Twelve-year-old Nick loves soccer and hates books, but soon learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams.

Eighth-grade soccer forward Nick Osborne and his teammates are highly competitive but, with help from his soccer-playing aunt, Nick begins to see that good sportsmanship is more important than winning. Includes a recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and the real story behind the novel.

"A neighborhood soccer star has a secret plan for his team's big game--a plan even more impressive than his bicycle kicks."--

When twelve-year-old Arcady is sent to a children's home after his parents are declared enemies of the state in Soviet Russia, soccer becomes a way to secure extra rations, respect, and protection but it may also be his way out if he can believe in and love another person--and himself.

Instead of volunteering to provide halftime snacks, a dedicated Soccer Dad decides to join his son's soccer team. In a hilarious role reversal, the son becomes the frustrated expert who teaches his dad how to be a team player. Dad complains about having to play defense (boring!) and thinks playing soccer is all about winning. When his son explains that soccer is about having fun, Dad picks dandelions, fools around on the sidelines and kicks the practice...

Lily Davis's big sister and star soccer player, Jana, has left home for basic training, and now Lily's parents and coach want her to change positions, from goalie to striker, wear Jana's jersey, and fill her sister's shoes--at first she goes along with the switch, until a letter from Jana gives her the courage to tell them all that she is her own person, and that person is a goalie.

"Jack's a star player on an elite soccer team along with his brother, Alex. The Lancers are on top of the league, even favored to win the National Championship. But the game's about to change. A slick bookie wins Jack's friendship and introduces him to illegal betting. Before long, Jack is hooked on the adrenaline rush, and early wins convince him that gambling could make him rich. Meanwhile, an ever-widening rift is forming between the two brothers....

In 1986 Malaysia, as she worries about her parents' constant fighting, ardent soccer fan Maya, age eleven, trains herself and pulls together a team at her girls' school, despite soccer being a "boys' game."

Twelve-year-old Max, who loves the legend Buelo tells him about a mythical gatekeeper who can guide brave travelers on a journey into tomorrow, sets out on a dangerous quest to discover if he is true of heart and what the future holds, armed with a treasured compass, a mysterious stone rubbing, and Buelo's legend as his only guides.

"Twins Astrid and Apollo are excited to be going to the Hmong July Fourth Soccer Festival, but when they are told to babysit their baby sister, Eliana, it looks like they will miss the particular match their father is interested in--especially as they cannot figure out what "yummy milk" Eliana demands is, and are forced to spend their money on buying different treats to keep her from throwing a tantrum"--Title verso page.