Gracie Faltrain Takes Control

Gracie Faltrain Takes Control follows a teenage soccer player navigating high school life and relationships in Australia. After returning from an exchange program, Gracie must rebuild connections with her friends and teammates while pursuing her dreams on the field. The story tracks Gracie's attempts to balance her soccer ambitions, her role on a co-ed team, and the dynamics with her best friend Annabelle. Her relationships with teammates Martin and Cooper add complexity to her already challenging year. The novel centers on themes of friendship, personal growth, and the price of ambition. Through Gracie's experiences, the narrative explores how teenagers learn to find their place while staying true to themselves.

This young adult novel appears to have limited reviews online, with most appearing on Goodreads. Readers appreciate how the book portrays realistic teen experiences and relationships, particularly around sports teams and school dynamics. Multiple reviewers note the authentic voice of Gracie as she navigates friendships and team conflicts. A few readers mention the strong character development compared to the first book in the series. Some readers found the pacing slow in the middle sections. A minority of reviews mention that the soccer gameplay descriptions became repetitive. Ratings: Goodreads: 3.96/5 (28 ratings) Amazon: No reviews available LibraryThing: 4/5 (2 ratings) The book seems to resonate most with teen readers interested in sports fiction and stories about personal growth, though the total number of online reviews is limited. "The characters feel like real teenagers with real problems" - Goodreads reviewer "Great follow-up that shows Gracie maturing" - LibraryThing review

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🌟 The book is part of a series that follows Gracie Faltrain's journey through high school, with "The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain" being the first installment 📚 Author Cath Crowley won the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction in 2011 for her novel "Graffiti Moon" ⚽ The story tackles themes of gender equality in sports, as Gracie fights to be taken seriously as a female soccer player in a male-dominated team 🎭 The narrative style includes multiple viewpoints, switching between characters to give readers different perspectives on events and relationships 🌏 The book is set in Australia, where author Cath Crowley worked as a teacher before becoming a full-time writer