Key Player - Kelly Yang

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"The Women's World Cup is coming to Anaheim, and everyone has soccer fever - especially Mia! The US team is playing China in the finals, and Mia feels like her two identities are finally coming together. But when her PE teacher gives her a C, Mia tries to pull up her grade by scoring interviews with the championship teams. It's not so easy when...

1. The two teams are hunkered down in secret hotels in Pasadena and not taking any media requests.

2. Mr. Yao is back at the motel - as a co-owner! Jason is sure his dad deserves a second chance. Mia is not so sure.

3. Mia's parents are trying to buy a house of their very own, which turns out to be a LOT harder than they thought!

As Mia aims for her goals, she'll have to face strikers from all corners, as well as her own fears. But if anyone can find a way to win big, it's Mia Tang!"

An excellent end to an excellent series! While it still has its serious moments, it was pretty fun reading about Mia giving soccer a try, sleuthing out where the US and Chinese soccer teams were staying, and ultimately getting to meet both teams. I also really enjoyed her, Lupe, and Jason all have their own plotlines running through the main story. All four books spent time on Mia's friends, but I thought this one did an especially good job of sharing the spotlight, and getting some extra time with some of my favorite side characters before wrapping up the series was a nice way to go out.

Since this is wrapping up a four-book series, I figured instead of a long review, I'll answer a few book discussion questions instead.

Question 1: What did you like best about this series?

Mia, Lupe, and Jason's determination. I love the way they use their voices to push for change and fight for their dreams. Even when the adults who should be encouraging them (looking at you, racist ass school counselor!) tear them down, they push back and advocate for themselves.

Question 2: Which other character would make an interesting protagonist?

Oh, I would 1000% read a dual narrative with Mia's parents! I would also love a book about Shen or Mia's grandparents.

Question 3: What do you think of the books' titles? Are there other titles you would have chosen?

I really enjoyed the way the titles tied in to important moments/themes from each book. Front Desk is a title that becomes more heartwarming with every book you read, since working the desk at the motel is such an important thing for Mia. When the Three Keys title significance was revealed, I actually "awwed" out loud. Room to Dream could basically be the series title, it's what Mia's journey is all about. And Key Player could refer to Mia, but it could also refer to Lupe, fighting for her school's Math team or to Jason, standing up for himself with his dad and following his dreams. Such poignant title choices, I love them all.

The Breakaways - Cathy G. Johnson

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Quiet, sensitive Faith starts middle school already worrying about how she will fit in. To her surprise, Amanda, a popular eighth grader, convinces her to join the school soccer team, the Bloodhounds. Having never played soccer in her life, Faith ends up on the C team, a ragtag group that's way better at drama than at teamwork. Although they are awful at soccer, Faith and her teammates soon form a bond both on and off the soccer field that challenges their notions of loyalty, identity, friendship, and unity."

**Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers!**

Oooooookay. I'm going to preface this by saying that I do not read very many graphic novels. That said, I have read some, and they all seemed to tell a pretty cohesive story. This, on the other hand, felt a bit like I got a copy that was missing pages. The characters were relatable, but the story jumped from one moment to another with nothing to connect them. Frequently, something would happen that left me going "wait...why...how..." Very disjointed and jarring, and while the illustrations tell some of the story, I thought the overall narrative could have been rounded out better.

Next up, there are...three chapters in this book? I mean...can we get some more regular story breaks in there? This is a small gripe in the grand scheme of things, but good lord, chapters should not be 70 pages long, especially for a middle grade book.

Third and last gripe: The book synopsis is pretty misleading, y'all. I kept waiting for some actual friendship, but the C team (which, incidentally, I'm not sure was actually named as "The Bloodhounds" until the end of the book) is super cliquey and awful to each other until the very end of the book, at which point, mid-game, Faith is like "HEY, guys, we may suck at soccer, but we should all be friends!" and then spontaneously they all decide that yes, they SHOULD be friends, walk off the field, and go get pizza.

All that said, this book features a great cast of characters. It also jumps through different POVs, so you get to see multiple sides to some of the conflict happening between teammates, which I thought was a nice touch. And while the storytelling could have used some development, I thought the artwork was top-notch and carried a large amount of the storytelling. All in, it's a solidly okay book. I debated a bit but did end up adding it to my school library.