Wolfpack (Young Readers Edition)

by Abby Wambach

Overview

In this young readers adaptation of her #1 New York Times bestselling book, two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA World Cup champion Abby Wambach inspires the next generation to find their voice, unite their pack, and change the world.

From rising young star to co-captain of the 2015 Women’s World Cup Champion team, Abby Wambach’s impressive career has shown her what it truly means to be a champion. Whether you’re leading from the bench or demanding the ball on the field, real success comes when you harness your inner strength, forge your own path, and band together with your team.

Updated with stories that trace her journey from youth soccer to the hall of fame, this young readers adaptation of Abby’s instant bestseller Wolfpack is for the next generation of wolves ready to change the game.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250766861
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	209,372
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 5.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	820L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

ABBY WAMBACH is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA World Cup Champion, and six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award. An activist for equality and inclusion, she is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of WOLFPACK and author of WOLFPACK: YOUNG READERS EDITION, an instant New York Times bestseller. She is a co-host of the award-winning WE CAN DO HARD THINGS podcast with her wife Glennon Doyle and sister Amanda Doyle, and the host of Abby’s Places on ESPN+. Abby is also a founder and part-owner of Angel City FC, the first majority-female-owned soccer team in history, and is a member of the Board of Directors for the non-profit organization Together Rising. Abby lives in California with her wife, Glennon Doyle, and their children.

Table of Contents

Welcome to the Wolfpack 1

1 You Were Always the Wolf 15

2 Be Grateful and Ambitious 25

3 Lead from the Bench 35

4 Make Failure Your Fuel 47

5 Champion Each Other 57

6 Demand the Ball 65

7 Bring It All 75

8 Find Your Pack 83

Time to Change the Game 91

Editorial Reviews

10/01/2020

Gr 5 Up—Inspired by a commencement address she gave at Barnard College, this adaptation of Wambach's adult title is a series of inspirational vignettes built around the idea of empowering young people to "find their voice, unite their pack, and change the world." Each of the book's eight chapters begins with an old rule versus a new rule breakdown. For example, the first chapter's old rule is "stay on the path," but the new rule is "create your own path." The text addresses the distinctions between each old rule and the corresponding new rule. The brief, conversational essays draw from Wambach's own experiences, not only as an elite athlete and cocaptain of the U.S. National Soccer team that won the Women's World Cup in 2015 but also as a daughter, sibling, spouse, stepparent, and friend. Many of the lessons center on leadership, sportsmanship, teamwork, and perseverance. However, values such as tolerance, vulnerability, creativity, and gratitude are also promoted. Each chapter concludes with a recap of the preceding essay's key points in a few lines of prose. Wambach provides a message that young people can and will relate to and embrace. She delivers that message with great effect in this powerful, little book. VERDICT Recommended for middle school and high school library collections. This will appeal to sports enthusiasts as well as those who can't tell a basketball from a soccer ball but love an encouraging word.—Kelly Kingrey-Edwards, Blinn Junior College, Brenham, TX

School Library Journal

2020-09-01
Soccer star and activist Wambach adapts Wolfpack (2019), her New York Times bestseller for adults, for a middle-grade audience.

“YOU. ARE. THE. WOLVES.” That rallying cry, each word proudly occupying its own line on the page, neatly sums up the fierce determination Wambach demands of her audience. The original Wolfpack was an adaptation of the viral 2018 commencement speech she gave at Barnard College; in her own words, it was “a directive to unleash [the graduates’] individuality, unite the collective, and change the world.” This new adaption takes the themes of the original and recasts them in kid-friendly terms, the call to action feeling more relevant now than ever. With the exception of the introduction and closing remarks, each short chapter presents a new leadership philosophy, dishing out such timeless advice as “Be grateful and ambitious”; “Make failure your fuel”; “Champion each other”; and “Find your pack.” Chapters utilize “rules” as a framing device. The first page of each presents a generalized “old” and “new” rule pertaining to that chapter’s guiding principle, and each chapter closes with a “Call to the Wolfpack” that sums up those principles in more specific terms. Some parts of the book come across as somewhat quixotic or buzzword-heavy, but Wambach deftly mitigates much of the preachiness with a bluff, congenial tone and refreshing dashes of self-deprecating humor. Personal anecdotes help ground each of the philosophies in applicability, and myriad heavy issues are respectfully, yet simply broached.

A powerful resource for young people itching for change. (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews