The Mighty Dynamo

Gr 4–6—Noah Murphy is a star soccer player at St. Killian's in Ireland. He trains hard, passes well, and is an all-around team player. His goal is to be scouted and play professionally—that is why he needs to get his school's team into the Schools' World Cup National Soccer Tournament. His skills are tested when an on-field fight gets him kicked off the team, putting him in danger of missing the World Cup Qualifier in Dublin. Noah is lucky to have the support of his brainy friend Steve, and together they come up with a great solution. They decide to create a new team and play for St. Mary's School for Girls. The new team consists of a band of pals, some friends, Noah's archenemy Kevin McCooley, and a show-off girl named Maggie O'Connell. These teammates become unlikely friends who have a good shot at winning. For Noah, success also means getting his dad (who had to go to Australia to find work) back home so they can be a family again and proving to himself that he is the Mighty Dynamo, a term of endearment his late mom used for him. The writing is funny and characters well-developed.