Leverage by Joshua Cohen

One of the most absolute hardest books I've read and couldn't put down, all at the same time. Danny is a sophomore and a gymnast. He's actually pretty good, and hopes that a gymnastics scholarship is his ticket to college and away. He's pretty scrawny (a good thing for gymnasts), gets along with his teammates, and loves his sport.

Kurt is a senior football player and a pretty big guy. He's been in the foster care system for a while, and as a survivor of child sexual abuse, he's especially had a hard time after his best friend was killed. He's determined never to be a victim again, and takes the coach's "vitamins" to help with that goal.

What the two of these guys are witness to is horrendous. Three of Kurt's teammates gang-raping a freshman teammate of Danny's. Both too scared to talk about it, they have to decide whether to stay victims, or find the courage to stand up to bullies.

The story is told in Danny and Kurt's alternating voices. Like I said, this was a hard book to get through. The rape scene could have been described in more detail, but it could have been described in less. The author did a fantastic job of hitting just the right notes with both characters and the horrible, horrible action they witness. Everyone should read this book.

Payback Time by Carl Deuker

Dan wants to be a reporter. He's a senior this year, and is confident he'll be chosen editor of the school newspaper. When his classmate Alyssa is chosen instead, Dan can't believe it. Even worse, he's given sports instead of features.

Now Dan, or Mitch as everyone calls him, decides to do the best he can. He's determined to find a story worthy of his talent and along with his photographer, Kimi, he thinks he's found one in the new student Andy. Andy also plays football, although he doesn't appear in public to be any good. Catching him playing when he thinks no one is looking, Dan discovers Andy has a lot of talent.

Mitch and Kimi decide they need to expose Andy's story. What they don't realize is why Andy is so secretive.

While the story doesn't start off as a thriller, it definitely ends that way. Mitch or Dan, is a great character and narrator. There is lots of football talk--some volleyball too. But the reader could be confused by what's going on on the field if they don't know anything. Mitch and Kimi spend a lot of time following Andy around and trying to figure out his story, so sports are not the main issue. Many of the characters here are more than 2-dimensional.

Troy High by Shana Norris

Cassie goes to Troy High, but is friends with Greg, who goes to Lacede High. The two schools are intense rivals just as their Greek mythology roots--the Trojans (Troy High) and Spartans (Lacede High).

Tensions run higher this year when the district lines are redrawn and some students who attended Lacede now have to go to Troy, including Elena, Greg's brother's girlfriend. Elena soon falls for Paris, Cassie's older brother and dumps Lucas. Everything gets more complicated for Cassie as she and Greg are pulled into the feud.

This is a light-hearted chick-lit book with many action points. I found a lot of amusement out of the book because the author attempts to retell the Illiad. She does a fabulous job with the story--it's amusing to see how she does it. Even if you aren't familiar with Homer's tale, you'll still enjoy reading about the school rivalry.