The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson
Published by First Second on March 5th 2019
ISBN: 1250196949
Pages: 224
Goodreads

The epigraph on the title of this middle grade graphic novel says a lot, “Bad at Soccer. Okay at Friends.” The message that sports are not everything and that making friends is difficult when you are a quiet person who often prefers her fantasy world to the real one is refreshing. Faith is convinced to join her middle school soccer team by the shiny and alluring Amanda with the promise that they will hang out once on the team together. Turns out the reality is quite a bit different as there are three teams, A, B, and C, and Amanda is an A-team soccer player while Faith, having never played before, is on the C team. The C team is comprised of a group of misfits who don’t particularly like playing soccer and who are struggling to find their place in the world, not just the middle school hierarchy, but in the world at large that seeks to define them and put them into a certain box. Johnson is not about boxes though; she has many, many different characters with varied background stories and challenges. It is to her credit that she is able to enter so many of the players’ homes and show the reader what it’s like to walk in that character’s shoes. This is one of the most powerful tools of the GN; she can show, not tell, and she does it beautifully. The reader glimpses the many stories of the Bulldogs C-team players and draws the reader in that much farther. A lovely exploration of friendship and finding one’s place and standing up for your team no matter how bad they are at the sport they have chosen to play. Recommend for grades 4 and up for coming-of-age themes like first crushes and sexual identity exploration.  Perfect for readers who have enjoyed Raina Telgemeier, Svetlana Chmakova, and Jennifer Holm GNs.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth