GOAL

Gr 10 Up—The follow-up to Goal!: The Dream Begins (2006) and Goal! II: Living the Dream (2007, both Houghton) is the story of Santiago Muñez's lifelong plan to become a world-famous soccer player. This installment continues up until the World Cup 2010. In fact, this book actually covers the story of two lives: Santiago and his stepbrother Enrique, who is now living in England with Santiago, his wife Roz, and their new daughter, and plays on the Newcastle Soccer Under-16 team. Rigby does an admirable job of catching readers up with the plotline, even though fans of the earlier two books will begin from page one with a caring fondness and hope that Santiago succeeds in his dream. Descriptions of the play-by-play are excellent and are interspersed with heart-wrenching moments of failure and disappointment. Rigby occasionally drops in the names of well-known soccer stars to keep the saga current. Teenage Enrique has his own problems with fitting in and with keeping the bullying he endures hidden from his family. Readers can identify and sympathize with his dilemma and the difficult decisions he must make. Purchase this book where the film or the first two books have been popular.—Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA