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No Ordinary Season
Cassie Garnet hates the word mediocre. Yet her existence in a rural Indiana town could certainly be labeled that if not for her place on the cross country team. With her senior year approaching, Garnet has been River Bend High s best runner ... but she longs to be better. Cassie has never been challenged and pushed to reach her potential, and the Lady Coyotes are a terrible team. Then, everything changes. When the beautiful and charismatic Charna Rothstein Simon moves to River Bend to become a teacher and cross country coach, Cassie s senior year will be anything but ordinary. C.R. Simon will raise eyebrows and push Cassie Garnet on both the running trails and as a person. The Jewish Simon will also challenge stereotypical perceptions in River Bend, a conservative town where different is viewed as threatening to its way of life. Cassie s journey through the cross country season and growth as a serious runner is a captivating story. Kyesha Hendrix the only African American student at River Bend and Cassie s unlikely training partner will join Jake Nader basketball star and Cassie s romantic interest to make her senior year one to remember. Before that year is over, Cassie will be forced to take a stand when accusations are made about someone Cassie respects. The consequences for speaking out and challenging the establishment will change her life forever. Cassie s story is about her last cross country season at a small Indiana town, but its universal themes resonate far beyond the city limits of River Bend, Indiana. No Ordinary Season and its valuable human lessons will stay in your mind and heart long after you finish its final climatic pages.
- GenresFiction
298 pages, Hardcover
Published January 24, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 28, 2017
Fantastic novel about small town life and the sports that people rally behind. This was a delightful read, definitely catering towards young adult readers. James has a way of writing that grips the reader, but does not go over their head. I fully intend on leaving this book in my classroom for students to read. Definitely would recommend!
February 2, 2017
I started reading this book because the author is a good friend, and I was curious to see what his first young-adult novel was like. But I continued to read the book because I was totally drawn in to the characters and their struggles. What really surprised me was how much I got interested in the story of the girls' cross-country team--the coaching strategies, the nature of team effort in a sport resting on individual performance, what practices are like, and more. I had no idea what goes into this sport, and found the account extremely interesting. Add to that issues of social interaction in a small town, and I was hooked. Congratulations to Jim on a great first book!
February 5, 2017
No Ordinary Season held my attention to the very end. Set in a small town in the Midwest the story follows the River Bend High School girls' cross country team under the guidance of Coach Simon. The team learns more than strategies and how to improve their running times as they confront small town gossip, prejudice, and character assassination. Beautifully written, all the physical and emotional feelings of high school girls are captured with amazing accuracy. This is an extra-ordinary book!
January 29, 2017
No Ordinary Season is a great coming of age book, with meaningful discussion of prejudice and class. The novel holds your interest. It moves quickly, has some surprises, and has characters you care about. It is filled with positive energy.
February 6, 2017
enjoyed the book - it felt like Cassie and her team were actual young people I knew.
July 10, 2017
While I enjoy a good tale about magic or vampires or dystopian futures, it’s really refreshing to finally read a story about young adults that isn’t science-fiction. This is an incredibly engaging, well-written novel that balances entertaining and educating while still managing to pack in the moral lessons without ever sounding pedantic.
On one hand, it’s a beautiful coming-of-age story. The female protagonist is an average Jane who yearns for something extraordinary in her drab Midwestern life. Jacobs perfectly captures that feeling of how literally everything that happens in high school seems to be of life-or-death importance. When your whole life is a struggle against mediocrity, the journey to being great at something (or simply good at anything) takes on the grandness of an epic quest.
The book is also an excellent example of life in a small town. It not only captures how everybody knows your business, but also how they don’t shy away from having an opinion on the matter. Everyone has their prejudices and it’s amazing how Jacobs touches on race, religion, class and politics with such economy.
In the end, you root for the hard-working girls of the cross-country team even if you’ve never cared about the sport before. You’ll become invested in their success, rejoice in the victories and agonize over the obstacles. The book is a healthy reminder that it only takes one person to inspire change. It will be inspiring to both young adults and older adults, and should be shared with as many people as possible, but certainly with every young person you know.
On one hand, it’s a beautiful coming-of-age story. The female protagonist is an average Jane who yearns for something extraordinary in her drab Midwestern life. Jacobs perfectly captures that feeling of how literally everything that happens in high school seems to be of life-or-death importance. When your whole life is a struggle against mediocrity, the journey to being great at something (or simply good at anything) takes on the grandness of an epic quest.
The book is also an excellent example of life in a small town. It not only captures how everybody knows your business, but also how they don’t shy away from having an opinion on the matter. Everyone has their prejudices and it’s amazing how Jacobs touches on race, religion, class and politics with such economy.
In the end, you root for the hard-working girls of the cross-country team even if you’ve never cared about the sport before. You’ll become invested in their success, rejoice in the victories and agonize over the obstacles. The book is a healthy reminder that it only takes one person to inspire change. It will be inspiring to both young adults and older adults, and should be shared with as many people as possible, but certainly with every young person you know.
July 20, 2017
It has been a long time since I was in high school, but NO ORDINARY SEASON took me back. James V. Jacobs captured beautifully the hopes and uncertainties of the teenage years. Through his well-told story I was reminded that the myths that inspire prejudice and division can be dispelled. I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.
January 29, 2017
Just finished reading Jim Jacobs new book, No Ordinary Season. Wonderful read, highly recommend it. A delightful tale illustrating the pressures of the teenage years. We join Cassie as she faces difficult decisions and makes the journey toward adulthood. Loved the characters and the development of their relationships. James V. Jacobs has written a remarkable first novel.
May 17, 2017
It's hard to believe No Ordinary Season is James Jacobs' first novel. His use of a small town in Indiana & its cross country team to discuss racism, sexism, the damage caused by gossip and other issues of importance without taking away from a good yarn shows he is a skillful writer.
The book is a page turner that delves into the lives and feelings of its characters. Some people will turn out to be quite different than you thought they were. Others will illustrate the value of loyalty, hard work, teamwork and determination.
By the end, even if you don't know cross country from country music, you'll be rooting for the River Bend Lady Coyotes so hard, you'll feel like you're at their meets in the Hoosier State.
Congratulations to Jacobs on the beginning of what I hope will be many great stories to come.
The book is a page turner that delves into the lives and feelings of its characters. Some people will turn out to be quite different than you thought they were. Others will illustrate the value of loyalty, hard work, teamwork and determination.
By the end, even if you don't know cross country from country music, you'll be rooting for the River Bend Lady Coyotes so hard, you'll feel like you're at their meets in the Hoosier State.
Congratulations to Jacobs on the beginning of what I hope will be many great stories to come.
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May 14, 2017Having been a former high school teacher, coach and administrator, I found James Jacobs novel to be spot on. His characters were real and the plot was highly engaging. The pages turned seamlessly as I found myself immersed in Cassie’s world of mean girls, her relationship with Jake Nader, the mystery of C.R. Simon’s past, her quest for excellence as a student-athlete, and her unlikely friendship with Kyesha Hendrix.
High school athletics can be a blessing and a curse. Jacobs masterfully captures the ambiguity. Dealing with such issues as race discrimination and the “witch hunt” of a falsely accused teacher and coach, the author displays a deep comprehension of the complexity of a community’s involvement with its athletic teams. The story that ensues is both compelling and entertaining. No Ordinary Season is a book far from ordinary. In fact, it is quite extraordinary. I highly recommend it.
Dr. Barry L. Swanson
High school athletics can be a blessing and a curse. Jacobs masterfully captures the ambiguity. Dealing with such issues as race discrimination and the “witch hunt” of a falsely accused teacher and coach, the author displays a deep comprehension of the complexity of a community’s involvement with its athletic teams. The story that ensues is both compelling and entertaining. No Ordinary Season is a book far from ordinary. In fact, it is quite extraordinary. I highly recommend it.
Dr. Barry L. Swanson
May 14, 2017
No Ordinary Season is so good on so many levels that it is hard for me to know what to hold up as being its best quality. Way up there was how the book pulled me along, eager throughout to see how it would take me to where it was going. Its title suggests where one of the book's main events is going. No surprise there. What surprised me was how the consistently believable action showed, without being at all “preachy”, how how good coaching can inspire and facilitate moral as well as physical growth in individuals and community.
My wife and I read the book out loud to each other. She was particularly struck with how realistically the male author got “inside” the thoughts and emotions of the female, teenage central character.
We can't wait for our grandchildren to see the fine movie the book will make!
My wife and I read the book out loud to each other. She was particularly struck with how realistically the male author got “inside” the thoughts and emotions of the female, teenage central character.
We can't wait for our grandchildren to see the fine movie the book will make!
May 12, 2017
No Ordinary Season by James V. Jacobs held my interest and I could not put the book down. An excellent read that affords one to take a trip back to younger days and many challenges that one faces in those first early years of high school. Wanting to fit in, make new friends and be on a winning team. Jacobs takes you there very smoothly and realistically. Am looking forward to his next book.
March 28, 2017
Author James Jacobs portrays young adults with the understanding of a father and the experiences of a teacher. The struggles for the high school students are real. Their dialogue is authentic and the conflicts exist in schools across the country. The book is about a cross country team, but in the context of running the issues of race, religion, poverty, and being different are addressed. This is a solid addition to young adult literature that will spark classroom discussions. A good book for adults, too.
April 30, 2017
Jacobs has written a compelling story of teenage life. His narrator, Cassie, learns lessons about competition, prejudice, and the struggle to do one's best. I highly recommend "No Ordinary Season" for mature middle school readers, high schoolers, and adults who want insight into what it's like to be a young woman coming of age in small town America.
February 20, 2017
Being a person whose reading tastes lean more to Vince Flynn, Lee Child, and David Baldacci, the “young adult fiction” genre is not something that I would turn to without encourage or by request. That being said, I was glad when my friend Jim Jacobs asked me to read his first book entitled No Ordinary Season. Now, however, I am thrilled that I did!
Using the vehicle of a high school girl’s cross-country team, a new and mysterious teacher/coach, success and failure, as well as young love, Jim tells a first-person story of an incoming senior struggling to establish her personal identity and find her way in the midst of prejudice, racism, justice, and adults on all parts of the maturity continuum.
The first half of the book sets the stage for the “can’t-put-it-down” second half: an exciting state cross-country meet and a small town coming to terms with itself in very dramatic fashion. It amazes me that Jim has been able to capture so well the mood, language, and angst of a 17-year-old girl…clearly, during all those years as a teacher and as a father, he was paying attention and listening carefully and with great depth!
The greatest compliment I can give about this book is this: of all the books I have read in my lifetime, my all-time favorite is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Jim Jacobs has managed to make Scout Finch come alive for me once again through the character of Cassie Garnet. Thank you, Jim, for that amazing literary gift!
Using the vehicle of a high school girl’s cross-country team, a new and mysterious teacher/coach, success and failure, as well as young love, Jim tells a first-person story of an incoming senior struggling to establish her personal identity and find her way in the midst of prejudice, racism, justice, and adults on all parts of the maturity continuum.
The first half of the book sets the stage for the “can’t-put-it-down” second half: an exciting state cross-country meet and a small town coming to terms with itself in very dramatic fashion. It amazes me that Jim has been able to capture so well the mood, language, and angst of a 17-year-old girl…clearly, during all those years as a teacher and as a father, he was paying attention and listening carefully and with great depth!
The greatest compliment I can give about this book is this: of all the books I have read in my lifetime, my all-time favorite is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Jim Jacobs has managed to make Scout Finch come alive for me once again through the character of Cassie Garnet. Thank you, Jim, for that amazing literary gift!
September 4, 2017
No Ordinary Season is a cleverly written novel as it captivated my interest with eager anticipation from chapter to chapter. The story centers around the high school cross country runner Cassie Garnet. A gorgeous Jewish chemistry teacher and cross-country coach was hired by the school district. It did not take long for her presence in the small Midwest community to stimulate gossip and discriminatory behavior.
The book is a delicate blend of high school student experiences, small town mentality, and intercultural relations. As I read the text, I found myself laughing out loud and other times I was empathizing with the characters.
A highly motivational read for any student and especially student-athletes. If you desire to be more than mediocre in your pursuit of being the best you can be, you must read this book. It will serve as a great diversity training tool for education professionals interested in creating a truly inclusive school environment.
I purchased a copy of the book for my twelve-year-old granddaughter hoping the book will inspire her be more than "ordinary." Another copy of the book was purchased for my brother who is a former track and soccer coach. After you read the book, you will be inclined to share it with others too.
I can't wait to read Jim Jacobs' next novel.
The book is a delicate blend of high school student experiences, small town mentality, and intercultural relations. As I read the text, I found myself laughing out loud and other times I was empathizing with the characters.
A highly motivational read for any student and especially student-athletes. If you desire to be more than mediocre in your pursuit of being the best you can be, you must read this book. It will serve as a great diversity training tool for education professionals interested in creating a truly inclusive school environment.
I purchased a copy of the book for my twelve-year-old granddaughter hoping the book will inspire her be more than "ordinary." Another copy of the book was purchased for my brother who is a former track and soccer coach. After you read the book, you will be inclined to share it with others too.
I can't wait to read Jim Jacobs' next novel.
February 4, 2017
In Cassie Garnet, author Jacobs has created a spunky, appealing and brave young woman and set her story in a completely believable small Indiana town. Cassie's voice, which guides the reader through the story, first retrospectively and then in the present, is completely authentic and compelling. As a longtime Midwesterner, I recognize this spirited, good-hearted high school senior, who is not really engaged in her schooling but loves running cross-country -- somewhat at loose ends but eager for a challenge to push her higher. And I recognize, too, the small-town community she shows us so candidly: struggling economically, divided by race and class, caught between traditional habits and changing realities. It is the new coach-cum-chemistry teacher -- a sophisticated, educated, urban, independent, high-energy Jewish woman -- who brings the latent tensions to the breaking point as she challenges a lackadaisical team to take their running more seriously than ever before. Cassie's world -- and her understanding of it -- changes in a plot that is gripping, satisfying and unfailingly honest.
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February 11, 2017https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...# I knew next to nothing about high school cross country running, nor did I think the subject would ever catch my interest, but from the first page of this excellent read, I was hooked. How could one not be when it opens with the returning, exhausted girl's cross country team finding their coach slumped dead-as-a doornail in his lawn chair. He wasn't a very good coach, it seems and a new, young and enthusiastic female coach comes to town and engages and energizes the team. She also is soon the subject of controversy. Told from the perspective of Cassie, a girl who's tired of being called "mediocre" the story of her remarkable senior years in the small town of River Bend, Indiana, contains much about small town insularity and reluctance to change. The new coach is a Jewish woman, a distinct minority in the community and Cassie befriends the sole African-American team member. A lesson in diversity, persistence and understanding emerges. Very well told.
February 1, 2017
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say I wrote the foreword for this book and was honored to do so. I think Jim Jacobs' book is a wonderful story for both teenagers and adults. No Ordinary Season is structured around a teenager named Cassie Garnet and her senior year on the cross country team of River Bend High School in a small town in the Midwest. Jacobs has created the world of teenagers with all their hopes, disappointments, lack of confidence, and conflicts about so many things. It's messages are very much needed in today's world. I loved this book, and I think other readers will too.
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February 14, 2017Highly recommend this book. Enjoyed the way the characters dealt with so many issues prevalent in today's society all while going thru a cross country season. Dealing with the pressures of high school life they learn to overcome prejudice and peer pressures. Growing up in a small town and having a son in track and field , I could relate to several things . Enjoyed it from start to finish.
March 19, 2017
I enjoyed following Cassie through her senior year of cross country and seeing how she grew
in confidence with the help of her coach, Ms. Simon. The characters were interesting and I must say it was hard to put this book down. It's a good read and I highly recommend it.
in confidence with the help of her coach, Ms. Simon. The characters were interesting and I must say it was hard to put this book down. It's a good read and I highly recommend it.
December 6, 2017
In No Ordinary Season, James Jacobs tells the story of a small town cross-country team. When a new coach comes to town this sets the stage for some of the town’s problems to come to the surface. The town’s uglier side is expressed in ugly anti-Semitist and racist acts. Jacobs skillfully takes young readers into the difficult territory of stereotypes and discrimination of minorities or overall of the unknown other. He clearly wants to teach his young readers but he does so in an interesting manner and does not lose his readers with long-winded moral preaching. He points of that these ugly acts and discriminatory circumstances are much more prevalent small towns that one would believe. Jacobs is a good story-teller, but never forgets that he also wants to convey important life lessons to his readers. No Ordinary Season is a great story and has much to teach and about small town culture. Well worth the time spent reading it. Highly recommend this book!
August 28, 2017
I was fully invested in "No Ordinary Season." Having a sister who ran cross country in high school, I have no doubt the sport is accurately portrayed--and with amazingly vivid description that transports you to every practice and race. In addition, I was happy that Jacobs does not limit his readers to a story solely about teenage Cassie's determination to become a better cross country runner. Like all of us, her personal story collides with all those things in life that can get in the way--in this case, the bigotry of her small town. Jacobs relentlessly pursues this angle as Cassie faces the challenge of doing right in the face of wrong. I was hooked from beginning to end. A must read for teens and adults alike.
~N. Inzerillo
~N. Inzerillo
August 20, 2018
This should be a must read for adults and young adults alike. Mr. Jacobs does an excellent job in highlighting the power of our prejudices and how detrimental they can be to the individual and to an entire community, if they go unchecked. He also proves in the same pages that our biases, prejudices, and acts of discrimination can be overcome with personal effort in combination with community efforts. I found this to be one of the most uplifting young adult novels I have picked up. I could relate to all of the characters in some way in this story. I would go so far as to say that this would make a great movie on the small screen or big screen. It might even make a great TV show if given the chance. (I give it 10 stars, but that isn't an option.)
December 5, 2017
This was a very interesting read. The book addresses themes of self-esteem, racism, sexual assault, and gender. I feel that this book would be enjoyable to any reader. This book definitely incites thought with the realistic situations depicted. A lot of the things going on are still relevant today! It's a truly great read!
January 10, 2019
I truly enjoyed this book. Being a woman and having been a high school athlete, the race scenes really resonated with me, also the feelings of doubt prior to races and during races were all too familiar. I also enjoyed seeing/being part of the main characters growth throughout the book and being drawn into the changes that were happening with her life. I would highly recommend it.
April 4, 2019
I read this book for my Sociology class. This was the perfect book because it talked about all the controversial topics and is very relatable. Jim was very good at having a young girls perspective in high school, along with self-image issues, white-male entitlement, racism, etc. This is book definitely hit multiple issues that need to be addressed and other books may not address.
August 3, 2026
Quick read. As a member of a small town cross country team my senior year of high school, I found myself wishing that I had a coach who put interest and effort into developing all of the runners on the team, not just those likely to score points. The story is written in simple terms, and would be an encouraging read for young adults.
May 5, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read. Well developed story about young adults, insecurities, and making decisions. Being a runner, I connected with the self doubts that creep in when competing. I loved the connections made with her coach that spread to other aspects of their lives.
August 23, 2017
This book is directed more at young adults, but I did enjoy reading it. Well-written. Amazing that this was written by a man and was really from the young teenage girl's prospective. Mr. Jacobs did a very good job!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews