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Shutout
Amanda and Lena have been soccer stars and best friends for years, but now, when Amanda makes the junior varsity team and Lena makes the varsity, Amanda finds herself increasingly shut out of her friend's life. Suddenly, everything Amanda took for granted is changing--but she's about to discover that might not be bad. Brendan Halpin's new novel is about friendship, family, soccer, and the confusing time when everything that used to feel simple suddenly feels complicated.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published August 17, 2010
30 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
Brendan Halpin
20 books171 followersI grew up in Cincinnati, went to college in Philadelphia, and also lived in Taipei and Edinburgh along the way. I've lived in Boston since 1991.
I became a professional writer in 2000, writing about my late wife Kirsten's breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Kirsten died in 2003, leaving me and our daughter Rowen. I married Suzanne in 2005 and got her kids Casey and Kylie in the deal too. Bargain! Suzanne and I live with our three kids and dog in the shadow of Franklin Park in Jamaica Plain, best neighborhood on earth.
I became a professional writer in 2000, writing about my late wife Kirsten's breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Kirsten died in 2003, leaving me and our daughter Rowen. I married Suzanne in 2005 and got her kids Casey and Kylie in the deal too. Bargain! Suzanne and I live with our three kids and dog in the shadow of Franklin Park in Jamaica Plain, best neighborhood on earth.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
May 22, 2019
Amanda has loved soccer ever since she was little. So does her best friend Lena. So when the two of them head to high school and soccer tryouts, Amanda's sure they’ll make the team together. They always were the dynamic duo. Not to mention the fire . But Lena's put on varsity while Amanda is sent to JV. At first it matters. A lot. But Amanda doesn't want their friendship to change, so she tries to ignore her conscious. Until Lena starts avoiding her for the upperclassmen on varsity. Amanda soon realizes things change and not always for the better. She has good things going for her too and when the entire varsity team does something stupid, JV is there to back them up. Amanda's a likeable character, although parts of her personality don't always ring true.
The story is well-written, and soccer plays an important role. “Shutout” by Brendan Halpin is a great example for friendship. I would say that it taught me very important lessons but wasn’t my favorite. It sometimes felt like the story kept repeating itself and wouldn’t move forward. Overall, it was a great story based off the morals of it, but lacked quality.
The story is well-written, and soccer plays an important role. “Shutout” by Brendan Halpin is a great example for friendship. I would say that it taught me very important lessons but wasn’t my favorite. It sometimes felt like the story kept repeating itself and wouldn’t move forward. Overall, it was a great story based off the morals of it, but lacked quality.
June 14, 2012
Shutout is about far more than soccer. It's about friendship, family, boys, and believing in yourself.
Amanda Conant and her best friend, Lena Zaleski are hoping to survive their first year of high school, on the their schools Varsity soccer team. But when Amanda gets placed on the JV, and Lena gets placed on the Varsity, Lena is instantly more popular, and she starts ditching Amanda to hang out with her popular 12th grade friends.
The Varsity team has been doing much better than the JV, and when they throw a party celebrating their semi-final win, they break school rules and come to school the next day drunk and unable to play in their championship game. The school asks the JV to play for the Varsity in there championship game. The JV is forced to decide whether they want to let the Oldham team have the trophy or play the game and lose. When the JV are leaning towards playing in the game, the Varsity say "You better not let us down," and it becomes an even harder decision, but JV still decides to play.
The JV came into the game with confidence, and only lost 1-0! Amanda only let 1 impossible ball to save in the back of the net.
I think this book shows that if you believe you can do it you can accomplish almost anything. I believe I can win from the kickoff at every soccer game, and even though I don't always win, I'm usually happy.
I really liked Shutout by Brendan Halpin. I recommend it to girls who love to play soccer, and it can also touch the hearts of anyone who likes realistic fiction.
Amanda Conant and her best friend, Lena Zaleski are hoping to survive their first year of high school, on the their schools Varsity soccer team. But when Amanda gets placed on the JV, and Lena gets placed on the Varsity, Lena is instantly more popular, and she starts ditching Amanda to hang out with her popular 12th grade friends.
The Varsity team has been doing much better than the JV, and when they throw a party celebrating their semi-final win, they break school rules and come to school the next day drunk and unable to play in their championship game. The school asks the JV to play for the Varsity in there championship game. The JV is forced to decide whether they want to let the Oldham team have the trophy or play the game and lose. When the JV are leaning towards playing in the game, the Varsity say "You better not let us down," and it becomes an even harder decision, but JV still decides to play.
The JV came into the game with confidence, and only lost 1-0! Amanda only let 1 impossible ball to save in the back of the net.
I think this book shows that if you believe you can do it you can accomplish almost anything. I believe I can win from the kickoff at every soccer game, and even though I don't always win, I'm usually happy.
I really liked Shutout by Brendan Halpin. I recommend it to girls who love to play soccer, and it can also touch the hearts of anyone who likes realistic fiction.
December 22, 2010
Amanda and her best friend Lena have grown up playing soccer together. As they approach their freshman year and the varsity soccer tryouts, they're both pretty sure that they'll be playing JV. But when Lena makes varsity and Amanda doesn't, everything changes. Lena starts spending more time with her new teammates, and doesn't have much time for Amanda any longer. And Lena wants to go to parties and flirt with cute guys and Amanda just isn't ready for that yet. I really liked this story of changing friendships and being true to ones self. Plus, as a former soccer player, I really enjoyed the soccer action!
October 13, 2017
Amanda and her best friend, Lena, have been besties forever. They are going into high school and they both try out for the varsity soccer team. Amanda makes junior varsity while Lena makes varsity. They both are still friends, but Amanda gets jealous. Lena starts to do bad things without Amanda.
This book is about true friends and honesty. I loved this book. I play soccer and about to go into high school so I can totally realate.
This book is about true friends and honesty. I loved this book. I play soccer and about to go into high school so I can totally realate.
October 21, 2014
This book was great, I loved the drama between the girls how one made the varsity team and the other made the JV team. Amanda is mad at Lena or making the team. The drama is so exciting that it has mixed emotions of good and bad things. This is a good book for people who like drama and soccer.
August 11, 2011
this is about a girl whoes best friend makes the varsity soccer team as a freshman and she doesnt. This book tests friends and family i recomed it!!!!!!!!
August 12, 2011
I want to read more by this author!
Read
September 7, 2011I love this book!!!
January 11, 2013
I loved it!!!
October 1, 2019
“if you wait for everyone else to do the right thing before you do the right thing, then you'll never do what's right. You have to do what's right even if other people aren't. Maybe even especially if other people aren't.” Amanda used to be a star soccer player on the same team with her best friend Lena. However, when she got diagnosed with Severś, everything changed. Severś is a disease in your foot that affects the growth plates in your heel. When Amanda was diagnosed with this, she no longer got to play her position. She was demoted to goalie. When Amanda and Lena tried out for varsity high school team, they thought they were both going to be placed on the same one. However, Lena got placed on varsity and Amanda was placed on Junior varsity. This leads to a lot of questions throughout her school year. This is a story of dedication, friendship, loyalty, and trust. The book shows what high school is really like. Amanda must remember to do the right thing and trust herself, even when no one else does. I loved this book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.
This book, Shutout, includes really well written imagery. The author, Brendan Halpin, uses imagery and description to help the reader understand what Amanda is going through. Whether it is friendship issues, family problems, or just while playing soccer, the author captures it all perfectly. Page 14 says, “I see this pretty girl with a supermodel body and a brain in her head that guys are going to be totally falling for next week.” This shows that right from the start, the author creates a clear image in the reader's head to help understand the story and character better. This is one good reason that I recommend this book.
Another reason that I recommend reading this book is because it is very entertaining. A lot of books have entertainment in them but not like this book. This book has new actions, new settings, new characters, etc. This book never grows old or dull. There is always something going on in this book. Each part in this book is packed full of climax’s, action, problems and solutions, new characters, and much more. An example would be the climactic part in each chapter wondering if the soccer team will win or lose? Or what will happen to Amanda and Lena? Or even the new characters Brendan Halpin introduces. This is another reason why I loved this book so much.
The last reason that I recommend the book, Shutout, is because it seems completely real. A lot of realistic fiction books are not even convincing. However, this book gives a clear image about what high school is like. Do not think of this as a book that is completely revolved around soccer and sports, because it is not. This book gives an understanding to older kids about what high school is like. Shutout deals with many categories including family, friends, making friends, and there is soccer in it too. This is a book about fitting in and what that really means. In the book, it talks about all of Amanda’s problems that many readers can relate too. Page 55 states “The afternoon was not marred by any bad math classes, so it was actually an improvement over the morning, even though I was still stung by being ignored by my best friend.” This quote shows a few problems that high schoolers and even middle schoolers can relate too. This book is full of that. This is another reason that I recommend you reading this book.
In conclusion, I give this book five out of five stars for its imagery, because it is relatable, and it is entertaining. I one hundred percent recommend people to read this book. It was enjoyable throughout and never grew dull. It was relatable which also kept me entertained. It was also descriptive and had really excellent imagery. If anyone is interested in reading this book, go for it, because it is worth it.
This book, Shutout, includes really well written imagery. The author, Brendan Halpin, uses imagery and description to help the reader understand what Amanda is going through. Whether it is friendship issues, family problems, or just while playing soccer, the author captures it all perfectly. Page 14 says, “I see this pretty girl with a supermodel body and a brain in her head that guys are going to be totally falling for next week.” This shows that right from the start, the author creates a clear image in the reader's head to help understand the story and character better. This is one good reason that I recommend this book.
Another reason that I recommend reading this book is because it is very entertaining. A lot of books have entertainment in them but not like this book. This book has new actions, new settings, new characters, etc. This book never grows old or dull. There is always something going on in this book. Each part in this book is packed full of climax’s, action, problems and solutions, new characters, and much more. An example would be the climactic part in each chapter wondering if the soccer team will win or lose? Or what will happen to Amanda and Lena? Or even the new characters Brendan Halpin introduces. This is another reason why I loved this book so much.
The last reason that I recommend the book, Shutout, is because it seems completely real. A lot of realistic fiction books are not even convincing. However, this book gives a clear image about what high school is like. Do not think of this as a book that is completely revolved around soccer and sports, because it is not. This book gives an understanding to older kids about what high school is like. Shutout deals with many categories including family, friends, making friends, and there is soccer in it too. This is a book about fitting in and what that really means. In the book, it talks about all of Amanda’s problems that many readers can relate too. Page 55 states “The afternoon was not marred by any bad math classes, so it was actually an improvement over the morning, even though I was still stung by being ignored by my best friend.” This quote shows a few problems that high schoolers and even middle schoolers can relate too. This book is full of that. This is another reason that I recommend you reading this book.
In conclusion, I give this book five out of five stars for its imagery, because it is relatable, and it is entertaining. I one hundred percent recommend people to read this book. It was enjoyable throughout and never grew dull. It was relatable which also kept me entertained. It was also descriptive and had really excellent imagery. If anyone is interested in reading this book, go for it, because it is worth it.
July 9, 2017
Amanda loves soccer, so does her best friend Lena. So when the two of them head to high school and soccer tryouts, Amanda's sure they'll make the team together. They always are and dynamite, too. But Lena's put on varsity while Amanda is sent to JV. At first it matters, a lot. But Amanda doesn't want their friendship to change, so she tries to ignore it. Until Lena starts ignoring her for the upperclassmen on varsity. Amanda soon realizes things change and not always for the better. She has good things going for her too and when the entire varsity team does something stupid, JV is there to back them up.
Amanda's a likeable character, although parts of her personality don't always ring true. The story is well-written and soccer plays an important role. Ultimately this book is about friendship.
Amanda's a likeable character, although parts of her personality don't always ring true. The story is well-written and soccer plays an important role. Ultimately this book is about friendship.
November 14, 2019
This book is about two friends who love to play soccer. They have been friends for as lone as they can remember. Amanda and Lena played soccer for a long time and they always brought the ball up to the other side of the field. One day Amanda got a disease called Sever's disease. Sever's disease is a pain in the heel because the bone is growing too fast and the muscle can't keep up.
Lena and Amanda are in 9th grade and they get to know who made varsity and who made JV. they were excited and could not wait. the varsity coach was mean and the JV coach was super nice.
Lena and Amanda are in 9th grade and they get to know who made varsity and who made JV. they were excited and could not wait. the varsity coach was mean and the JV coach was super nice.
June 24, 2020
At first, I picked it up and was like, oh no another emotional distraught friend break up/growing apart yada yada. But it was surprisingly better than I was expecting. This book explored the possibility of a friendship changing and growing apart in a positive way. Yes, it portrayed the sadness the MC went through but it didn’t linger on it. The soccer focus was ever present and it was kinda great.
The only thing that spoiled the adventure was sporadic cursing. It wasn’t horrible but definitely vocal...
The only thing that spoiled the adventure was sporadic cursing. It wasn’t horrible but definitely vocal...
January 9, 2021
Sweet story. I loved Amanda and Shakina and Conrad and Amanda’s parents.
I actually wasn’t sure I was going to like this book, because sports? Not my thing. But I loved watching Amanda grow and make friends with her new team and become a leader.
This book is a nice change from the crap I’ve been reading lately. I’ll probably look for more by this author.
I actually wasn’t sure I was going to like this book, because sports? Not my thing. But I loved watching Amanda grow and make friends with her new team and become a leader.
This book is a nice change from the crap I’ve been reading lately. I’ll probably look for more by this author.
October 20, 2021
This is a really sweet book for teens that deals with issues of friendship, jealousy, and finding oneself when going from middle to high school. There's nothing earth shattering in the plot, characters, or ending, but it reads quickly and stayed fun and relatable throughout. There is some great humor at the start that also gets you invested in the character and the story, which is a real plus.
February 6, 2017
I really liked this book because one of my favorite sports is soccer, I really liked how they explained all the soccer games they played really good
October 9, 2018
It was good
November 1, 2018
Great book for people who like a good realistic fiction comedy. Although the main character Amanda goes through a lot of drama, it stays positive the whole way through!
February 20, 2019
This book is amazing, it is about two best friends that play soccer. It was a good book because it teach you that doing the right thing is not easy..
March 10, 2021
This was a really great book and it help me learn that anygrade can win the game
March 2, 2022
all of the characters were unlikeable and the entire plot was how hard it was to not make varsity as a freshmen
September 5, 2025
so so good!
June 12, 2018
This book was great! It was so real life and its a book young girl soccer players could maybe actually relate to. Not only that but there really is no book like this one
April 13, 2011
It's the summer before Amanda and her best friend Lena are about to start at the high school. They are really looking forward to it, particularly since they both think they have a sure thing to make it onto the varsity girl's soccer team. While it is rare for underclassmen to get selected for the varsity team, Amanda and Lena really are just that good.
Unfortunately, things don't go quite as planned when Lena does make the varsity team, and Amanda finds herself playing on the JV squad. To some degree, Amanda can blame the fact that she has Sever's Disease, a condition in which the individual is growing up so quickly that the tendons in her heel are having a tough time keeping up. This leads to a great deal of pain in her ankles, heels, and feet when she does too much. This doesn't prevent her from playing, but it does mean that she has to be switched from playing forward to being a goalie.
Their squad assignments not only affects their game play, but it also is going to create some problems for their friendship as Lena quickly gets drawn into the soccer clique, which includes one of the hottest guys in school. Lena ends up being popular, recognized for the teams success on the field, and opportunities to date said hot guy. Amanda feels left behind ... almost an afterthought for her friend of many years. She is not going to settle for being the unappreciated sidekick.
Amanda starts building up friendships with some of the girls on the JV squad as well as one of the boys in her English class, who seems to have similar perspectives on a lot of the stories they are reading.
This is really a story about relationships. The obvious take has do with Amanda's friendships, both old and new, but readers get to join her as she gets to explore her relationship with her older stepbrother, her stepmother, and her father as well.
While very little is happening that is earth-shattering, this is really a realistic tale about the troubles that most teens go through as they start to define themselves by their ever-changing lives. Sometimes things are better than they thought, and sometimes we don't always make the best decisions, but in the end, we really have to take our lives in our hands and live with the consequences. They don't always have to be horrible consequences, though.
I really got pulled into Amanda's life. Halpin does a great join creating a really fun and realistic narrator whose voice is strong. In fact, while I was reading, I often felt like I was sitting there listening to Amanda tell me about everything that was going on in her life. She is able to steer her way down the soccer field of life striving for a goal. There are a lot of people to assist and block her passage, but she has great focus, and ultimately, she has a good time, even if things don't turn out quite as she expected.
This is a fun and light-hearted read that nicely embeds some serious teen issues into the background. This allows them to be explored without beating the reader over the head. At the same, time there is a bit of a fairy tale quality to the story that leaves the reader totally satisfied at the book's completion.
Unfortunately, things don't go quite as planned when Lena does make the varsity team, and Amanda finds herself playing on the JV squad. To some degree, Amanda can blame the fact that she has Sever's Disease, a condition in which the individual is growing up so quickly that the tendons in her heel are having a tough time keeping up. This leads to a great deal of pain in her ankles, heels, and feet when she does too much. This doesn't prevent her from playing, but it does mean that she has to be switched from playing forward to being a goalie.
Their squad assignments not only affects their game play, but it also is going to create some problems for their friendship as Lena quickly gets drawn into the soccer clique, which includes one of the hottest guys in school. Lena ends up being popular, recognized for the teams success on the field, and opportunities to date said hot guy. Amanda feels left behind ... almost an afterthought for her friend of many years. She is not going to settle for being the unappreciated sidekick.
Amanda starts building up friendships with some of the girls on the JV squad as well as one of the boys in her English class, who seems to have similar perspectives on a lot of the stories they are reading.
This is really a story about relationships. The obvious take has do with Amanda's friendships, both old and new, but readers get to join her as she gets to explore her relationship with her older stepbrother, her stepmother, and her father as well.
While very little is happening that is earth-shattering, this is really a realistic tale about the troubles that most teens go through as they start to define themselves by their ever-changing lives. Sometimes things are better than they thought, and sometimes we don't always make the best decisions, but in the end, we really have to take our lives in our hands and live with the consequences. They don't always have to be horrible consequences, though.
I really got pulled into Amanda's life. Halpin does a great join creating a really fun and realistic narrator whose voice is strong. In fact, while I was reading, I often felt like I was sitting there listening to Amanda tell me about everything that was going on in her life. She is able to steer her way down the soccer field of life striving for a goal. There are a lot of people to assist and block her passage, but she has great focus, and ultimately, she has a good time, even if things don't turn out quite as she expected.
This is a fun and light-hearted read that nicely embeds some serious teen issues into the background. This allows them to be explored without beating the reader over the head. At the same, time there is a bit of a fairy tale quality to the story that leaves the reader totally satisfied at the book's completion.
February 10, 2017
This was an interesting read. After reading “Shut Out” I was very surprised at what kind of book it turned out to be. When I first got it I thought it was just going to be about these two best friends playing soccer. However, it was much more than that. These two best friends who had been playing soccer together for years were now separated onto different teams. This then caused a bit of a jealousy in there relationship creating a void. Throughout the book it was an up and down relationship between the two best friends. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a little teenage drama, however it isn’t as much about soccer as you would think. If you are looking for a book about soccer, this is not it. However if you are just looking for an interesting read with a bit of best friend drama then this is the book for you. The two best friends have there ups and downs throughout the book, although the ending was quite a shocker. The book “Shutout” was an intriguing read that always had you wondering whether or not they would be best friends.Amanda and Lena are inseparable when there freshman year of high school begins. They are a dynamic duo on the soccer field. Both Amanda and Lena want to make the varsity team in high school. Although Amanda is having a hard time due to her having sever’s disease. Sever’s disease is a temporary condition which causes great pain in the heels, which slows her down on the soccer field. After try outs they find out that Lena made the varsity team, however they also find out that Amanda is going to play goalie for the junior varsity. Overall it was an intriguing read with a good story to it.
December 26, 2010
Best friends Amanda and Lena have always been an unstoppable pair on the soccer field. Although ninth graders rarely make the varsity team, they are hopeful. A recent growth spurt of several inches has caused Amanda to develop Sever’s disease, a temporary disorder that causes significant heel pain as the tendons try to keep up with bone growth. As she puts it, instead of charging up the wing, she’s now hobbling toward the goal. But it’s still an unexpected blow when she hears that Lena has made the varsity cut and she has been relegated to JV. As much as the two girls try to pretend it won’t affect their friendship, it does: in addition to the different practices and games, Lena is socializing more with the juniors and seniors who make up the varsity team. Things come to a head when Lena asks Amanda to accompany her to a party so that she can meet up with a guy she likes. Unable to deceive her dad and stepmom, Amanda comes clean about the evening’s activities, and when Lena’s parents find out where she really was, Lena blames Amanda. Both of the girls develop other friendships, and these friendships affect the choices they make in the rocky new waters of high school. While Brendan Halpin’s previous novels have been geared toward older readers, his background as a high school teacher is evident here: the dialogue is spot-on, and the characters are fully fleshed. Themes of death aren’t as prevalent as in his earlier works, although Amanda’s loss of her mom when she was young and the resulting blended family are important threads in the story. Amanda’s first person narration rings true with a captivating mix of teenage humor and insecurity. Occasional language is typical of the teen characters and is not gratuitous. While there is plenty of soccer action for fans of the sport, feel confident putting this in the hands of any teen looking for a solid friendship story that manages to convey the benefits of doing the right thing without any preachiness.
May 17, 2013
This book was soooo good! I kept on reading and reading and couldn't stop. This book was about this girl named Amanda who plays soccer with her friend Lena. One day they went to soccer practice to see if some girls got moved up to varsity or stayed a junior varsity. And coach Beezer read the names and said Lena, but didn't say Amanda. Amanda was mad at the coaches because Lena gets to be on the varsity but Amanda doesn't. Later on Lena started hanging out with the seniors from the varsity team. Amanda was jealous of Lena because all the guys went to her and not Amanda. Lena was invited to a senior birthday party and she wanted Amanda to come with.
While they were at the party, Lena and Amanda were asked to have some beers, Amanda didn't but Lena did. Amanda didn't like what was going on at the party so she left. Lena and Amanda's parents didn't know that they were at the party so when Amanda got home she couldn't lie to her parents so she told them and then Amanda's mom called Lena's mom and got Lena in trouble and then Lena was blaming Amanda for everything and they weren't friends anymore. So now Amanda made a new friend named Shakina, and they go to yoga class together.
One day the varsity girls played a game and won, and after that game they had a party to celebrate. but things got out of hand, they had to many beers. the next day at school they were all doozy and out of the blue. So they got called to the office because they were hungover. And they had a state championship game coming up and they got suspended from that game. So the coaches had no other choice but to have the JV play the game.
Amanda was sooo nervous but she put it all together and told the rest of the team to just have fun and its just a soccer game. So they were playing good. The score was tied and it started raining which gave them more energy. And the ref blew the whistle and the winning team was...........
While they were at the party, Lena and Amanda were asked to have some beers, Amanda didn't but Lena did. Amanda didn't like what was going on at the party so she left. Lena and Amanda's parents didn't know that they were at the party so when Amanda got home she couldn't lie to her parents so she told them and then Amanda's mom called Lena's mom and got Lena in trouble and then Lena was blaming Amanda for everything and they weren't friends anymore. So now Amanda made a new friend named Shakina, and they go to yoga class together.
One day the varsity girls played a game and won, and after that game they had a party to celebrate. but things got out of hand, they had to many beers. the next day at school they were all doozy and out of the blue. So they got called to the office because they were hungover. And they had a state championship game coming up and they got suspended from that game. So the coaches had no other choice but to have the JV play the game.
Amanda was sooo nervous but she put it all together and told the rest of the team to just have fun and its just a soccer game. So they were playing good. The score was tied and it started raining which gave them more energy. And the ref blew the whistle and the winning team was...........
September 11, 2014
As I started to read "Shutout" I thought it was going to be boring and not interest me at all. But as I read deep in the book I realize it started to get my attention. As soon as I got home I would read a little bit of it because honestly I never wanted for it to end. That amazed me because personally I don't like books. I don't like to read at all, I'm not a reader but I am some what of a writer. As I was reading it I could picture things in my head. Like if I was the one in the book and going through it. It even made me picture ahead what was going to happen next.
Shutout is about a girl, Amanda, she's been playing soccer since the third grade. Now she is a freshman in high school. She has a "Sever disease" as she would call, which is actually a heel pain that causes your bones to grow really fast and your muscles and tendons can't keep up. As she started her freshman year with her best friend Lena, their dream is to make varsity as a freshman. Unfortunately that did not go as plan for Amanda. She did not make varsity but her friend Lena did. They started to drift apart because Lena became more popular in school and she hung out with cooler people.
I recommend this book because it gives you details on the things that are going on. It helps you get pictures on your head and its really easy to understand. This book doesn't only talk about soccer but it also talks about girls in high school and their social life. So I think this is a nice book because it incorporates other things. If you are the type of person that likes to read about soccer this is one of the books you would most definitely enjoy.
Shutout is about a girl, Amanda, she's been playing soccer since the third grade. Now she is a freshman in high school. She has a "Sever disease" as she would call, which is actually a heel pain that causes your bones to grow really fast and your muscles and tendons can't keep up. As she started her freshman year with her best friend Lena, their dream is to make varsity as a freshman. Unfortunately that did not go as plan for Amanda. She did not make varsity but her friend Lena did. They started to drift apart because Lena became more popular in school and she hung out with cooler people.
I recommend this book because it gives you details on the things that are going on. It helps you get pictures on your head and its really easy to understand. This book doesn't only talk about soccer but it also talks about girls in high school and their social life. So I think this is a nice book because it incorporates other things. If you are the type of person that likes to read about soccer this is one of the books you would most definitely enjoy.
October 28, 2010
Amanda and Lena have are best friends and have been playing soccer together the whole time. The two are are entering high school and both want nothing more than to make varsity together. As many things in high school, this doesn't work out. Lena makes varsity and Amanda is stuck on JV. As their freshman year begins, Lena is more popular and getting caught up in life with popular, upper classman. Amanda feels left behind and jealous. The two have a huge and fight and for the first time in 6 years are bffs anymore. At its core this story is one of friendship, soccer, family, and growing up.
I loved this book and loved it for so many different reasons. First, I think Brendan Halpin is just amazing. This is the second book of his that I've read and I loved it. He does an amazing job of blending humor into tough situations without making it feel forced. His writing is quick and to the point. His characters are wonderful and full of life which leads to the second part of this book that I loved. I loved the characters. I felt like they were very true to life. I love Amanda, with her tall akwardness and obsession with soccer. I love that she just feels so real. Finally, I just loved how the book made me feel. I felt like I was right along with Amanda, back in the days of high school where friendship is everything and the moment you feel it slipping away it feels like the world is falling apart. I felt her joy, her frustrations, and her excitement. Love her, love the book, love Halpin.
I loved this book and loved it for so many different reasons. First, I think Brendan Halpin is just amazing. This is the second book of his that I've read and I loved it. He does an amazing job of blending humor into tough situations without making it feel forced. His writing is quick and to the point. His characters are wonderful and full of life which leads to the second part of this book that I loved. I loved the characters. I felt like they were very true to life. I love Amanda, with her tall akwardness and obsession with soccer. I love that she just feels so real. Finally, I just loved how the book made me feel. I felt like I was right along with Amanda, back in the days of high school where friendship is everything and the moment you feel it slipping away it feels like the world is falling apart. I felt her joy, her frustrations, and her excitement. Love her, love the book, love Halpin.
November 26, 2012
I really liked this book! It was so relatable because I also play soccer, and this is what the book is all about! I liked the detail, and the whole story concept! Also the story is about a young girl who doesn't make the Varsity team, but her best friend does! I feel that this is relatable because I tried out for the junior varsity team, but in my case I made the team!
I really liked the characters in this book! They were detailed, but they could have been a little more vivid. My favorite character had to be Amanda, because she is very strong when she finds out that she didn't make the team, and she is still nice to her best friend Lana who did make the team. She is a very good friend in my mind! She wouldn't give up on Lana even though she was changing into a whole different person! Lana also made Amanda do things she didn't want to do, but she still did them for Lana! I think Lana was my least favorite character because she was a bad friend, and was to caught up in popularity. She was dishonest and a jerk to Amanda. In the end they made up, and they try to mend their relationship! Amanda was so forgiving even though Lana was very mean to her.
I really liked this book! I don't know if it was my favorite, but it was still good! I liked how it seemed so real, like it could really happen! Also it seemed as though you were reading Amanda's diary because it really showed her thoughts. The book had good details and great characters! I liked the author and hope to read more of her books!! All in all I really loved this book!
I really liked the characters in this book! They were detailed, but they could have been a little more vivid. My favorite character had to be Amanda, because she is very strong when she finds out that she didn't make the team, and she is still nice to her best friend Lana who did make the team. She is a very good friend in my mind! She wouldn't give up on Lana even though she was changing into a whole different person! Lana also made Amanda do things she didn't want to do, but she still did them for Lana! I think Lana was my least favorite character because she was a bad friend, and was to caught up in popularity. She was dishonest and a jerk to Amanda. In the end they made up, and they try to mend their relationship! Amanda was so forgiving even though Lana was very mean to her.
I really liked this book! I don't know if it was my favorite, but it was still good! I liked how it seemed so real, like it could really happen! Also it seemed as though you were reading Amanda's diary because it really showed her thoughts. The book had good details and great characters! I liked the author and hope to read more of her books!! All in all I really loved this book!
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