SuitabookEven the score
Belle Payton
- Reading
- Read together if useful, pausing at Ava’s decision and Alex’s budget dilemma. Invite your reader to weigh possible responses, then notice how each character handles disagreement as the story unfolds.
- Themes
- Ava’s place on the football team: Ava is a girl playing on the school football team and is beginning to feel accepted by the boys. The plot foregrounds her participation and acceptance, but does not establish how the book evaluates gender expectations or resolves her place on the team.
- Choosing how to share school funds: Alex considers diverting some student council funds from a new football scoreboard to drama sets and costumes, prompting objection from football fans. The competing needs are clear, but the story’s judgement of Alex’s decision and the eventual allocation are not established.
- Worth knowing
- The plot includes an unwanted romantic advance in the form of an expensive gift, social pressure to stay accepted, and disagreement over school spending. The intensity and resolution are unclear.