Choices

This gripping novel explores a Texas community's obsession with high school sports. The town of Preston is preoccupied with football, especially the upcoming game between two local teams, the Cougars and the Eagles. When a group of students enters the grounds of rival school Woodrow High in an attempt to retrieve a stolen mascot, actions snowball into a vandalism spree; high school senior Beth, caught at the wrong place at the wrong time, is forced to take the blame for her peers. Suspended from school and faced with criminal charges, Beth finds herself fighting a battle for justice in a town ruled by tradition and riddled with corruption. It soon becomes apparent that friends, parents, policemen and school authorities are using Beth as a target in order to save their own reputations. She must decide if it is worth the risk to stand up for her rights. This fast-moving, action-filled drama tests the limits of loyalty, friendship and trust. On one level, it reveals the danger of taking sports too seriously; on another, it addresses and exposes the dark side of politics. A thought-provoking novel. Ages 12-up. (May)