Crushing It by Erin Becker [MG Review]

Summary 💬

On the soccer field, Magic Mel is in her element. She’s ready to lead her team to victory at the city championship in her new role as captain. Off the field, however, is a totally different story. Mel can’t get a handle on her class presentation, her friend group has completely dissolved, and her ex-friend-current-teammate, Tory, is being the worst. The only place she feels like herself is in her text conversations where she shares her secret poetry with BTtoYouPlease.

Tory McNally, on the other hand, is keeping everything together, thank you very much. So what if her mom is more preoccupied with her craft projects and new husband than her, or that she’s down to one IRL friend because of annoying, overly peppy “Magic” Mel? She’s perfectly fine, and even when she maybe isn’t, she’s got NotEmilyD to text with.

As the championships loom closer, everything around Mel and Tory starts to get more and more complicated: the dynamics on the field, the rift between their friend group, and, as they connect anonymously online, maybe even their feelings for each other…

Goodreads

Review ✍🏻

I don’t seek out sports books but the last middle grade I read and reviewed here is also a sports book lol. So for comparison’s sake, I felt Crushing It is a bit less ‘sporty’ than Keeping Pace. The protagonists’ participation in a soccer tournament is a key plot point, but practicing and playing soccer doesn’t occupy too much page time. There’s a balance here that should satisfy both soccer fans and those who have never played before. Notably, both books also have a strong romance plot.

Where Crushing It shines is in its portrayal of the dynamic relationship between Mel and Tory. This is a friends to enemies to crushes story, an uncommon plot in middle grade (I personally can’t think of any other titles that feature this). Both girls have to contend with mistakes they’ve made in their friendships and the difficult yet necessary growth that comes from it – something many girls experience at this age.

It has been a minute since I read such an angry middle grade protagonist! And Tory’s rightly angry. Even though the reader may feel frustrated with Tory, I hope readers would either find relatability or gain perspective through her character – depending on whether they identify with Tory’s experience or whether they have a friend like Tory. I acknowledge readers may also find Mel irritating, with her puppy dog friendliness and seeming lack of ability to lead or take iniatitive, but Tory’s ‘meanness’ and anger may make her a clearer target for reader frustration. I can recall my own middle school experience with friends who had a lot in common with Mel and Tory. You love them but they can cause you a good amount of suffering at that age! Especially when no one really knows how to communicate with each other.

I was wary the story would withold the reason for Mel and Tory’s falling out for too long, but thankfully that wasn’t the case. I also enjoyed how the storyline unfolds with differences between which protagonist knows what, in terms of A) the root cause of their falling out, B) the true identity of her online penpal, and C) her crush on the other girl. It kept me invested to see how things were going to play out.

A few assorted notes to wrap up: Both Mel and Tory experience some family challenges, but they’re not as center-stage as in other middle grade stories. Chloe and Rima, the friends Mel and Tory turn to after their friendship breakup, are developed enough for their roles in the story. The poem about the alien scientist made me think of my favourite band Cloud Cult. See Alien Christ and other songs that may sound like silly little stories to begin with but actually provoke deeper thoughts. I ‘sung’ the poem as I read it, which I never do while reading.

The Bottom Line 💭

I may not keep an eye out for middle grade sports book, but I do keep an eye out for middle grade queer books, and Crushing It hits the mark on both. With refreshingly flawed and realistic protagonists, the dynamic relationships in Crushing It make this a contemporary middle grade worth picking up.

Further Reading 📰

🍂 Read an excerpt
🍂 Author website
🍂 Post by Erin @ Teen Librarian Toolbox about romance in MG fiction
🍂 Reviews: Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
🍂 Related: For more sport-focused middle grade about girls working through tough changes, see Laurie Morrison’s Keeping Pace and Alyson Gerber’s Taking Up Space.

What’s your favourite friends to enemies to crushes/lovers story?
Did you play any sports growing up?