The Soccer Surprise

The culmination of the soccer season is upon Franklin Elementary School, and the MVP club, which comprises five best friends, is helping the girls’ soccer team prepare for their big game against the Wilton Warriors. However, Kat, one of the members of the MVP Club, is struggling to nail down her soccer shots, and she fears that she’ll cost the team a chance at victory. To make matters worse, the town is threatening to demolish the field house, a community center for the sports fields, to build new offices. Can the MVP club save both the field house and win the big game? 

The Soccer Surprise is an exciting story packed with energy, mystery, and teamwork. Told from a third-person perspective, the tale centers on five members of the MVP Club—Max, Alice, Nico, Luke, and Kat—and their involvement in their school’s sports and community activities. While the book attempts to provide each member of the club with appropriate attention, most of the character development revolves around Kat, who struggles to handle the big moments in her soccer games. However, the five characters display exemplary character and fortitude in the face of struggle, and their ability to work as a team to solve problems is admirable. Add in the childhood joy of elementary school students, and the tale takes on a very jovial and relatable tone. 

The book gives a positive perspective on the lessons of hard work and self-belief. Early in the book, Kat continually misses game-winning shots and sees herself as a bad soccer player. However, with the help of soccer superstar Alex and her shooting tips, Kat manages to improve her skills and change her self-perception, allowing her to score the winning goal at the end of the book. These lessons are exemplified when Kat exclaims that she couldn’t have done it without Alex, and Alex responds by saying, “I only showed you the shot. You’re the one who did it. Keep working on your skills like that and maybe you’ll be able to play on the Breakers when you get older!” This story reminds readers of the power of self-image, demonstrating that even the most challenging tasks can be made easy with practice and the right mindset. 

Alongside these lessons, The Soccer Surprise’s fieldhouse plotline also teaches the power of advocacy and voice. When the MVP kids learn that their beloved fieldhouse is slated for demolition to make way for new offices, they decide to launch a fundraiser to transform it into a new community activity center. Through their determination and combined voices, they convince the building’s owner to keep the site, demonstrating the importance of fighting for what matters in life. It’s a lesson that can encourage readers to take a stand for what they believe is right. 

The Soccer Surprise is divided into ten small chapters, with each chapter typically comprising eight to ten pages and containing a couple of hand-drawn illustrations. Although the story doesn’t present difficult vocabulary, its paragraphs and sentences are longer and more complex, making it a little challenging for newer readers. At the end of the story, a brief section offers real-life facts about soccer and showcases some cool soccer skills. It also includes a sneak peek of the next MVP book to keep readers interested. Like its predecessor, The Soccer Surprise continues the MVP’s adventures in sports with action-packed scenes and important lessons, making it a fabulous addition for early chapter book lovers. 

Sexual Content 

• None 

Violence 

• The fieldhouse mysteriously catches on fire while the MVP Club is practicing soccer, and forces Max, one of the MVP Club members, to call 911. “Everyone turned to look. Bright and yellow flames were shooting out of the right side of the field house!” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

• None 

Language 

• None 

Supernatural 

• None 

Spiritual Content 

• None 

by Caleb Kleinmann