Annie Boots lives with her foster family but longs to be able to fix her own family and live a normal life. Even though the couple who took her in make her feel like part of the family and have even offered to help her pay for college after she graduates next year, she still sneaks off to meet up with her crazy mother, her drug abusing half-sister, and her wild little nephew.
One of the methods Annie has concocted to keep in touch with her bio family is to make sure her summer hoopster team is forced into the losers' bracket when they compete. This assures that she and her teammates play the maximum number of games so her relatives can come to watch the games. Crazy to some, but perfect for Annie's needs.
Readers of LOSERS BRACKET are sure to relate to Annie and her determination. Her desire to improve her life is admirable, as is her wish to stay connected to the people she came from. Throughout her story, readers can read the notes taken by Annie's therapist documenting her struggle to dodge the anger of her foster father who doesn't want her to associate with the family that has caused her so much pain and her often misplaced concern for her abusive mother. Thanks to a few supportive friends and her estranged mother's current boy friend, Annie is able to muddle through even when her little nephew "disappears."
LOSERS BRACKET is classic Chris Crutcher. It is easy to see that much of his life has been spent working with troubled teens. His love of literature is also evident in multiple references to books most of his fans will recognize.
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