Pretty Tough by Liz Tigelaar

Pages: 256

Publisher: Razorbill

Perspective: Third Person

Age Group: Young Adult

Challenges: N/A

Release Date: August 2, 2007

Bubbly, blond Krista brown is pretty and popular. Her sister, Charlie, is more interested in braving the Malibu waves than the halls of the school that Krista rules. but when Krista and Charlie are both recruited to the school's soccer team, they are forced to face their differences. Can these two sisters become teammates, and friends, in time to make it to the championships? 

Stars: 5/5

Cover: B+

Plot:

I loved this book when I read it at age twelve, and I still love it now! It completely traps you in at the first chapter. The plot line is very smooth, and the book's pacing is really nice. It incorporates themes of sibling rivalry, romance, and sports all-in-one to make this the perfect book for both girly-girls and athletes.

Characters:

First of all, Charlie is hilarious. She makes her feelings known, and she doesn't hold them back. I felt like she was extremely realistic, and even though the book was told in Third Person perspective, I really felt like Charlie was telling me everything that was happening.

I thought the relationship between Krista and Charlie was awesome. Even though they seemed like they hated each other at some times, it was obvious that they really loved each other, and would do anything for the other.

Not to mention, you could really feel how much of a family the soccer team was. They all had this chemistry with one another, and always had each other's backs.

Writing:

I really liked the way Tigelaar's writing seemed to flow really naturally along with the story. None of it seemed forced, and she made the story very vivid.

Ending:

I loved the ending! I thought everything came together really nicely, and that it didn't leave you hanging too badly. I also love the place every character is in at the end, showing how much character development there was throughout the entire story.

Cover:

I think the cover's cute. It portrays what the book is about very nicely (though it makes it seem a lot more of a fluff-read than it is). It shows the sporty-ness with the soccer ball, but also a bit of cutesy-ness.

The Final Verdict:

I definitely recommend you pick this up and read it! Even though it's geared towards teenage audiences, I really think this is a book any person can read and enjoy.

FTC: Bought.