Kirkus Reviews

Change, while challenging, often drives personal growth, as 13-year-old Andrea discovers. When her father announces the family is relocating to Scotland for a year, Andrea fears her new schoolmates will uncover her secret: She stutters. At home in the States, Andrea’s stellar soccer skills and occasional use of her fists have enabled her to suppress her insecurities. At Dunnotar Academy, Andrea faces the dual stressors of new surroundings and social situations. A place on the Tough Girls Football Club soccer team seems a perfect opportunity for Andrea to rely on familiar strategies to conceal her speech issues. However, a blossoming friendship with a less popular girl and a fledgling romance give Andrea the courage to confront her anxieties. Krech skillfully portrays the dilemma Andrea faces she can literally stay quiet and fit in or risk all by speaking up for herself and others. Plenty of soccer action and a resilient heroine make this a sure pick for the tween crowd. (Fiction. 10-14)

*Library Media Connections Highly Recommended - Starred Review

K-5 6-8 Andrea DiLorenzo loves playing soccer, and is one one of the best teams in the area. Life is going pretty well until she finds out that her father is participating in a teacher exchange program in Scotland for a year. Andrea and her family find themselves in a very small town in Scotland where the cultural differences are obvious. Soccer and her favorite book Word Power are the only things that make Andrea feel comfortable in her new surroundings.

The stress is so overwhelming that she begins to stutter again, a problem that she had managed to keep under control before. Longing for friendship, she soon realizes that she can gain her classmates’ friendship and respect by showing them her soccer skills. Also, her crush on Stewart causes her to get into laugh-out-loud situations. Each chapter starts with a vocabulary word and its definition from Word Power, which is then used in the chapter. This is a great book for students who can relate to being in a new school. The soccer references give the story depth, but would not alienate readers that are unfamiliar with the sport. Paulette Moon, Media Specialist, Atha Road Elementary School, Monroe, Georgia