Awards and Honors2008 ALA Best Book for Young Adults | Book Sense Children’s Picks – Summer 2007 | CCBC Choices 2008, Fiction for Young Adults | Kirkus Reviews – Best Young Adult Books 2007
D.J. Schwenk, the first female linebacker ever to play for Red Bend High School's football team, is at the top of her game. The season is off to a great start, and Brian Nelson finally seems to be paying her the right kind of attention. But after a suspension and an injury sideline D.J. for the season, many of the things she values most start slipping away. Soon, D.J. discovers that she's got much bigger problems to tackle than the ones on the football field.
Summary Brian and D.J. can’t stop kissing when they are alone together, but Brian is much cooler in public. D.J. attributes this to their on-field rivalry as stars of their high school football teams. But D.J. is hurt when Brian seems ashamed over a People magazine article linking them as a couple. D.J.’s personal problems suddenly seem less significant when Win injures his neck in a college football game, facing possible paralysis, and D.J. is the only family member able to make the trip and care for him.
Your older teen readers will appreciate the 12 selections in this category, a diverse mix of fiction and nonfiction covering complex issues and more mature content, from crushes and body changes to friendships and sibling rivalry.