Spoon

Two varsity volleyball players butt heads over a new social game when it gets one of them benched for the season in this gripping hi-lo sports fiction. Sixteen-year-old junior Macy was the starting setter on the varsity volleyball team last year. Now she's the backup for new girl Alliyah, who is a standout both on and off the court. With her conflict-averse personality, this new role suits Macy just fine . . . until a game called Spoon takes the school by storm. The rules of Spoon are simple: Decorate a plastic spoon. Keep the spoon with you at all times. If someone demands to see your spoon, you must show it within five seconds. If you can't, you're out. At first, the game seems harmless. Though Alliyah's competitive streak annoys Macy, and her actions threaten to break the school's Code of Conduct, Macy knows reporting Alliyah would get the starter benched, hurting the team's playoff chances. But when Alliyah begins pulling increasingly dangerous stunts in order to win at Spoon, Macy must ask herself: What does it mean to put her team first? Characterized by exciting, fast-paced plots and themes that are relevant for high school students, Horizon's Hi-Lo books are both engaging and easy to read. Short chapters, simple sentence structures, and an accessible format make these books perfect for teen reluctant readers. AGES: 14 to 18 AUTHOR: Stephanie True Peters is a freelance children's book writer with a diverse portfolio of published works featuring princesses and swamp monsters, inspirational men and heroic dogs, sports of all sorts and Greek mythology. An avid reader, workout enthusiast, animal lover, and firm believer that our words and actions matter, Stephanie lives in Mansfield, Massachusetts, with her husband Dan, an aging cat, and two rabbits.