Soccerland by Beth Choat

Flora's life revolves around soccer. It's one of the only things that she enjoys doing. Not only is soccer Flora's dream but it's also her escape. It helps her forget everything stressful going on in her life such as her mother's cancer. The stress of trying to get into the Under-15 U.S.A. Girls' Soccer Team is really getting to Flora. Soon all of her time is spent practicing and practicing to hopefully get into the team. But when disaster strikes, will Flora have the strength and motivation to continue pursuing her dream?

You don't need to understand much about soccer before you read this book. The story explains any important soccer terms. That helps the reader connect to story even if they have no previous about soccer. The ending was realistic and is by far the best part of the book. It wasn't cheesy or impractical but it was honest and motivating. Although it wasn't really a happy ending, it was powerful and optimistic. The ending was also open to the reader to decide how they would like it to end. Overall, this was a very sweet story with an inspiring plot.

Flora is a modern day hero. She is very easy to connect to. Even though she is a very serious soccer player and it is a huge part of her life, her experiences make her relatable to almost anyone. She is determined and knows how to balance her time and energy. She battles stress, pressure and insecurities and overcomes them. Flora grew so much during the story and is worth paying close attention to.