The Breakaways

The Breakaways

Illustrator

Cathy G. Johnson

Publisher

First Second

Publication Year

2019

ISBN

9781250196941

Pages

224 pages

Genre

realism

Format

graphic novel

Item Type

Fiction

Annotation

Quiet, sensitive Faith starts middle school already worrying about how she will fit in. To her surprise, Amanda, a popular eighth grader, convinces her to join the school soccer team, the Bloodhounds. Having never played soccer in her life, Faith ends up on the C team, a ragtag group that’s way better at drama than at teamwork. Although they are awful at soccer, Faith and her teammates soon form a bond both on and off the soccer field that challenges their notions of loyalty, identity, friendship, and unity. The Breakaways from Cathy G. Johnson is a raw, and beautifully honest graphic novel that looks into the lives of a diverse and defiantly independent group of kids learning to make room for themselves in the world.

Grade Level

6-8; 9-12

Diversity Topics

Culture/Ethnicity; Racial Diversity; LGBTQ (Gender and Sexuality); Multicultural; Multiethnic; Multiracial; Gay/Lesbian; Transgender; multicultural community; multiple ethnicities; multiracial community; lesbian; lesbian teenager; transgender teenager; girl to boy

Main Character

female child

Race/Ethnicities

multiple

Family Formation

father

LGBTQ+

lesbian females; transgender male

Keywords

soccer; friendship; acceptance; empowerment; compassion; drawing; music; pizza; unity

Diversity Impact

indirect

The Breakaways

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