The Outside Groove

September 15, 2006
Seventeen-year-old Casey LaPlante thinks she wants nothing to do with race-car driving, but she begins to tire of the invisibility she feels next to her brother, Wade, a stock-car hero. Casey also faces the frustration of not being able to attend the college of her choice and pursue a career as a conservationist because her family pours so much money into Wade's racing. Casey shocks her brother and father when she announces that, with the help of her uncle Harvey, she is going to be the first female driver at the Demon's Run racetrack. Racing puts Casey on a full course of self-discovery, in which she realizes important things about herself and her family. Strong descriptions of racing action and the well-integrated story of Casey's internal conflicts make for both an entertaining and interesting read that helps fill the void of good sports fiction with female protagonists.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)