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Game Changer
Athletics are everything for eighth-grader KT Sutton. She’s a softball star, and she’s on track to get a college scholarship and achieve international fame. Then one day during a championship game—in the middle of an important play—she suddenly blacks out.
When she wakes up, she’s in a different world. One where school is class after class of athletic drills, and after-scho...more
When she wakes up, she’s in a different world. One where school is class after class of athletic drills, and after-scho...more
Hardcover, 247 pages
Published
October 2012
by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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KT is an average student, but an amazing softball player. Although she is only in eighth grade, she is already working towards a softball scholarship in order to go to college. During a freak accident in a championship game, she blacks out. When she wakes up, it is to a world turned upside down. In this new world, sports take place during the school day -- these are the regular classes. After school sports are now "Acs," or academic competition. The mathletes are now the school heroes, and the f...more
I think I should just accept that possibly every book by Margaret Peterson Haddix is fabulous. I haven't read them all (there are a lot!), but I have really liked every one that I have read.
The main character of this book is an eighth grader, and I think this would be a really great novel for the middle school audience. The premise is a girl, KT, who is unusually talented at softball for her age. KT and her parents have made her softball the sun upon which the rest of their world rotates. It is...more
The main character of this book is an eighth grader, and I think this would be a really great novel for the middle school audience. The premise is a girl, KT, who is unusually talented at softball for her age. KT and her parents have made her softball the sun upon which the rest of their world rotates. It is...more
KT Sutton is a softball-obsessed eight grader who is almost compleate with the biggest game of her career. As she winds up for her final pitch, she faints. The next morning when she wakes up, she had no memory of what has happened. Even worse, she discovered that no one even remembers that she had played softball. Sports seemed unimportant to most people, almost nerdy. All day long during class the children practice physical drills, but there is never a game. Academics, however, have become the...more
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"Game Changer" by Margaret Peterson Haddix has an interesting premise. What would the world be like if sports (top professional athletes make millions) and academics (university professors don't) switched places?
In other words, what if the world revered those who excelled at academics, and those who excelled at sports were not considered special. Instead of football games on Sunday afternoons, there would be math competitions with cheerleaders and screaming crowds.
KT Sutton, an eighth grader who...more
In other words, what if the world revered those who excelled at academics, and those who excelled at sports were not considered special. Instead of football games on Sunday afternoons, there would be math competitions with cheerleaders and screaming crowds.
KT Sutton, an eighth grader who...more
KT is a great softball pitcher, and her family's life revolves around her games. During the most important game of the year, she is badly injured and passes out, only to wake up the next morning with no memory of how the game ended. She can't find any information online, her mother doesn't mention it, and when she gets to school, things are... weird. Instead of math and language arts, the classes are running on treadmills and pitching. The pep assembly is honoring the mathletes, and the popular...more
It's been years since I read one of Haddix's books, but when I saw this book on display at e library, I immediately snatched it. I love her writing, and this book did not disappoint me.
KT is a star softball player. During the fifth inning, she pitches against a girl whose batting is legendary in the area. She hits the ball close enough to KT that she goes for it, and throw the ball to first. As she throws the ball, she collapses with crippling pain shooting through her arm...and everying goes bl...more
KT is a star softball player. During the fifth inning, she pitches against a girl whose batting is legendary in the area. She hits the ball close enough to KT that she goes for it, and throw the ball to first. As she throws the ball, she collapses with crippling pain shooting through her arm...and everying goes bl...more
The author did a great job of pulling me into the story right from the start, (although I may be biased since I'm also a softball lover) but the discovery KT was going through in the alternate world took way too long! I got bored with it and kept saying to myself, "Okay, okay, I get it. The world is different now." I even found myself skimming through parts of it.
It did end well, however. And even though it was kind of like a service announcement to middle school kids, it was touching and I foun...more
It did end well, however. And even though it was kind of like a service announcement to middle school kids, it was touching and I foun...more
As a long-suffering academic watching sports programs enjoy all the prestige (and funding) during my middle and high school years, the premise of this book intrigued me. I liked the choice to tell it from the athlete's point of view instead of a bookish kid's. The prologue is gripping and really pulls you into KT's competitive spirit and softball dreams. However, once KT finds herself in an alternate world, I felt like it dragged too long trying to hold on to the "secret", especially since the b...more
Read the full review here: http://escapingrealitybookreviews.wor...
This book was a bit slow in the beginning as KT struggled to discover what was going on in her life, made even slower by the fact that the first third of the book had all been explained in the blurb; however, once it finally got moving I really, really, liked it.
The entire premise of the book was fascinating; howEVER, in the beginning, the characters were bordering on unbelievable, but, over time, she went more in-depth on the c...more
This book was a bit slow in the beginning as KT struggled to discover what was going on in her life, made even slower by the fact that the first third of the book had all been explained in the blurb; however, once it finally got moving I really, really, liked it.
The entire premise of the book was fascinating; howEVER, in the beginning, the characters were bordering on unbelievable, but, over time, she went more in-depth on the c...more
I read this book because a friend recommended it, and I did enjoy the first part of it, as the main character finds herself in an alternate world. However, I didn't like the main character, and I felt the story moved too slowly through the middle section. Even at the end, after the whiny main character goes through all the drama of the alternate world, and of returning to her own world, she still is a hard person to like. (She does, however, finally settle in and start doing something nice for s...more
This would be a great book for junior high students. It's about athletics and balancing them out with academics, which is a very important lesson to learn at that age. Sometimes students this age struggle to do so, by reading this book they would be able to see first hand how it can be done. KT's life revolves around softball until she ends up getting hurt and when she wakes up everything in her world has changed. Se learns to change her attitude about what's truly important in life. I really en...more
Margaret Peterson Haddix has the ability to draw me immediately into a story and hold my interest. The writing is very good and the alternate universe storyline is an interesting way to help the main character KT grow and develop. I rated this a 3 instead of 4 because I had a hard time sympathizing with KT. She was over-the-top whinny, self-absorbed and got on my nerves. However, the Epilogue is redeeming and sends a good anti-bully message to help middle schoolers navigate those difficult years...more
Thought provoking novel about an eighth-grade softball star who gets stuck in a world where all they do at school is exercise, but the academics are the only ones who get any respect. Decent story, as the girl and her brother try to figure out how to swap the world back to the way it's supposed to be. I did find the message a little heavy-handed, but not unbearable. Perfect for a school assignment intended to start discussion, or a great way to help kids think about the respect they pay to sport...more
I am reviewing this from an ARC received at TLA in Houston this past April. KT the protagonist's last memory is pitching in a softball tournament. Waking up the day after the tournament she finds herself in an alternate world/reality where school features endless fitness drills but no actual organized sports. What's more all the academics are extracurricular and all the participants are popular while athletes are nerdy outcasts. The story started strong and was believable but the ending felt for...more
Least favorite from this Author.
MC was really annoying about soft ball.
"OMG! I'm gonna die without soft ball! That reminds me of soft ball! I love soft ball. I'm the best pitcher ever. I love pitching. I'm gonna die without pitching for soft ball. Soft ball! I'm the best at it! Academics is stupid!"
SHUT UP! OMG!
Story line was good.
Nice, solid ending.
Interesting Idea and Plot Line - Horrid MC and Pushy Message = 3 stars.
MC was really annoying about soft ball.
"OMG! I'm gonna die without soft ball! That reminds me of soft ball! I love soft ball. I'm the best pitcher ever. I love pitching. I'm gonna die without pitching for soft ball. Soft ball! I'm the best at it! Academics is stupid!"
SHUT UP! OMG!
Story line was good.
Nice, solid ending.
Interesting Idea and Plot Line - Horrid MC and Pushy Message = 3 stars.
I see where Haddix was going with this one, but I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to get into the story. (Softball obsessed main character has an accident that hurtles her into an alternate dimension where athletics is the school curriculum and the "sports" are academic activities). The main character is not likable and it turns into a public service message at the end about how we should all get along. Not a winner.
I've been a fan of Haddix since I discovered her books as a middle school teacher. she has a talent for flipping a subject to like at it in an entirely new way. In this book a star athlete finds herself in a world where athletics are what comprise school and academics are the equivalent of sports--you'll think on our glorification of sports, on bullying and what it's like to lose it all.
Usually I don't think I would have chosen this book out for myself. The font was a bit too big, the plot too ordinary/real-life-like for me too really enjoy it. I know that that's kid of odd, but...anyway.
The story actually ended up fascinating me. I really enjoyed the ending which was definitely my favorite part.
Time To Read (approx.) = 2 hours
The story actually ended up fascinating me. I really enjoyed the ending which was definitely my favorite part.
Time To Read (approx.) = 2 hours
A girl who lives to play softball becomes injured and wakes up in an alternate reality where she must answer hard questions about herself in order to return to the normal world. The story is entertaining, but the "moral" is too obviously stated for an adult reader. An eight-grader, however, may prefer the clearly stated conclusions.
Great story for sport minded girls, especially if they live to play softball. Basically the storyline is what perspective on life do teens have. What if your Plan A changes? What are you going to do now? Especially if you are stuck in another world different from the real world and how in the world do you get back to the real world!?!?!?
I usually enjoy books by this author, but I have to say I was very underwhelmed... Why does she play around with the stereotypes so much? They're so extreme I find it hard to sympathize with any of the characters. Though I suppose the stereotypes were a crucial part of the story. I just didn't like it very much.
Good pacing, but the characters were one dimensional (softball! academics! There can be nothing else important in life!) and the message was extremely heavy-handed. Subtle this book is not. A fun read, though, if you're looking for something light. I think it would have been better as a short story.
I've liked Margaret Peterson Haddix's previous books, and I picked this one up because the premise was intriguing, but in the end, it wasn't that interesting. I didn't care that much about the characters, the protagonist irritated me, and the message was too preachy. It wasn't a bad book, just not as good as I wanted it to be.
This author always delivers, great storyline, excitement, susupense, real characters and books any tween/teen can imperse themself in. When you are so focused on one thing, do you see/feel/hear what else is happening around you? Can you place yourself in someone else's shoes? Excellent read.
In the beginning I didn't like the main character, and the parents felt way too one-dimensional. But I couldn't stop thinking about it after I was finished. I enjoyed the strange world she threw her characters into, and it was nice to watch the MC grow empathy for others along the way.
A really great take on the alternate universe if academics were the main thing in life. People take great importance in sports and that can be a drawback for some of the characters in this book like the intelligent Evangeline. Ending could have been better though.
What if the roles in school were reversed? What if the academically gifted kids were given all the attention and resources and all the athletically gifted students weren't allowed to excel due to budget cuts? This is the journey that KT, an ardent softball player, must travel. It is a journey full of surprises and insights that don't come quickly, but when they do come, have a huge impact on her. A little slow at times, but overall a very intriguing read.
I love Margaret Peterson Haddix so I was excited to read this book. Especially since it's such a cool premise - a very promising athlete is transported to a world where her athletic prowess is unimportant and academics are revered.
It was good but not great.
It was good but not great.
I usually love everything by this author. I felt the premise was good but the story took way too long to get moving. To much focus on KT and her problems. I am not sure many students will stick with this long enough to get the message in the end. 3 Stars for the middle of the story dragging on too long.
I enjoy all of Haddix work. This is nice exploratory twist on a world where academics (mathletics, etc) rather than sports become the big focus in high school. Which way would you prefer it to be or is there another alternative?
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Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm near Washington Court House, Ohio. She graduated from Miami University (of Ohio) with degrees in English/journalism, English/creative writing and history. Before her first book was published, she worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and a community college instructor and freelance writer in Danvil...more
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Mar 14, 2013 01:00pm
Mar 14, 2013 01:03pm