About This Book
Reach for this book when your child is paralyzed by a public mistake or is considering quitting a team because they feel they let everyone down. It addresses the crushing weight of sports-related guilt through the eyes of thirteen-year-old Keith, who drops a crucial pass and blames himself for his team's lost season. The story moves beyond the game to explore the psychological battle of overcoming fear and regaining self-worth. Written for the middle-grade reader, particularly those aged 8 to 12, Matt Christopher's classic sports fiction style provides a safe space to discuss performance anxiety and resilience. It is an excellent tool for parents to validate a child's feelings of shame while modeling how to face peers after a failure. You might choose this book to help a child understand that one mistake does not define their identity or their future in the things they love.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
The book deals with social pressure and psychological distress. The approach is direct and secular, focusing on the internal monologue of a teenager. The resolution is realistic and hopeful, emphasizing that while the mistake happened, the path forward is through perseverance.
