Soccerland

by Beth Choat

Overview

“One day I’m going to play for the U.S. Women’s National Team.”

That’s what Flora Dupre promised her mom before she died of cancer. Flora and her mom had created a place called Soccerland, an escape world in which they’d ignore the beeping cancer machines and just talk soccer. And now Flora’s dream of playing for the U.S.A. just might be coming true. Flora’s received the invitation of a lifetime: the chance to try out for the Under-15 U.S. Girls’ Soccer Team at the International Sports Academy.

But at the academy, the level of talent is like nothing Flora’s ever seen before. She struggles to hold her own as she grapples with new positions, injuries, the world’s most frustrating coach, and contempt from other players who would love to see her fail. But Flora is a big, strong Dupre girl—and she’s not going to go down easy.

“Superbly written.” —Doug McIntyre, ESPN The Magazine

“Choat’s examination of the dedication, effort, and sacrifice needed to become a national-level player is riveting and inspiring. Readers will be rooting for Flora as she struggles to achieve her goals.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A dazzling and expert portrait of the life of the young elite athlete.” —S. L. Price, Sports Illustrated

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761462491
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	08/07/2012
Series:	The International Sports Academy
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	242
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	700L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Beth Choat has been a sports journalist for nearly two decades. She has written for Sports Illustrated for Kids and was a staff journalist for Sports Illustrated, ABC Sports, and three Olympic Committees. She was raised in the Adirondack Mountains and now lives in Las Vegas with her family.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 5–8—Flora Dupre loves soccer, and before her mom died of cancer, she made a promise that one day she was going to play for the U.S. Women's National Team. She dominates the team at her secondary school, but she is not being challenged, and she longs to play with more seasoned players than those in her little Maine town. She gets her chance when her coach tells her that she has been invited to Colorado for a two-week National Team Identification Camp, where she quickly finds out that things are quite different in the big leagues. The head coach seems to have it in for her with constant criticism; a clique of mean girls makes fun of her large stature; and she feels very alone in the pool of 100 girls who are just as determined as she is to get one of the few spots on the Under-15 national team. Choat's background in sports journalism is obvious. While soccer action takes precedence over any deep character development, readers will enjoy following Flora's new friendships, budding romance, and changing relationship with her father. Themes of sportsmanship and the mental and physical aspects of training are subtly woven into the story line. John Feinstein, Tim Green, and Mike Lupica have broadened the availability of engaging sports fiction with male protagonists; this is a solid purchase for collections looking to expand female representation in their sports-themed novels.—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

School Library Journal

Fourteen-year-old Flora struggles with her dual role as star soccer player at her rural Maine high school, dreaming of playing for the U.S. Soccer Girl's National Team, and her family's centuries-old tradition of potato farming. The need to succeed at soccer and honor the memory of her mother, a fellow soccer enthusiast, engulfs Flora in the two years following her mother's death from cancer. When the invitation to attend a two-week National Team Identification Camp for her age group at the International Sports Academy in Colorado arrives, Flora eagerly accepts. Once there, she quickly realizes that being the best player at her high school is completely different from working and competing with equally skilled peers. Flora must deal with bullies, a fledgling crush and demanding coaches. Choat's examination of the dedication, effort and sacrifice needed to become a national-level player is riveting and inspiring. She explores barriers to success a young female athlete can face, from coping with competitors' taunts to self-esteem and family issues. Readers will be rooting for Flora as she struggles to achieve her goals. (Fiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews