Under Pressure

Gr 6 Up—Elise just wants her mother to notice how well she is playing soccer and to stop making little digs that she thinks will motivate her. In order to live up to the expectations laid before her from her coach, her mother, and herself, she decides to look for some help. Elise knows that she shouldn't take steroids, so instead she finds some pills on the Internet that promise to enhance her performance and steals her mother's credit card to pay for them. At first the drugs work wonders, but then, combined with her lack of eating, they cause Elise to crash while a college recruiter is visiting her high school. Ultimately, drugs don't make her game any stronger; in fact, they only cause her more problems. This high-interest, slim book is an accessible read for reluctant readers and soccer fanatics.—Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI