Preller so beautifully tells Kristy’s story: a girl completely obsessed with soccer gets sidelined from a serious concussion and struggles to find her way back. Readers get to know the inner workings of Kristy’s mind as she struggles to heal and fights her way through the resulting anxiety and depression with the support of her parents, a counselor and an incredibly talented art therapist. The process of transformation was riveting and I couldn’t help think about how Kristy’s story to find the different layers of herself would invite readers to find their own. Settle in for this one, readers.
April 5, 2025
This is a beautifully-written book that tweens and young teens will love, whether they play competitive sports or not. Though it is absolutely about soccer in all its glory and a 13-year-old girl's prolonged, destabilizing concussion that results from that, it is also about the universal experience of progressing through adolescence and becoming a more independent, self-aware teenager. Anyone can relate and benefit from reading it.
Preller paints beautiful scenes before the young reader's eyes, leaving them feeling deeply for the characters and remembering them long after the book is finished. A winner!
*A nice bonus was that it prompted a wonderful discussion with my tween soccer-playing son about traumatic brain injuries and kids he knows that have had them. I think we both expanded our knowledge and compassion around this important topic.
Preller paints beautiful scenes before the young reader's eyes, leaving them feeling deeply for the characters and remembering them long after the book is finished. A winner!
*A nice bonus was that it prompted a wonderful discussion with my tween soccer-playing son about traumatic brain injuries and kids he knows that have had them. I think we both expanded our knowledge and compassion around this important topic.
October 22, 2024
"Kristy Barrett is a soccer star. She's been a star since elementary school, and now is so good that she's been told she may someday make the women's Olympic team. Everything changes in an instant, when a blow to her head during a game results in a severe concussion. It's not her first head injury, but it's the worst one she's ever had. The doctors say it will take time to recover; they don't know how long. All Kristy knows is that her team is moving on without her, and her purpose--soccer--is gone, and she doesn't know what to do, or even who she is. Her days are marked by pain and panic attacks. Through two unexpected new friendships and insightful therapists, Kristy starts to rebuild her life. The question is, will her new life include soccer?"
January 2, 2025
Miss Lori gives this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. After suffering a severe concussion during one of her soccer games, Kristy (MC) goes into a deep depression (among other severe symptoms) due to the extent of the injury. Everything she thought she knew, all the "friends" she thought she had, have disappeared. As she begins the long road to recovery, she begins to find out who the "real" Kristy is. Two great friends and a couple fantastic therapists along with frightened parents help Kristy grow from a soccer-obsessed 13 year old, to a young adult learning to manage life without elite soccer being what gives her life meaning.
7th through 10th graders (especially soccer players and those who care for/are friends with soccer players) will enjoy this book.
7th through 10th graders (especially soccer players and those who care for/are friends with soccer players) will enjoy this book.
December 12, 2024
On the eve of my own 3-year anniversary of a traumatic health incident, I LOVED the advice Preller gave about mindfulness and self-compassion to get through trauma and "rediscover your authentic self." I tried writing a similar book when my daughter was Kristy's age and couldn't capture the emotions. Preller does it easily. Several times I found myself welling up in tears - I LOVE books that make me feel. Only 30% through I knew I'd give this one 5 stars. Thanks, James Preller, for a fabulous read.
July 7, 2025
13 year old Kristy is good enough at soccer that she plays on the high school team and has been featured in places like ESPN, so when she gets a concussion during a game and it doesn't get better, her whole life changes. This was interesting, watching her navigate through the loss of her identity as a soccer player and accept her disability and new normal, and how her parents deal with the loss of the daughter that they knew and pushed.
August 1, 2024
Kristy loves soccer and wants to be the best in state and maybe even be a future Olympian. That changes when a collision on the field ends up giving her a concussion. She wonders if she’ll ever be the same. She feels shame and thinks the team doesn’t need her. Kristy feels she’s lost her identity and doesn’t know herself anymore. After hanging out with neighbor Jimmy, she starts to find pleasure in life. She goes to a therapist who tells her stay aware of your feelings. Her dad tells I just want you to be happy, and then Kristy realizes she doesn’t miss soccer. Will she ever play again?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews