The Kicks - Saving the Team

Alex Morgan, the famous soccer player, wrote this wonderful series of books.  The main character is Devon who has just moved from CT to CA.  She missed her best friend, but hopes she can find friends and settle into her new life.  A place on the soccer team allows her to do that.  But it is so different from her last team.  This team's coach doesn't seem to care about winning, and there is a mean girl who captains the team who is not a good leader.  Devon needs to stand up and be brave and do what is right.  I was nervous about this book, thinking it may be too mature for my K-5 audience.  I generally stay away from purchasing books that are set in middle school, because they tend to have a lot of boy-girl drama, and this had a bit of it.  However, that was outweighed by the overwhelming number of positive messages this books sends:  keeping a school-recreation balance, what true leadership is, what good coaching is, the importance of having fun in a sport, sportmanship, and teambuilding.  I also LOVED the spotlight on the inequity in boys' vs. girls' sports!  Alex Morgan has scored with this one. 😉