Bea Is for Blended

March 15, 2021
Bea's family of two becomes a family of nine. For as long as rising sixth grader Bea Embers can remember, she's lived with her mom, close to Aunt Tam and Grandma Bea. Now, though, Mom is pregnant, and they're moving in with Mom's new husband, Wendell; his three sons; and their three pets. Though Wendell's a refreshingly sensitive man who cries without shame, his son Bryce bullies Bea's best friend, who seems to have OCD, and mocks Bea for having gotten the Most Valuable Girl soccer trophy while he got Most Valuable Player. Peppered with spirited sarcasm and trenchant observations, Bea's narration points out the unfairness in the ways boys and girls are socialized--and, particularly, how Bryce never seems to be held accountable. When the school principal tries to keep the girls from forming their own soccer team, the thrust of the story becomes the girls' efforts to do so anyway, aided by supportive adults. Bea's teammates, especially her new neighbor and the new girl at school (who is deaf and has an ASL classroom interpreter), inspire her with strength. Even as Bea finds sympathy for Bryce over the death of his mother when he was very small, Bryce distances himself from his obnoxious friends. The resolution to the storyline of the obstructive principal feels unrealistic, but Bea's team's communal success is real and wonderful. Characters read as White by default. Charming and heartfelt. (Fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 15, 2021
Grades 4-7 It will never again be just Bea and her mom--the Embers girls--after her mom marries a man with three boys of his own and her family is blended. Her new stepbrother, another sixth-grader named Bryce, got Most Valuable Player in their coed soccer team last season, while Bea received the Most Valuable Girl award, even though she's the stronger player. That unfairness ignites a fire in Bea, along with a group of other girls, to challenge the school administration to create an all-girls soccer team. Stoddard's characters are fully formed in her latest book, and the themes of family and equality run throughout. Bea is a spitfire of a main character up against an antagonist readers can cheer against--a coach who does not treat girls the same as boys. His despicable behavior is also demonstrated by his treatment of a deaf character who joins the soccer team. A fun read for soccer fans, with some nail-biting games included. Readers who enjoyed Andrea Montalbano's Caught Offside (2017) will want to check this one out.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2021

Gr 4 Up-Bea's life has centered on her mom, grandmother, and aunt Tam. Now she has to handle a stepdad and three stepbrothers, one of whom is her nemesis from school and the soccer field. Bea juggles complex emotions as she deals with moving, sharing her mom, and coping with Bryce, the stepbrother she tries to ignore. Bea's old life revolved around the women in her family, her best friend Maximilian (who is neurodiverse), and her fame as a soccer star. She doesn't need anything else, except the all-girls soccer team that her school has promised. However, more conflict is on the horizon, in the form of a new soccer-star neighbor girl and the school principal/soccer coach, who is not a fan of the spunky protagonist. A twist midway through includes a new soccer player who uses American Sign Language. Stoddard's dialogue is readable, the story is well paced, and the characters are endearing. The character development highlights overlapping strengths and weaknesses among the various players, all building to create a rich community of schoolmates and family. Bea and Bryce slowly realize they have some common emotional bumps and bruises as they each grow in unexpected ways. Characters' skin tones are not described. VERDICT A little bit coming of age, family drama, sports hype, and school shenanigans all rolled into one for an appealing read.-Linda Annable, Newport P.L., OR

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