Catching Jordan

Author: Miranda Kenneally (Hundred Oaks #1)

Publisher: Sourcebook Fire

Year Published: 2011

Pages: 284

This is a gift from the author. Thanks Miranda!

Jordan Woods is a talented football player and a dependable captain for her team. The problem is, she is a girl. And girls don't play football. Although all of the team members respect her and follow her lead, Jordan always feels that she has so many obstacles ahead. Her father, the great Donovan Woods, a famous NFL player, always doubt her capability and chooses not to attend any of Jordan's game. He always pushes Jordan to quit, even after University of Alabama shows the interest to recruit Jordan. The one who always supports her no matter what is her best friend and teammate, Sam Henry.

The arrival of Ty Green, a transfer student, threatens Jordan's position as a quarterback because that's also Ty's position and Ty is way better than Jordan. But Ty is so sweet, caring and also sexy. And most of all, he shows his interest for her. For the first time, Jordan thinks she finally falls in love. But love and friendship cannot walk along together. As Jordan becomes closer to Ty, she feels that Henry slowly walks away from her. What happens to Henry and why can't Jordan have them both?

This is the second time I read Catching Jordan and honestly, I'm still able to feel the excitement like the first time. Although the story is about sport that is very uncommon here in Indonesia, I feel connected to Jordan and her way of think and feel: her eagerness to reach her dream, her anxiety about her future, her growing feeling to boys, and also the relationship with her teammates and family. And, seriously, I don't think all the talks about football as something I cannot chew. I think Miranda has this awesome ability in writing and making each of the characters alive.

As a young adult novel, this book has complete package. Of course Jordan's relationship with Henry and Ty has the biggest role in the story and the boys--like the other young adult books--are so yummy! But not only that, we can see various family problems too. Like Ty, for the example. He has to move from Texas and give up his dream after the accident that happened to his parents. As a teenager, he has to responsible for his paralyzed mother and his little sister. Henry lives in poor family and seldom sees his father so that he finds Jordan's family as his second family. Carter and Jordan has similar family background as they have an NFL player father and very rich but doesn't mean that they don't have their own problems related to their fathers' big name. Also, the friendship portion also teaches the readers so much. I love how Miranda puts the cheerleaders not only as a dumb pretty girls but also the ones who has various personalities and brains.

Reading Catching Jordan makes me not only entertained but also satisfied, and definitely makes me want to be a part of Jordan's friends in Hundred Oaks.