Summer Kicks

The Soccer Series #1

by Simon Alder

For the team? Or for the glory?

Malcolm is a star striker, who’s ready to show off his skills in the premier summer league. When he finds out the winning team gets to practice with the Major League Soccer team, DC United, and Malcolm’s hero, Dwayne De Rosario, he’s determined to take his team to the top.

But things take a downward spiral when Malcolm gets stuck on the losing-est team in the league. His coach has them running pointless drills instead of playing, he gets tricked into making a super-embarrassing bet with the league bully, and his goalie is…a girl!

Can Malcolm take his team from zeros-to-heroes in time to secure the league championship and win a once-in-a-lifetime chance to practice with his hero, or will he end up tip-toeing around the stadium in a tutu?

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 5, 2012

About the author

Born in England, Simon Alder grew up moving frequently with his politically active parents. The two things that kept him grounded and confident were books and soccer. After a brief career in the technology field Simon decided that combining his life's passions was the true path to happiness and success. Simon has published Summer Kicks and Strike Back through Lechner Syndications, with the next release already under way. He looks forward to the day when his 18 month old son will be able to read The Soccer Series. Simon and his family live on an organic farm in Berkshire region of western Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Summer Kicks" was a great read for me, and one that I'll certainly be recommending to my 11 year old son, Dominic, who isn't a soccer player, but would still love the story of a potentially talented, but initially challenged, soccer team that needs to develop and grow their team spirit, leadership abilities, good sportsmanship, and humility before they'll have a shot at playing a coveted practice session with the world renowned DC United soccer team by winning the Tri County DC summer league finals. Malcolm, the team's most talented player, struggles with being chosen to play for a team that he sees as having far more potential than realized skill. He knows that he's better than his teammates, and is desperate to win the finals, especially after placing his ego on the line with a bet that might force him to run laps in a pink tutu in front of a laughing crowd of soccer fans if his team doesn't succeed. For Malcolm's team to win, they'll have to overcome their differences, learn to focus and hone their skills, and bring potential into reality through some serious hard work and determination.

My favorite aspect of this story was the great approach that it takes in relating to kids with an interest in sports while still qualifying as a great read for those with little or no sports background. As is often the case with young adult material, this read would be equally enjoyable for most adults, and it's very well written, well put together, and an excellent display of Simon Alder's storytelling skill in this genre. I personally didn't know much about soccer coming into this read, but the book explained enough for me to catch on to the game's main principles while enjoying a good story of real human trials, failures, and successes, and humor. Without a doubt, I was rooting for Malcolm's team to win by the end, and though I won't spoil the outcome, I'll only say that it was a more than worthwhile read.

The things I didn't like turned out to be a very short list - again, the book is very well written, approaches a broad audience, and tells a great story, so there isn't much to criticize here. If I had to pick a negative, however, it would be in the rapid introduction to soccer terminology and players, all of which were just a bit difficult to keep up with at first. Once I realized who was who and how the game worked exactly (again, I'm a soccer newbie, so please forgive the lack of understanding here), this truly was an enjoyable read that came in handy on a nice cozy evening of R, R, &R (Rest, Reading, & Relaxation).

Summer Kicks earns a strong 4.8 stars in my estimation, and I'm looking forward to hearing my son's opinion of it as well; personally, I think he'll be much of the same opinion.

Thanks for a great read!

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Summer Kicks” by Simon Alder is the first of a series of books for eight to twelve-year-olds who are beginning to play soccer on a competitive level. Rather than being a dry “this is how you play the game” book, Alder has put together a story full of action that emphasizes the basics and shows the results of faithful application as the characters in the book learn and apply what they're taught.

Malcolm Nescot has dreams of becoming a professional soccer player. He knows he’s better than most, and he also is absolutely sure that he will be on the “best” team chosen at tryouts. However, things don’t go quite the way Malcolm has them planned, and he finds himself on a team that to his way of thinking are just losers. And one of them is -- a girl!

How Malcolm and the rest of his team, the Animals, learn to work together, applying the skills they hone in practice, makes for a story line that carries the team through a summer of hard work and play that helps each player toward the goal of achieving the necessary physical and emotional prowess he or she needs.

“Summer Kicks” shows good potential for a series that young readers will enjoy for the action packed story, and also benefit greatly from the practical lessons folded into each character’s experience.