Tag Archives: Soccer

YA – My Beautiful Sisters: A Memoir of Courage, Hope and the Afghan Women’s Soccer Team

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Popal, Khalida. My Beautiful Sisters: A Memoir of Courage, Hope and the Afghan Women’s Soccer Team. 2025. 978-0-806-54452-6. $29.00. 210 p. Grades 9-12.

My Beautiful Sisters is Popal’s memoir of her time developing, playing for, and mostly fighting for the Afghan National Women’s Soccer Team. She details the almost insurmountable obstacles before the team as they seek recognition from a society that is more free than it was under the Taliban, but much less free under the U.S.-backed transitional government than media reports of the time conveyed. Growing up in a non-religious family where her father and grandfather respect women as equals sets Khalida apart from Afghan society, and it also sets her up to resist the indignities foisted upon her by life under the patriarchy. After suffering years of violence and abuse, Khalida is further traumatized by living in refugee camps and seeking asylum in Europe. Fortunately, she does obtain legal status just in time. As the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, Khalida must push through days of frantic phone calls and bureaucratic coordination to get as many of her players and their families out of Afghanistan as the Taliban returns to power. For simply playing soccer or allowing their daughters to play soccer, all of these people were now enemies of the state and subject to brutal public beatings or even execution.

THOUGHTS: This book will fill readers with rage and sadness, but it will also inspire them. Khalida and her sisters on the team do not overcome everything for a happily ever after ending. They have suffered and will continue to carry trauma for the rest of their lives. They have also experienced the joy of motion, play, teamwork, and even victory. Khalida is a force against the condescension and ignorance of the men in charge. Her stubbornness does not change the world, but it throws sand in the gears of a machine designed to grind women down to nothing and it is easy to cheer for her. It may also cause readers to reflect on the comparatively unlimited freedom and relative safety we have in the U.S.

796.334 Soccer

Elem. – Soccer: The Universal Game (Series NF)

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Soccer: The Universal Game. The Child’s World, 2025. $35.64 ea. $169.60 set of 8. 32 p. Grades 2-6.

Stewart, Audrey. Goalkeepers. 978-1-503-89428-0.
Waldendorf, Kurt. Soccer around the Globe. 978-1-503-89424-2.
Waldendorf, Kurt. Soccer Legends. 978-1-503-89427-3.
Stewart, Audrey. Soccer Skills and Drills. 978-1-503-89430-3.
Stewart, Audrey. Soccer Stars of the World. 978-1-503-89423-5.
Stewart, Audrey. Soccer’s Greatest Moments. 978-1-503-89429-7.
Waldendorf, Kurt. The World Cup. 978-1-503-89426-6.
Stewart, Audrey. Women in Soccer. 978-1-503-89425-9.

This soccer series is chock-full of information on the world’s most popular sport. Young fans will be thrilled to see a variety of female and male players from around the world featured in full-color photos. Complete with a variety of upper elementary school text features including side-bars with fascinating anecdotes highlighting soccer superstars. Includes a Table of Contents, Index, Glossary, Fast Facts, and a list of websites for further discovery.

THOUGHTS: Beautifully designed nonfiction soccer series that will appeal to elementary aged students. The end-notes include a section called “One Stride Further” with writing prompts and discussion questions. A must-have for elementary libraries where soccer books are in high demand.

796.344 Soccer

Elem. – Messi’s Magic: How Lionel Messi Became the G.O.A.T

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Perry, Caroline L. Messi’s Magic: How Lionel Messi Became the G.O.A.T. Illustrated by Luciano Lozano. Scholastic Press, 2025. 978-1-546-14753-4. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades K-3.

Spotlighting Lionel “Leo” Messi’s early years, this picture book biography details the challenges Messi overcame as a young boy on his way to becoming the most decorated soccer player of all time. Born in Argentina in 1987, Messi – encouraged by his grandmother, Celia – began playing soccer at a young age. Although he was a fantastic soccer player, he faced many obstacles throughout his journey to stardom. These included the loss of his beloved grandmother, the discovery of a growth disorder for which his family could not afford treatment, and the loneliness and homesickness he experienced when he attended La Masia soccer academy. Despite everything, Messi continued to practice and push himself in order to become the sensation that he is today. A true inspiration and a wonderful role model, moving illustrations depict Messi in his signature stance, raising two fingers to the sky to dedicate his achievements to Grandma Celia. Back matter includes a timeline and additional facts and information about Messi’s achievements.

THOUGHTS: Young athletes will be enthralled by Messi’s story. While there are many biographies out there about Messi, this one is unique in that it focuses on his childhood and the obstacles he had to overcome to achieve glory. The subtle message of perseverance in the face of adversity is one that will resonate with all readers, young and old alike.

796.334 Soccer

Elem./MG – Almost Sunset

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Algarmi, Wahab. Almost Sunset. Harper Collins Children’s Books, 2025. 978-0-063-35566-8. $15.99. 218 p. Grades 4-8.

Hassan, a seventh grade boy, is struggling to juggle homework, soccer, gaming, and being with his friends while fasting for Ramadan. He keeps his fasting and participation in Ramadan with his family a secret from his friends and classmates, but when he starts falling behind in classes, falling asleep in class, and continuously “ditching” his friends for mysterious reasons, his friends start to distance themselves. Hassan is struggling with balancing his beliefs and his keeping up appearances like nothing has changed, so it is no surprise that all of these feelings eventually erupt. Once he opens up to those around him that truly care, he is able to relax and enjoy Ramadan more.

THOUGHTS: As someone who does not celebrate and naively did not know much about it, this graphic novel was really appealing and intriguing. I learned a lot about what students who fast for Ramadan go through during this month and why understanding of other cultures is so important. I highly recommend this graphic novel for upper elementary and middle level students. 

Graphic Novel
Realistic Fiction

Almost Sunset is Wahab Algarmi’s first graphic novel and is based on his own experiences. Hassan is a 7th grader who loves video games, soccer, and hanging out with his friends. Lately he’s been sleeping at school, his grades are falling, and he’s dreaming about hamburgers. The biggest change is that he isn’t playing as well at soccer, and he leaves practice early every day. Hassan doesn’t share with his friends or teachers that it is Ramadan, and he wakes up before sunrise to eat, fasts all day at school and through soccer practice, goes home to nap before going to mosque, and eats after sunset. This is his third year fasting, but this year the soccer finals fall during Ramadan. His teachers don’t understand why he’s lethargic in class, his friends don’t understand why he hasn’t been playing video games, and his teammates don’t understand why he’s become a ball hog trying to best the girl who is now playing his position. 

THOUGHTS: This sweet book would be a wonderful addition to libraries to help students gain insight to their Muslim classmates who may be fasting during Ramadan and also allow Muslim students to see themselves in print. Students with busy schedules will also relate. 

Graphic Novel

MG – Swing

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Meeker, Audrey. Swing. Feiwel & Friends, 2024. 978-1-250-86403-1. 253 p. $22.99. Grades 4-8.

Swing opens on Marcus McCalister’s first day of eighth grade. His older brother is a soccer superstar, but Marcus is ambivalent about going out for the team again. His classmate Izzy Briggs marches to the beat of her own drum. The two are paired up in gym class to study a form of dance for a week, and then perform it for the class. The showcase goes about as well as expected, with bruised toes (and pride) aplenty. Their gym teacher offers to let them redeem themselves – and their grade – by performing in the school talent show. Izzy agrees – but only if she leads and Marcus follows. Everything gets more complicated as Marcus tries to juggle soccer practice with swing dance rehearsal, and his teammates definitely notice how much time he and Izzy are spending together (and they definitely aren’t above a little petty revenge). Author and illustrator Audrey Meeker’s artwork is very character-forward, with simple backgrounds in a range of colors that complement the mood of each scene, and the focus on characters’ actions and emotions. Crimson cheeks, especially, reveal when emotions are running high.

THOUGHTS: With themes of friendship, loyalty, and gender norms, Audrey Meeker’s debut graphic novel proves once again what a rich vein the eighth grade is to mine for stories such as this one!

Graphic Novel

Elem./MG/YA – Sports Strategies (Series NF)

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Sports Strategies. Abdo Books, 2024. $24.95 ea. $199.60 set of 8. 48 p. Grades 3-9. 

Auto Racing Strategies. 978-1-09829-241-6.
Baseball Strategies. 978-1-09829-242-3.
Basketball Strategies. 978-1-09829-243-0.
Football Strategies. 978-1-09829-244-7.
Hockey Strategies. 978-1-09829-245-4.
Mixed Martial Arts Strategies. 978-1-09829-246-1.
Soccer Strategies. 978-1-09829-247-8.
Tennis Strategies. 978-1-09829-248-5.

The focus of the 8-book nonfiction series is an in-depth look at strategies for various sports. Sports covered are: auto racing, baseball, basketball, football, hockey, mixed martial arts, soccer, and tennis. The series covers how the best teams execute their plans and strategies throughout history. Each book has engaging images along with an informative text that will appeal to students. The book concludes with a glossary, online resources, additional information, and an index.

THOUGHTS: This series is a good addition to enhance elementary and middle school library collections seeking to update their sports collections. It is labeled as Hi-Lo nonfiction, so it would be a good addition to a high school library.

700s Sports

MG – Crushing It

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Becker, Erin. Crushing It. Penguin Workshop, 2024. 978-0-593-52364-4. $17.99. 240 p. Grades 5-8

“Magic Mel” feels most like herself on the soccer field, where she can focus on the game in front of her and tune out the world. She is voted for team captain and is ready to finally lead her 8th grade team to the championship game. But, when Mel is off the field, she feels like she is messing up left and right. Her friend group is in pieces; she struggles giving a speech in class; and her ex-best friend, Tory, is being cold toward her. The only place Mel feels like she can be herself off the field is texting her poetry with BTtoYouPlease. Tory on the other hand seems to have her life all together. Her mom is around, but seemingly checked out, so when she escapes into messaging NotEmilyD, she starts to feel like she has someone to confide in. But what happens when NotEmilyD and BTtoYouPlease meet in real life? 

THOUGHTS: This novel is character-driven with the characters Mel and Tory showing how they manage friendships, family life, confusing feelings, and middle school sports. Those who love soccer, and even those who don’t, will enjoy this novel. The characters are relatable and show what it can be like to question who you crush on and how to manage those relationships.

Realistic Fiction

Elem. – Early Sports Encyclopedias

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Early Sports Encyclopedias. Abdo Reference, 2024. $32.95 ea. or $197.70 Set of 6. Grades 2-4. 

Flynn, Brendan. Baseball and Softball. 978-1-098-29125-9.
Graves, Will. Basketball. 978-1-098-29126-6.
Bode, Heather L. Dance. 978-1-098-29127-3.
Flynn, Brendan. Football. 978-1-098-29128-0.
Price, Karen. Gymnastics. 978-1-098-29129-7.
McDougal, Chros. Soccer. 978-1-098-29130-3.

This reviewer evaluated Football. The book provides general information about the game itself, skills and positions, safety, history, and highlights of the top teams and icons. While a lot of sports books can age out quickly, I appreciated that the main focus was the game itself and not today’s popular players and teams. A variety of players and some coaches were profiled spanning from the 1930s to present day, which will allow readers to recognize some names as well as discover football stars with whom they may not have already been familiar. The book features large colorful photos with descriptions, fact boxes, a glossary, index, and list of suggested resources.

THOUGHTS: The interesting facts sprinkled throughout combined with the vibrant photographs makes this a fun, easy read for sports fans. Highly recommended if you’re looking to update your sports resources for elementary students.

700s Sports

Elem. – Building a Dream: How the Boys of Koh Panyee Became Champions

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Khiani, Darswana. Building a Dream: How the Boys of Koh Panyee Became Champions. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-0-802-85547-3 Unpaged. $17.99. Grades K-3.

In the Thai village of Koh Panyee, a group of boys are crazy about soccer.  But in a village floating on stilts in the Phang Nga Bay, there is little space to play. The boys use a beach (at low tide) but are thwarted when new homes are built. Even the most ardent of soccer fans in their village tells them to ‘stick to boat racing. It’s tradition.’ But the boys enjoy soccer and long to play (and win) against the mainland boys. They had an idea: build a floating pitch (field). Adults shook their heads as the boys collected materials, worked out the problems, and began to play. The floating pitch tested their patience and their balance, and the boys improved. Soon the villagers cheered them on as they practiced, and the boys headed to the mainland for the district tournament. They didn’t win, but opposing teams admired the ‘sharp skills’, and the villagers were proud of their accomplishments. 

THOUGHTS: This positive story highlights and celebrates the determination and dream of a group of boys. Recommended for early grades.

Picture Book 

MG – Salsa Magic

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Marrero, Letisha. Salsa Magic. Levine Querido, 2023. 978-1-646-14260-6. $18.99. 273 p. Grades 4-8.

Thirteen year old Maya has been having vivid dreams about a goddess in white calling to her from the ocean. The dreams seem so real, but she is not sure what it means nor does she have time to think about it. Between school, soccer, and helping out at her family’s cafe, there is little time left for pondering strange dreams. Maya’s focus is on her soccer season and her developing feelings for her teammate Kayla… until a mysterious guest arrives at the restaurant. It is her Titi (Aunt) Yaya! Maya has never met Yaya because of her long-standing feud with Maya’s abuela, her sister. But the most shocking part is that Titi Yaya looks exactly like the woman from her dreams! Even though Titi Yaya ends up staying in the apartment above the restaurant, her grandmother forbids Maya from talking to her. Maya feels a strong connection to Titi Yaya and breaks her abuela’s rules. Titi Yaya teaches her about ancient santeria magic. She tells Maya that she has been chosen by the Yoruban goddess of water and that she must follow this calling. Maya knows if she is to answer this calling alongside Titi Yaya, she must convince her abuela to drop the feud. 

THOUGHTS: Marrero’s coming of age story tells a heartwarming tale of a multigenerational family made richer by interwoven depictions of Caribbean, Puerto Rican, and Mexican mythology and cultural traditions. This would be a solid purchase for middle grade libraries.

Realistic Fiction