Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother Erik, fights for the right to play soccer despite his near blindness, and slowly begins to remember the incident that damaged his eyesight. Includes author's afterword and reader's guide.

"The Women's World Cup coming to Southern California, everyone is soccer-crazy--especially Mia Tang! The U.S. is playing China in the finals, and Mia feels like her two identities are finally coming together. Less exciting, though? The fact that her P.E. teacher wants Mia to get out of the soccer field, too--or fall short of the grade she needs to earn a spot at journalism camp. But as always, Mia Tang is ready with a plan: she'll track down the two...

As her third-grade class makes its selections for the "Graveyard of Boring Words" and learns about "superb synonyms," slow-footed Nancy enthusiastically plays on the soccer team, with the goal of just being mediocre, or maybe even a little better than average.

"After watching a soccer game, Kylie Jean is eager to try out for a local team, but she is disappointed that her cousin Lucy does not want to join her." -- Provided by publisher.

When first-graders Nick, Jamie, and Reza refuse to let Emma join their soccer game just because she is a girl, Emma and her father devise a plan to teach the boys a lesson.

"After moving to California, seventh-grader Devin is afraid she will not make the soccer team but finds, instead, a team is so bad that she is compelled to take the lead and turn it into something the players and coach can all be proud of." -- Provided by publisher.

Journeying to Mars with Sylvie and Elliot to search for Sylvie's missing father, dinosaur-human hybrid Sawyer discovers that Mars has been trying to bully Pluto out of the solar system, a conflict that is addressed through a planetary soccer match.

Plant-eating dinosaurs face meat-eating dinosaurs in a soccer match.

Alex has just moved and joined a new soccer team, where she is expected to play a different position; when her error leads to the team's first loss she has to learn to put aside her pride and put the team first.

While everyone in Fairyland is getting ready for the Fairy Olympics, Jack Frost's goblins steal the Sports Fairies' magic objects, and without Stacey the soccer fairy's magic ball, Rachel's favorite soccer team will never reach their goal.