Summary
Brooklyn had a life she loved in Oregon with her mom. They had their surprise pancake breakfasts and their two-person routines. And Brooklyn had her dance studio and her friends.
But when her mom married Stephen, they had to move to Texas because Stephen’s son, Tanner, was a high school football star. And in Texas, football is everything.
Brooklyn is getting sick of the all-football-all-the-time life in Texas. She hates the games. She hates that she’s lost a lot of her special connection with her mom because her mom has thrown herself into football-mom mode for Tanner. And now, her one sanctuary, her new dance studio, has been invaded – by football players.
The middle school team is doing conditioning at her studio, and Brooklyn has to help them as part of her application to the Texas School of the Arts. But the boys always goof around, and they are infuriating. But when Brooklyn’s dance partner for her TSOTA audition breaks his leg, one of those football players may be her only chance to salvage her audition.
Review
This was so fun! I’m not sure I’ve ever read an Aladdin MIX book that I haven’t enjoyed. When I see the multicolored strip at the edge of the book, I know I’m going to enjoy it. And this is a great example of the fun stories in the line.
Brooklyn is relate-able from the start – her frustration with her family and the football players who mock her passion for dance, her hurt feelings when everyone seems to put Tanner and football first, her connections with Tanner and Logan. I loved all of it. She also has some real dance issues to sort out – getting past a bad performance where she was injured, figuring out who she is dancing for, and deciding if TSOTA is really what she wants for her future.
As a football fan, I loved watching her soften towards the players and the game as she learned more about it. It’s a great reminder to try to understand new things before deciding they are awful just because they are unfamiliar.
I can’t wait to pass this one on to some students I know. I think they will enjoy Brooklyn, Logan and the rest of the folks in this story as much as I did. Highly recommend!