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Publisher Description
One girl and her soccer team take a stand against the bullies who push them too far in this brave, inspiring novel that celebrates girl power and the true spirit of sports. Perfect for readers who love The Crossover and Fighting Words.
"A tale of terrific girl power and athleticism." —Kirkus Reviews
Twelve-year-old Alex loves playing soccer, and she’s good at it, too. Very good. When her skills land her a free ride to play for Select, an elite soccer club, it feels like a huge opportunity. Joining Select could be the key to a college scholarship and a bright future—one that Alex’s family can’t promise her.
But as the team gets better and better, her new coach pushes the players harder and harder, until soccer starts to feel more like punishment than fun. And then there comes a point where enough is enough, and Alex and her teammates must take a stand to find a better way to make their soccer dreams come true.
Powerful and inspiring, Select explores the important difference between positive and negative coaching and celebrates the true spirit of sports.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Matheson (Shelter) channels her coaching experience into this quickly paced, empowering contemporary novel about girls' soccer and self-advocacy. Twelve-year-old Alex, who cues as white, feels ambivalent when she's recruited out of her beloved rec league soccer team and into San Francisco Select Superior, a competitive travel team that opens up opportunities for national-level recognition and college scholarships. While her compassionate former coach Jayda, who is Black, encouraged good sportsmanship and team efforts, white Coach Austin demands decisive victories and harsh, even abusive exercises, and suggests that his guidance will make the team "stop playing like girls." Tenacious Alex navigates the Bay Area transit system on her own to get to games and often solely cares for her seven-year-old sister, Belle, while their people-pleasing mother is distracted by a demanding boyfriend and excessive work hours. As Alex's lifelong love of the game begins to falter, she confronts hard dilemmas involving injustice, sexism, and what it means to be part of a team. A compressed but emotionally satisfying end caps off Alex's straightforward first-person narrative, which exudes resilience and hope. The soccer game descriptions are brisk and informative, accessible to newcomers to the sport. Context clues suggest racial diversity among Alex's teammates. Ages 8–12.
