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The Beautiful Game

Yamile Saied Méndez

Ages 10–14

265 pages · Released Sep 17, 2024

Content report card

The Beautiful Game parent’s guide: what’s inside

Medium confidence

Sexual content

LGBTQ+ themes

Substance use

What it offers

A note for parents

The Beautiful Game is a sports-centered coming-of-age story that celebrates resilience, teamwork, and self-acceptance through the lens of soccer and Latinx family dynamics. The central conflict—a young athlete's public failure and journey to rebuild her confidence with a new team—handles themes of shame and rejection with emotional depth but age-appropriate sensitivity. While there are some mild language and brief references to social ostracism, the book's overwhelming focus is on growth, familial love, and learning to value girls' sports and friendships.

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From the publisher

A powerful story about family, fútbol, and playing like a girl, perfect for fans of Front Desk, The Academy, and, Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret from the award-winning author of Furia. At twelve years old, Valeria "Magic" Salomón is already the best soccer player her town has ever seen. She has talent in spades... A powerful story about family, fútbol, and playing like a girl, perfect for fans of Front Desk, The Academy, and, Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret from the award-winning author of Furia. At twelve years old, Valeria "Magic" Salomón is already the best soccer player her town has ever seen. She has talent in spades and an abuelo whose tough-love coaching and lessons about “strength and honor” have made her the star of the Overlords, the top boys’ team in the state. Then everything changes at the State Cup semifinal. After an embarrassing moment on the field, Valeria’s team is unexpectedly eliminated and everyone who used to treat her as their secret weapon now sees her as their weakest link. Soon, she doesn’t have a team at all anymore. She’s not sure she has a relationship with her grandfather either. Valeria’s a fighter, however. With the help of her grandmother and support of her cheerleader BFF, she finds herself on a girls’ team for the first time. But the Amazons aren’t exactly excited to have her there. After all, Valeria’s spent years ignoring their existence. With the next tournament looming on the horizon, Valeria has a month to figure out her place on her new team and learn how to play like a girl. The award-winning author of Furia returns to the world of “the beautiful game” in this uplifting, heartfelt novel about family, self-confidence, and the power of second chances.

Shelved under

  • Juvenile Fiction

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ISBN 9781523529889 · Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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