Catching Jordan

Author: Miranda Kenneally
Recommended Age: Young Adults
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
ISBN: 1402262272
Year Published: 2011
No. Pages: 288
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Main Character Gender: Female
Read & Reviewed by: Joyce




So what the hell is Dad's problem with my playing ball? I'm a girl.

Jordan Woods isn't just one of the guys, she is the captain and starring quarterback of her high school. She's also the top rated quarterback in the state of Tennessee. She wants to earn a scholarship to the University of Alabama but when quarterback Ty Green moves to town, she worries he might not only steal her starring role, but also her heart.

Jordan Woods is a 6ft tall tomboy who loves to take any challenge that comes her way. I enjoyed seeing the world though Jordan's eyes because at the beginning of the book, she is self-confident, and dedicated to achieving her own success. When Ty comes into her life, I saw that she wasn't as tough as I presumed. At the end of the book she is more self-assured yet, more vulnerable simply because she learned from the active choices she made for herself.

Miranda Kenneally's Jordan exhibited typical and realistic teenage traits. Her inner voice is peppered with sarcasm and I found this funny. For example;
I forced myself to cough so I won't laugh. J.J. stares at Lacey the way he stares at every single one of the Titans' cheerleaders. It's the same way he stares at cheese fries, for that matter.
By reading Jordan's inner thoughts and seeing the story unfold through her eyes, I got a better understanding of who she was and so, cared about her more.

Since Jordan is the narrator of her story I was lead to believe that her dad didn't care for her, that he didn't support her athletic dreams because she was a girl, and that her father wished she was more feminine. I discovered as the story revealed itself that her father didn't want her to play football because he didn't want her to get hurt. First-person narrative can be difficult as you get the main character's point of view and it is often biased on their view of their life. Even though Jordan was an unreliable narrator in the way that she viewed her dad, I got to understand her better and feel as she did, at least initially. Not fully understanding her dad's perspective also made her more realistic and like most adolescents today.

I liked how Kenneally gave a voice to girls who enjoy playing sports that are typically considered masculine. Jordan wants to play at the collegiate level and she struggles to be accepted on her athletic ability. Jordan also learned that it is better to stay true to herself and respect herself rather than be used as a gimmick or token female mascot. This novel spoke to me because I believe that women can have the same athletic dreams as men, even if it means being the only girl playing that sport.

I rated Catching Jordan a 10/10 because Jordan had a strong will that I like in main characters, and she never gave-up on her dream to play at the college level. I read this book in less than a day. It was a relaxing, quick read that I think all males and females would enjoy.