Soccer Showdown. (Sports Stories). John Danakas. Toronto, ON: James Lorimer, 2011. 164 pp., pbk., $9.95. ISBN 978-1-55277-837-1. Grades 4-7 / Ages 9-12. Review by Tanya Boudreau. **½ /4

excerpt:

The boys start to talk among themselves. We can’t hear what they’re saying but it’s obvious that they’re lightening up. They even break into laughter once or twice. By the looks and sounds of it, they’re starting to think this is one big joke. I’m sure they believe there’s no way we’ll get permission to play on the boys’ team.

“What’ll they do when it’s time to play shirts against skins?” one boy jibes.

“Does this mean we have to change in the same locker room?” another boy scoffs.

I do my best to ignore their taunts, but it’s not easy. Neena and I wanted to play soccer in order to make friends, not to create more enemies.

Twelve-year-old Lizzie Lucas and her best friend, Neena Raman, are getting teased by their classmates for having the highest marks in their class. They hope to make new friends (and maybe attract boyfriends) by joining a soccer team. When only five girls show up for the girls’ soccer team tryouts, Lizzie, usually too shy to express herself, speaks out and says to the coach, “Why don’t we just join the boys’ team?” The solution sounds fair to the girls, but many of the boys (including the male coach) resent their arrival. As feelings of animosity grow between the players, best friends grow apart, and players come off the field after a practice or game with their feelings hurt and their bodies aching. Soccer Showdown moves at a fast pace. The game scenes, although unsurprising, are descriptive and lively. Soccer Showdown addresses issues of cooperation and equality on the soccer field and in the family. The book will appeal to readers looking for a sports story that includes a touch of romance.

Recommended.

Tanya Boudreau is a librarian at the Cold Lake Public Library in Cold Lake, AB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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