Read more
Zusatztext "This is a great book for students who can relate to being in a new school." - Library Media Connection ! starred review Informationen zum Autor R.W. Krech lives in New Jersey and is the author of Rebound , an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Klappentext Andrea's life is pretty close to perfect-she's the leading scorer on her soccer team! has great friends! and can't wait to start a new school year. Then her parents ruin everything by announcing that the family is moving to Scotland for a whole year! When Andrea gets there! she has to deal with a haunted castle! her stuttering problem! and some tough new soccer friends-who might not accept that the boy she is crushing on plays for a rival team. It's a perfect middle-grade tale of friendship! sports! and first love. 1. cajole To persuade with flattery and soothing words,especially in the face of reluctance. “Andrea—Pass! Pass!” Gina’s on the far right side of the field, yelling for the ball. I turn toward her and pull my foot back like I’m going to cross it. Crystal’s at fullback. She jumps in front of me to cut it off. Instead of passing the ball, I drag it slightly across my body. Crystal cuts back to my left. As soon as she does, I move the ball with the outside of my foot to the right, square up to keep her off the ball, and smash it across the field to Nicole, who just so happens to be trailing right behind Gina. I dart behind Crystal and make a beeline for the goal. I’m twenty feet away when Nicole pops it back to me. I step into it and drill it. Upper right corner! Bam! Score! When I score, my body fills with this incredible, happy energy and I forget everything else. I put my arms out and fly in a little circle. I’ve got to fly! Gina and Nicole jog over. We exchange high fives while Coach Tom blows his whistle and claps his hands. “Good work! Nice team play! That’s great for today. Let’s do some stretches and warm it down.” He walks toward me. “Andrea Di-Lor-en-zoooo!” He says it like an announcer and puts out his arms and we hug. “Where am I gonna find another scorer like you, huh?” My last practice with Coach Tom. My last practice with The Blast. I sit down on the field next to Gina and Nicole. The grass smells freshly cut and warm. We put our heads on our knees, our feet pushed up against each other’s, and stretch out. We are like triplets. Gina Calderone. Nicole DeBenedetti. And yours truly. Three short Italian girls with long brown hair, brown eyes, and olive skin. We’ve been in the same neighborhood, the same class, and on the same soccer team since first grade. And now I’m breaking it up. Scoring a goal only lets you forget things for so long. Gina looks me over and frowns. She takes the red scrunchie out of her hair and shakes out her ponytail. “You really can’t talk your mom and dad out of it?” After eight years of being best friends, we can read each other’s minds. I roll my eyes. “Right.” Nicole asks, “Are you gonna sell your house?” Gina barks at her, “What are you, an idiot?! She already told you her aunt is house-sitting.” “All right! I forgot,” Nicole hisses. Then she turns to me. “We’re going to stink without you, Andrea.” I just shake my head. “Nah.” I lead The Blast in goals again this year. I love soccer. You just go out and let your action do all the talking. I wish the rest of my life were more like that. Shoes crunch on the parking lot gravel behind us. “Hi, girls.” It’s my mom. Gina and Nicole chorus, “Hi, Mrs. D!” “Andrea, we should get going. We still have a lot to do.” I stand up. I look out at my team. Red practice shirts and black shorts dot the green grass. They are getting ready for a new season. I am getting ready for I-don’t-know-what. Nicole and Gina bounce up and we hug. Gina says, “I’ll call you later.” She doesn’t want to say go...
