Total Knockout

February 1, 2009
Gr 4-8-After winning the class-president election for an unprecedented third straight time, Lucia has ambitious plans for her eighth-grade year. Along with her prestigious office, she has a reliable best friend, an unthreatening vice president, and a cool hobby: boxing. Her orderly world unravels, though, when her reckless scheme to purchase new vending machines backfires and she faces possible impeachment. As her political fortunes decline, Lucia also has to cope with the growing tensions between her parents and her own feelings of jealousy regarding her two closest friends. Skillful first-person narration deftly captures the nuances of the protagonist's personality. She's clearly self-centered and judgmental, but still likable from the start. While she earnestly embraces her role as a highly competitive go-getter, readers will detect the insecurity that lies beneath the outward self-confidence. The well-paced plot balances Lucia's inner turmoil with interesting episodes involving school politics, friendships, and family relationships. Supporting characters play key roles as Lucia gradually discovers that her friends and family are more complicated and more interesting than she had assumed when everything was going her way. Her relationship with her father is particularly well drawn. Lucia's frequent missteps ultimately lead to hard but valuable lessons, and her final emergence as a more thoughtful and empathetic person is convincing. Lucia has learned that she can "take a hit and keep going.""Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR"

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