A review by emilymdilley
Team Seven by Marcus Burke

1.0

I wish I liked this book. The concept is there, and a few chapters in you understand why the title is what it is. But then it's like all the set up to Team Seven is forgotten and the book changes direction. And then it changes again...and again. Time jumps happen seemingly at random; topics and storylines meander for the entirety of the book. Characters get introduced, fall away, and then end up being key players in the end. No one's character--even Andre the main character--is really ever fully fleshed out. Along the way, there are a couple of chapters written from the perspective of secondary characters, but those are so sporadic and anti-climatic that I found myself wondering what the real point of including them ever was.

There are some lines and a few relevant moments in Team Seven that make me (barely) not regret reading it, but the book never reached it's full potential. If you're looking to read something about kids from the "wrong side of the tracks," start elsewhere.