Goalkeeper

Gr 3-7–Almost 30 years after it was first published, Bloor’s middle-grade novel Tangerine is still a favorite of teachers and students alike—and now it has a sequel. In late-1990s central Florida, Paul Fisher is ending his tumultuous seventh-grade year at a third school, St. Anthony’s Prep. Only the summer stands in the way of Paul heading back to Tangerine Middle to rejoin his friends and championship soccer team for eighth grade. But Paul’s luck hasn’t changed, and the summer might not be just friends, video games, and soccer scrimmages—especially when it begins with Paul witnessing the robbery of a convenience store. What’s more, Paul’s brother Erik is on house arrest for various felonies, which means home is tense and eerie. Then a strange new family, the McCarthys, move into the neighborhood. Once again, Paul sees more than most people around him—only this time, Paul is using his voice to call out and take action against injustice from the start. Bloor’s long-awaited sequel ties up some loose ends from its predecessor but introduces new conflicts in such a way that makes this book a suitable stand-alone too. Once again, Paul must be strategic and brave while keeping his wits about him in order to pull together the resources he needs to right wrongs. The book’s ’90s setting doesn’t feel dated because, unfortunately, the same knots that Paul is unraveling are still issues in today’s world. Fans of Bloor’s novels will be lining up read this installment.