I was pleasantly surprised that the conflict of Al being a girl on the baseball team is resolved rather quickly to make way for the true conflict.

It was really good about not deriving someone down to one story. There are two subplots: one about putting yourself out there to make friends and learning not to take no for an answer.

The subplot with Al’s friend Viv was much weaker, and I was not too fond of that resolution.

she just forced her way as the mascot. The other boy was appointed mascot, and she just hijacked his thing when he had been rightfully chosen. It’d been better if they agreed to work together at his suggestion and incorporate the duck or next year the duck became the main person. It just showed Viv couldn’t take no for an answer. You don’t always get your way. And I don’t think she realized how unfair she way being to Cal