The Academy II: The Journey Continues

The Academy #2

by T.Z. Layton

Leo K. Doyle, a small-town kid from Ohio, has beaten all the odds and made the roster of a Premier League youth squad. But he is far from the star player. In fact, he isn't even a starter-and the U14 Lewisham Knights are the worst team in the league. They're so bad that if they don't improve this year, the owner will disband the team, which could jeopardize Leo's dream of becoming a professional soccer player. As if that wasn't enough to deal with, Leo also has to keep up his schoolwork, make brand new friends in a foreign country, deal with a coach who doesn't seem to like him, and survive away from home for a demanding season in the Youth Premier League. Leo believes he has the talent to help his team, but can he juggle all these balls and prove himself on the world's biggest soccer stage?

Genres: Sports, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade

294 pages, Paperback

Published May 6, 2023

About the author

T.Z. Layton is the award-winning author of the bestselling Academy series, which has been translated into multiple languages and optioned for film. The author is also a soccer dad, youth coach, referee, former collegiate player, and lifelong fan of the beautiful game.

To stay up to date on the Academy series and other stories by T.Z. Layton, it’s best to visit his website (tzlaytonbooks.com) and join his newsletter.

Reviews

[Anna Mediuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Academy" я прочитала спонтанно, і, чесно кажучи, навіть не очікувала, що вона справить таке враження.

Головний герой, Лео, розкривається не лише як талановитий футболіст, але й як людина, що переживає складні емоційні моменти та боротьбу із собою. Книга написана у вигляді щоденника, що ще цікавіше.

Мене вразила не тільки атмосфера змагань, але й особистісний розвиток Лео, його боротьба за свою мрію і сила волі, які допомагають йому долати труднощі. Читати про це було неймовірно цікаво, хоча я й не є фанатом спорту, а тим більше футболу. Ця книга змусила мене переосмислити своє ставлення до спорту (тепер я футбольний фанат :)) і зрозуміти, як важливо вірити в себе, долати перешкоди і йти до своєї мети.

Я сміялася, хвилювалася, переживала за кожен момент на полі разом з Лео. Незважаючи на те, що це книга для молодших читачів.

[Paddy Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was one that was a mix. It has a boy named Leo, that is continuing his journey as a U14 premier league soccer player. He just finished at the dragons summer camp and is now moving on to being a Knight. When Leo leaves, he is met with his old coach who has now moved to being assistant coach of the Knights. On the first couple days of being at the Knights, he knew things would be different. His coach played soccer old school. As the season got on the more tougher things got. Him and his teammates try to make the coach be more creative, while also going to school, and moving up in rank. Will the coach leave and will they won’t move up? Or will the coach leave and they will move up?

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 9 year old son loves the series.
Finished book 1 in a few days, couldn't put it down.
Took a little longer with book 2 as he was preoccupied with vacation activities, but as soon as he finished he went back and started reading it again.
An avid football player himself, he loves the description of the games and training sessions.
He's really looking forward to book 3

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still loving this series - read this aloud to my son and he was pumping his fists and loving all the game play(that I didn’t understand in the slightest), but also really empathizing in the losses as well. This book does a great job of showing loss and perseverance but without it just being a happy fairy tale ending - it is all very realistic. We’ve already started the 3rd book! Go Knights!!

[Frankie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first book and it was my all time favorite book ever and this one is also really good

[William Jimenez · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re into soccer stories about sports and growing up, this book is worth checking out. It is the second book of the series and continues the story of Leo, a 13-year-old soccer player from Ohio who is training in England with a super competitive youth team. This time around, Leo’s team, the Lewisham Knights, is at the bottom of the league standings. If this team doesn’t perform well, they are going to shut the academy down for good, so they need to step it up. This could also jeopardize Leo’s chance at becoming a professional soccer player. So there is a lot more pressure this time around compared to the last book. Leo has to deal with tough training, drama with teammates, being far from home, and trying to prove that he belongs there. It’s not just about winning games but also being able to handle everything that life throws at you. What I liked most was how real it feels. The soccer matches are intense, and you almost feel like you’re in the stands watching this happen in real-time. The author does a great job of showing the pressure of competitive sports, but also how important teamwork and leadership are. Leo starts to grow as a person in this book, and not just as an athlete. Overall, I thought this book was a very good read. It’s exciting and emotional at the same time. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes sports books, especially if you play soccer and know what it’s like to be on a team. It’s written for middle schoolers, but even as a high schooler, I enjoyed the book and found it very interesting. Plus, it’s a very quick read. Best for ages 10-14, and I would rate this book 4.5/5 stars.

[Jenn Ausbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son and I are loving this series

I have been reading the Academy series with my 8-year old son, and we have both loved following Leo's story. The characters were fun to get to know, the competition was entertaining, and the growth Leo experiences along the way prompted numerous conversations with my son. We also personally connected with Leo's emotions related to the anniversary of the death of his mother to cancer. I was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple years ago and just finished my cancer treatments less than a year ago, so my son could connect to Leo and his loss--and reading this part of the story was an unexpected but cathartic experience for us. We cried together and grieved for Leo, but we also were keenly reminded how blessed we are that I am a survivor. We can't wait to start the next book in the series.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I continue to be shocked that this series is not extremely widely known and read. There are so many soccer playing kids out there! The author wonderfully depicts the ups and downs of striving for success in sports, on teams, and in life. Here Leo is on a Development team, dealing with a coach and system that challenges him, and a wide cast of characters. My kid and I read this togethers, and I loved seeing how he got sucked into the story - there is a lot of growth mindset in here, and learning to lead as part of a team, rather then striving to be 'up front'.

Definitely start with the first book. But if your 7-14 year old plays soccer, you are missing out by not reading this book! Certainly we will be reading the next in the series.

[Meg Kyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is a hit in our house. My kids love soccer and our whole family has gotten into this series. I even listen/read it when my kids aren't around. I love how the characters carried over from the first series. One unlikable character in the beginning of the first book, Brock, is one of my favorite characters. I like that a 10 year old can read this book and see "oh a kid can be mean, but can also be nice and grow as a person." It does not pigeon whole characters as mean kid, nice one, smart one, etc. Each player has multiple traits/characteristics. I wish the little sis would get a bigger story line, but I get it, it's not about her. I can't wait to see how the main character, Leo Doyle. develops through the series.

[Christopher Ketelaars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picking up where the first book leaves off, Layton keeps young and old readers a like entertained in another exciting tale of youth academy football.
Though I read the first book before my son, he quickly powered through books 3, 4 and 5 leaving me to play catch up. He couldn’t wait for me to finish and was careful to avoid spoilers 😊

Any book that has kids this excited to read is 5 stars in my book. When that same book has adults looking forward to the next book too … it’s a double winner!

[Isaias Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Academy II: The Journey Continues by T.Z. Layton is the second book in The Academy series who was scouted from the London Dragons knockout tournament to see whether you were in the Dragons Premier League. Leo joins the U14 Lewisham Knights who are major rivals to the Dragons. Leo struggles to find his rhythm on the worst team in the league, dealing with a difficult coach, new teammates, and the pressure to improve or risk the team being disbanded, all while trying to keep up with school and his dream of becoming a professional player.

[Elayne Edmonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 10 year old and I just finished this book tonight. He is not normally interested in reading so we read together at night but we were so into this book (and the first in the series) that he asked to read during the day too. It was very exciting and filled with lots of soccer related tidbits to keep my soccer-obsessed boy very interested. He would even get up and and show me examples of the moves and tricks they mentioned. We are hoping a third book comes out at some point!!

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

As soon as I finished the first volume in this series, I jumped into the second. And I predict middle grade sports fans will want to do the same. I liked it slightly less than the first, probably because I wasn't caught by surprise at how good the book was. I still read through the night to finish it and actually plan to read the rest of the series: high praise from me for a middle grade sports novel.

Review based on a DRC received through Edelweiss+.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 11 year old son loved this book. He loves soccer so these are the best books to read together. We are working our way through the series, and onto book 3 now. Highly recommended for a sporty athletic type of kid that loves imagining themselves living away from their family and playing on a high level team.

[Shannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another five star rating for the second book in this series. My 6th grader and I finished this one tonight and enjoyed this continuation just as much as the first book. We ended our chapters with lots of him begging for just one more. Highly recommend this series for older elementary and younger middle schoolers who enjoy soccer. Really well done!

[Hannah Weise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books! I'm reading this series to my oldest and he is so engaged! He is actually excited to read (even though it's me reading, he's working on comprehending). Please don't stop writing these!!! Such a fun way to help me bond with him, something special we have together ❤️

[Sarah Lauder · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Academy II

This book was awesome. After having a rough start to their season with the help of Samantha they turned their season around. There was goods and bads for love and his team and they do things and feel things like any normal kid does.

[NIAM Kapadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was awesome I loved the ending

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

We enjoyed it. Very soccer heavy but a good story about leadership and perseverance with humor too!

[Maura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as the first one! Can’t wait for the third

[Gavriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

totally amazing

I loved it. i’m generally very picky about my books, but I love this one. You like soccer and reading. This is the book for you.

[Robert Gluck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the first book. Lacked the emotional depth and interpersonal complexities of that one. But still nicely done and well worth reading.

[Deepti · Rating 5 out of 5]

The adventure continues in EPL trying to avoid being a bottom of table team

[M K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't get enough. Both son and father enjoyed Leo's journey.
Already ordered #3 in the series.

[Blackflyingdragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

[Eula Kozma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoying bookclubbing this series with my 5th grade soccer lover.

[Erin Zwier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pure fun. Reading along with nibling.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my soccer obsessed 9 year old. We enjoyed it just as much as the first book. We look forward to moving on to book 3.

[Leif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book read it 4 times it is so good you should read this book could not stop reading this book until I finished it

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 9 year old son and I love reading these books together. So many great life lessons! We started the third one last night.