Alecia's Challenge

Deborah Dowson is a Canaadian children’s librarian in North Wales,
Pennsylvania.

Alecia’s biggest challenge is adjusting to all the changes that are
happening in her life. Her mother has just remarried, and her new
stepfather has agreed to coach her soccer team. She is beginning high
school, and her best friend Annie is in different classes and is
starting to have new interests and new friends. To make matters worse,
it seems that everyone is criticizing Alecia. When Annie quits the
soccer team, Alecia wants to quit too, but the coach sees Alecia’s
potential and insists that she honor her commitment to the team. Alecia
starts to focus more at practice, and her efforts pay off with some key
plays in important games. As she gains confidence, she learns to accept
the changes that are an inevitable part of life.

It is refreshing that the main character in this sports story is not
the best player or the keenest competitor, but at the same time it is
hard to find her endearing. Alecia often makes mistakes both on and off
the field and has a tendency to be selfish and negative. Learning to
cope with the changes that growing up brings is an appealing theme for
preteens, but the story, like the main character, is a little flat and
lacklustre. This is a fair addition to the Sports Stories series, but it
does not live up to the reputation achieved by other titles in the
series. Recommended with reservations.