Louise, Soccer Star?

Louise can’t wait for soccer season to start! She has been practicing, planning, and even dreaming about it all summer. But at the team’s first practice, she is thrown completely off by Trelawney, a new girl with some very impressive soccer skills. Is it the fault of the flashy new player, the one with all the new tricky moves? Or maybe the coach just doesn’t understand what a star Louise could be—if only she had the chance to show her stuff. 

Readers will relate to Louise, who is jealous of the new girl, Trelawney. Louise was sure that this year she was going to be the star of the soccer team. But when Trelawney shows up, she makes soccer skills “look so easy. Louise always felt like a jerky wind-up toy when she tried it herself.” To make matters worse, Trelawney is also getting a lot of attention at school—even Louise’s friends are spending time with her! Louise is determined not to like Trelawney, but her bad attitude is affecting her on the field, at home, and at school.  

Though she may be a few points down, Louise is determined to prove herself. Her effort leads her to do unusual exercises, such as taking inspiration from the Greek goddess Hera and listening to tips from her favorite computer game. 

Even though Louise, Soccer Star? features sports, the book will have wide appeal because of the mix of soccer action, family scenes, and friendship drama. Louise is a relatable character who isn’t perfect. She loses focus and daydreams, she gets jealous of the attention Trelawney is getting, and she doesn’t want to be seen at the mall with her mom. In the end, Trelawney and Louise connect over a video game and afterward, Louise realizes that she doesn’t need to compete with Trelawney. Instead, they need to work together on and off the field.  

Louise, Soccer Star? uses soccer to teach valuable lessons about friendship and teamwork. One lesson Louise learns is that “adding a new friend doesn’t have to mean getting rid of the old ones.” The book has twelve short chapters printed in oversized font. In order to help readers visualize the plot, large black and white illustrations appear every two to three pages. Soccer playing readers will get a kick out of Louise, Soccer Star? Readers can find more soccer action in Good Sport Gwen by Valerie Tripp. 

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language    

• None

Supernatural 

• None

Spiritual Content  

• None