cover image Forward Pass

Forward Pass

Lorna Schultz Nicholson. Lorimer (Orca, dist.), $16.95 (144p) ISBN 978-1-4594-0372-7

Parmita Kapoor, an Olympic soccer hopeful and aspiring surgeon, stars in this volume of the Podium Sports Academy series about elite teen athletes, which is written at a third-grade reading level. Quiet and focused, Parmita juggles her studies and training as she struggles with her sexual identity and unwanted and inappropriate attention from a female coach. Exciting soccer action, hot-button issues (conservative Christian views, differing attitudes toward homosexuality, sexual abuse), and teen angst find balanced footing within Parmita’s experiences in a story that will leave readers with plenty of food for thought. Ages 13–up. (Sept.)