Kickoff

by Donna King

Tyra Fraser hates her life. A family move from sunny Florida to an army base in the cold north of England leaves her lonely and angry. Outgoing Tyra hopes to fit in by playing soccer for the school team, but the girls' team is terrible, and the coach is too focused on the boys' team to do anything about it. Tyra wants to turn things around, but before she can do that, she has to get her teammates to take her advice--and they won't even talk to her!

Genres: Sports, Realistic Fiction, Soccer, Young Adult, Fiction

158 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2007

About the author

Donna King is a pen name for best-selling author Jenny Oldfield.

Jenny was born and brought up in Harrogate, Yorkshire, she says that even as a child she wrote stories and made tiny books, complete with illustrations. At school her favourite subjects were English, although she preferred creative writing to comprehension, and Art.

Jenny went on to study English at Birmingham University, where she did research on the Bronte novels and on children’s literature. She has worked in a food shop, delivered newspapers, been an auxiliary nurse in a children's hospital, cleaned houses and taught English in schools, colleges, and a men's prison. She has also taught modern dance.

She writes novels for both children and adults and, when she can escape from her desk, likes to spend time outdoors. Jenny still lives in Yorkshire and says that she loves the countryside and enjoys walking, gardening, playing tennis, riding and travelling with her two daughters, Kate and Eve

Reviews

[Taylor]

Kickoff is an amazing realistic fiction book, written by Jenny Oldfield who goes by the pen name of Donna King. Donna King was born in Ferrybridge, Yorkshire.
The story takes place in Raimy Fernbridge, Yorkshire, England. The main character is Tyra Fraser outgoing, determined, and loves soccer. Tyra faces many challenges throughout the story for example she has a special ed sister, and her soccer team won’t accept her. My Favorite chacter is Tyra becaueshe loves soccer and never changes to fit in. She remains true to her character.
Donna King does an excellent job making Tyra and her family realistic and relatable. Her sister’s special needs consumes most of her parents time and aren’t always able to come to games. King makes you feel like you are right there.
I loved the book Donna King has really good discription.My favorite part is when Tyra gets the captian arm band. It shows har work really does pay off.
I would recomend the book to anyone who loves soccer. Donna King does a really good job protraying the characters that it is not completely important though.

[InkBitten · Rating 2 out of 5]

Judged by the Cover: It is bugging me but…it’s okay

The cover for Kickoff was well…a soccer ball… That is about it, sure it has “meaning to the story, but really couldn’t have been a little more creative.

What’s up?

Kickoff is about Tyra Fraser who used to live in Tampa (in the U.S) and had to move to the U.K because of her Dad’s job (He’s in the military!). She’s really into soccer, but she has to deal with a new school having no friends and a sister who is ADD and autistic. Alica (who expects to be soccer captain), is on the soccer team Tyra joins (and receives the captain position) , decides after losing the captain position to Tyra means that she has to make Tyra’s life even more miserable then before.


Character: Sure…I guess

Tyra was a generally nice person; I liked her character a lot. If I was ever to see her in real life I would probably hang out with her. But even considering how much I like soccer her love for the game was quite obsessive.


Romance: Not Applicable

There is litterly NO guy for you to crush on in Kickoff!!!! In bugged me to no end, the book (to my knowledge) never even told me what grade she was in. Anyone else slightly bugged by that?


Bonus Features: Soccer

I like soccer; in fact it is one of the only sports I play. You know comepettivly. The way Tyra played one of my favorite sports livened up the novel.


UK forever!!!

I like books being placed in the UK because all the big books take place in the U.S (at least all the books I read), either in the past or the present.


Final Thoughts: Kinda like a T.V dinner


I would recommended this novel to pretty much anyone who likes soccer and a really short read (153 pg’s= I finished it in 2 hrs), although I did find this and insanely easy read, I think it could have belonged to the children’s section. Although I would recommend this to soccer lover’s I wouldn’t tell any of my fellow reviewer to read it. It was way too short, I say it could have added I don’t know….about 10 times more detail! If one thing annoyed me more it would be the frequent use of!!!!, it was really annoying…

[Sofia · Rating 2 out of 5]

perfect book! just kidding i didnt really liked it!

[Jimmy Tang · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my kind of books that is able to be reread over and over with the same amount of joy as before is Kickoff by Donna King. The best part about this book is that it's written in a way that makes you feel like you're living the life of the main character Tyra. I'm able to relate to Tyra in various if not every obstacle she encounters throughout the book. Not only that, but also it's written about soccer. The minute I saw the typical black and white soccer ball on the cover, I just knew that I was going to love this book. Tyra experiences a struggle after having moved to England because of her dad's military service. She overcomes this through soccer and is able to rebuild her life through soccer. The idea of having something you love and enjoy as much as Tyra enjoys soccer continuously pops up throughout the book. King is able to wrap everything up with the idea that even though your life may be trash at the time, you can find your way through something you love. It's kind of like an old quote I heard: "Do what you love, and the money will follow."

The book jumps right in on the first page with a conversation between Tyra and and best friend Lacey through email. Right away you get the essence and begin to follow up that Tyra absolutely hates her life. "From your totally, 110 percent miserable best friend," she tells Lacey. Every single line seems to be another remark at how terrible it is in England where she just moved (as I said before). "Oh you don't even know how much I miss Florida," and "England stinks!" Tyra even goes as far as blaming her dad for having to be an army Sergeant and claiming that Lacey was far luckier. Even the essence of getting to know Tyra on a personal scale comes right at the beginning, there's no holding the gun, we jump right in! The first few lines are just lovely to me, "Hey, Lacey, How you doing, babe? How's Tampa Bay without me? How's the beach? And have you been down to the mall today? Did you check out the guys like we usually do--or like we usually did, should I say?" With just that, I pretty much know what my girl Tyra is like: mall, beach, boys -- typical girl. The first line of her email makes me laugh, it's great seeing the word "babe." These two chicks are obviously the grandest of friends, and also, babe shows that they have a pretty crazy relationship, along with personalities.

In addition to that, right at the beginning we have a problem. What better way to get to know someone then watch them struggle with an obstacle? Look at their strength, determination, will, creativeness, ability to make the best of the situation, there's so much that comes out of having to go up against something. First problem: judgy people, "staring at Tyra and, by the scornful looks on their faces, giving her seriously low marks out of ten." Wow, rough start to your day would you say? First day to school and everyone's already being judgy. It's no wonder Tyra felt self conscious about the way she wore her tie (school uniforms, it's England, who would've guessed?). First thing she notices is that the girls wear theirs looser to show the top button of their shirt, so she does the same not wanting to stand out. Talk about making a connection with a character. I know exactly what that feels like, every chance to stand out that you knock down is one step closer to a better day. But looking at it another way, you can see that Tyra knows how to be in considering how she's taking the precautions and knows how to blend with everyone else. From this, I can tell she cares about her social status. The first thing that pops into my mind when I see that everyone is judging her, mainly because she's American, is how is she going to make friends!? But soon enough, during the lunch period when all the kids are all outside there's something that catches Tyra's ear that shows a beautiful side of her:

"Mikey Swales has got the hots for you Alicia!'
'No way!'
'He does. He told me!'
'When?'
'At morning break. He asked me to tell you.'

. . .

'Anyway, Emma, you can tell Mikey that I'm not interested,' Alicia scoffed. 'I wouldn't be seen dead with a weedy little geek like him.'

Tyra winced. Poor Mikey!

To be honest, this moment struck me as a shock right away. I mean, I was not expecting a sympathetic or sentimental remark from Tyra. The typical girl with a little bit of an ego did not seem to be as typical as I thought. She has heart! I thought to myself. This made me smile, I knew Tyra was going to go down a good road at this point. The tides were turned, Alicia is a popular girl who absolutely hates Tyra but her downfall is her meanness. Tyra's sympathy for others will go a long way for sure to make her the better candidate for a friend compared to Alicia. The girls around even disagreed with Alicia for being mean to Mikey, only one was confident enough to stand up to her.

In the end after having endured multiple conflicts with Alicia. Alicia's cruel personality ended up getting the best of her. The moment she chose to make a deal with her cousin Tammi to hurt Tyra's ankle was when she messed up. Soccer gave a chance for Tyra to finally rise up against Alicia. Alicia's meanness and Tyra's kindness were the weapons, and the soccer field was the battle ground. The truth came out when one of Alicia's friends, a girl named Emma, decided to spill the beans and tell Tyra what Alicia had planned. Tyra didn't make too big of a deal about it, but simply confronted Alicia who wound up making a bigger deal out of it than it really was. From there on everyone knew Alicia's true identity and saw her differently, while they felt sorry for the way they had treated Tyra before.

The two rivals ended up growing close as Tyra started to understand Alicia. Alicia only feared Tyra would replace her. She had also had a rough life since her mom abandoned their family which gave room for a new lady to step in. Together the two now friends took their school soccer team to the top. Through soccer Tyra found friendship, growth, and acceptance for her new environment. The book Kickoff expresses the life of a middle school girl as if I had watched her live through her own eyes.

[Madelyn Croft · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story Kickoff is about a girl, Tyra, who recently moved and had to go to a new school with new people. She had a hard time adjusting at first but then she found out about a girls soccer team and found her joy again. But would an injury prevent Tyra from playing in the tournament? She wanted so badly to play and she wanted to stay in England and didn't want to go back to Florida anymore. I give this book 4 stars because the plot and sentence structure is complex and gives details. The words paint a picture in the reader's mind. The language is appropriate for a third or fourth grade reader.

[Louis Zhang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I am not very into sports, this was still a fantastic and entertaining read. This book focuses on a girl who moves to the UK, and I can relate as I have gone through the exact same thing 3 times (with different countries). I would imagine this book to bring awareness to bullying and selflessness and it does a decent job at it. However, this book was a bit childish and I wouldn't recommend this book to an older audience. Nonetheless, this book was still a good grab and if you can handle some childishness then you won't regret reading this book.

[Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

A family move from sunny Florida to England leaves her lonely and angry. Outgoing Tyra hopes to fit in by playing soccer for the school team, but the girls team is terrible and the coach is too focused on the boys' team.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book because it shows you about team spirit and always believing that you can acheive your goal and I loved that they had a girl soccer team and not a boy's team

[El · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a girl called Tyra, she hates her life. She is on the team Tampa Bay Butterflies in Florida, as a midfield attacker with her best friend Lacey as the team's other mid attacker. Tyra has a great team because they won the cup in their league. When Tyra has a family move from sunny Florida to an army base in the cold north of England, this changes her life. She starts a new school and tries out for their team. The girls' team hasn't won a single game in years! The girls' team is terrible, and the coach is too focused on the boys' team to do anything about it. She wants to help but, to make things worse, she has to get her teammates to take her advice, and they won't even talk to her! What will she do? Will she make the team? Will she ever go back to Florida? Find out more when you read the book Kickoff.

[Maggie Fouberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tyra Fraser's dad is in the military. That means moving alot, their latest move was from sunny Florida where Tyra's best friend lives, where she was star of the soccer team, and where she was happy, to cold rainy England where all the girls hate her and where her possibly autistic little sister is going crazy. The only uplook for Tyra is soccer, the coach is really nice and can see the talent in her when everyone else just thinks she's a know-it-all showoff. Tyra's one friend in England is the goalie for their soccer team, Molly.
The girls soccer team has spent a season with no coach, the school only had one and he spent all his time with the boy's team. One of the new teachers at the school soon soon gets roped into coaching them. He takes it very seriously, conditioning drills, dribbling drills, shooting drills, tackling drills, any drills he can think of drills, every single day. But, it works their team is on a crazy winning streak. Tyra and her enemy/teamate have made the newspaper many times. Tyra's co-striker Alica is really jelous of Tyra and how skilled she is with a soccer ball. So jelous she makes her cousin on the oposing team purposly injure Tyra. They are just starting the second half when Alica's cousin takes her strike, not at the ball, at Tyra. And she goes down, HARD! Tyra has sprained her ankle, it is swollen up to the size of a tennis ball and just perfect timing too, they are only a couple weeks away from the England Schools Cup. The Championship game is played on Manchester United grounds.
Alica then thinks she can go ahead and lead the team herself again, like she did before Tyra showed up. But she thinks wrong, the coach knows somthing is up, but he just keeps going along with practice as usual. Luckly Tyra's dad has connections at the army base and can get her into a good physical theripest. With the help of the phys therpy Tyra gets back to practice just intime to play in the Schools Cup. Tyra and Alica head up the attack and win every game up to the championships the time has come to play, to show everyone in the stands what they can do, and the show them allright the win the championships and get to hoist the trophy up together.
I really liked this book and would recomend it to anyone in soccer or intrested in the sport. It was a really good book and I would like to read more books by this author. Yes i would recomend this book to others.

[Erin Behr · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book Kickoff by Donna king is about a girl named Tyra Fraser whose world was just turned upside down. Moving from sunny Florida to rainy England means that Tyra has to deal with a new school, no friends, an annoying little sister who has major issues. The only thing that seems to cheer Tyra up is the schools soccer team-who hasn’t won a game in years! With a new coach and Tyra’s amazing soccer skills, means that the Fernbridge girls finally have a chance to win a game. But one of Tyra’s teammates is determined to stop her from scoring-no matter what she has to do.

Although the book Kickoff had an interesting story, it was hard for me to really want to keep reading the book. As the reader, I knew what was going to happen next and I expected the author to put and interesting twist on the book. I wanted the author to keep me on the edge of my seat. I had to force my self to read the book so that I could finish my book report on time.

Not only did the author fail to keep me on the edge of my seat, but she also failed to write how Tyra (who is in seventh grade) might act. She had Tyra’s character act like she was a grown woman and do every thing perfect. Tyra would constantly hold back on doing something even when a normal seventh grade girl would not hold back. Like when Tyra’s least favorite person in the world, Alicia, would put Tyra down, Tyra would just say nothing. A normal seventh grade girl would stick up for herself.

Something that really made the book worse, even though it was my fault, was that I got confused with what the writer was trying to say. I was reading another book at the same time I was reading kickoff that was written in third person. Kickoff is written in first person so I always thought that the narrator was Tyra. I would suggest not reading another book that is written in third person at the same time you read Kickoff.

Overall, I would not suggest this book to anybody. I was very disappointed in the way the author wrote the book, the characters, and the actions that the characters make.

[Jalil Lewis]

The tittle of this book is Kickoff by Donna King.I like this book because its a nice book about soccer and i like how the kids that play are so determinant to do there best every game and practice they practice so hard every day.The setting is like a boy that moves somewhere else and he loves to play soccer with his friends but in this new state he doesn't know if the new soccer team he plays for will be good.The conflicts of this story are when the two teammates get in a little fight and they don't want to talk to each other and they want to be selfish to each other the whole entire game.I only recommend this book to people that love soccer and that enjoys What I think about this story is it was really good because I don't really like soccer but it was a good book to be a soccer book because my favorite sport is football and the soccer book was almost like a football book because they were playing very aggressive like they were tripping tackling and when the boy moved away from his state that he already lived in and his soccer team was very good but when he came to the new state the new state he didn't want to move because his soccer team was having a good season and he didn't now if he the new soccer team would be good or even if would be able to find a new soccer team when he found the new soccer team they learnt very good but they came a long in the season and came together as one and became a pretty good soccer team and had a pretty good season.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tyra is like any regular tween aged girl who has to move away from where she was comfortable living. The book Kick-Off is written by Donna King. Tyra was living in the bright sunny weather of Florida! She had to move to the UK because her dad is in the military. When she gets there she will get a very rude awakening. Then she finds out that the girls in the schools want to have a soccer team! Tyra used to play soccer back home in Florida. When Angelica (a teammate) is mad because Tyra becomes captain and not her, Angelica calls in for some back up!
I liked how the author kept me wanting to read more by leaving me hanging at the end of chapters. She made me think and feel like I was there in the book. My favorite part of the book was the ending, but I’m not going to tell you because I don’t want to give it away! Overall I like the book because I could relate to Tyra being good at a sport and having someone not like me because of it. For example, Tyra was constantly scoring goals and the other girls weren’t. It made Angelica feel embarrassed because she wasn’t as good a player. I give this book 5 stars. Anyone who likes sports will enjoy reading this book.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com

Tyra's an Army brat, and her father has been relocated to England. Now she's leaving her best friend behind and must start over again.

On the first day of school, she meets Alicia. Instantaneously, Alicia feels threatened and uses her popularity to make Tyra miserable.

When she hears about the school soccer team, Tyra perks up. She thinks it might be a way to fit in. Unfortunately, Alicia was the star of last year's team. But as the season goes on, it's clear that was last year, and this year, Tyra is shinning. Can two stars be on the same team?

The tension of the book comes on the soccer field between the two fighting stars. They're winning without using teamwork, but as they encounter better teams they need to start working together. With a championship at stake, can the rivalry between Alicia and Tyra take a backseat to sports?

Once again, Donna King takes an every day issue and uses it to highlight a sporting drama.

[Shriya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book certainly kicks off frm the beginning . The story starts with tampa bay butterfies star tyra fraser moving with her army officer dad , mom andher hyperactive kid sister shirelle from sunny california to gloomy london , fernbridge .Tyra finds it hard to adjust to her new life what with the uniforms , rules , the accent , the limelight stealing self absorbed alicia and posse , school was hard .The only thing tyra looked forward to was -soccer ....The girls team of fernbridge get a new coach Mr. Wheeler , when the football coach Mr.Grey concentrates on the boys alone ...Tyra`s immense talent threathens the limeligt hogging alicia who tries very hard to bring tyra down ..With the help of molly tyra forgets her initial approach which was that the team had no talent . When tyra is made captain alicia is hell angry .Now tyra has to not only face the opposing teams but she has to face opposition from her team too.This is an inspiration story which boosts confidence and tells us that sports is not a guy thing at all !!

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fun and interesting, and from it I learnt that when you commit to a team. It really changes your life and you then have to stick to it. On the first day of school there’s a girl called Alicia she acts like those mean girls in the movies. So always think twice about trying out for a team. With the team Tyra got trophies for her self and the team, and later on she got to play against good players. For Tyra she’s in a new school and she’s trying to fit in so soccer was a good opportunity. She was the team captain in her old soccer team. In the end Tyra’s Fraser move ended up being alright, because of her dad she had to move from Florida to England. She finds this annoying because in Florida it was nice sunny weather, and in Florida things got rough and weather wasn’t the best all the time.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read KICKOFF by Donna King. It is a book about a girl, Tyra who moved from Tampa Bay, Florida to England for her dad's work. She gets bullied at school by Alicia but is really good at soccer. Her soccer team needs to work together to win the season and tournament. But, Alicia is working against her team. They also have a new coach who is actually trying to help the team improve. Tyra thinks that with good coaching, the team can pull together and win. But will they be able to?

I liked this book because the main character was a girl and I really like soccer. Also, I have many friends that I can relate to the other characters in the book.

I recommend this book to people who like soccer and people who have just moved because it will be easy for them to relate to Tyra.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tyra Fraser's dad is in the army and has just been transferred from sunny Florida to rainy England. Tyra hates her new school and misses her best friend and her soccer team. Normally very friendly, Tyra is shocked when her new classmates take an instant dislike to her. She hopes to fit in by playing soccer for the school team, but the girls' team wasn't able to win a single game the previous year. To make matters worse, Alicia, a popular girl who hates Tyra is also on the team and is determined to sabotage Tyra at any cost.

Soccer fans will enjoy the fast-paced soccer action. I enjoyed a sports book featuring girls for a change.

[Ryann Yamaura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so amazing I read it for class and thought it was awesome! Donna King writes the perfect book! I don't even play soccer but I think it is a great book. The book helped me understand soccer even more and also had drama so it was the perfect book for me! It helped me more understand the sport that most of my friends play but I don't really know about it. I hope that there are more books like this so I can learn more about other books! I am so happy I read this book. I couldn't put it down. The only bad thing about this book is that it was really short. Other than that it was great!

[Liz W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great book. I rated it 4 out of 5 stars because I think it could have been a little better but it was really good. Anyway this book is about a girl named Tyra. Tyra just moved from sunny Florida to rainy England. Now she has to go to. New school with no friends. On the first day of school Tyra has meet a girl named Alicia and she isn't to bad but once soccer starts and Tyra takes the spotlight from Alicia Alicia gets mad. The new soccer coach is determined to get the team to work together. Will the team succeed with Alicia and Tyra fighting or will they not win a single game like last year?

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tyra Fraser moves from Florida to England with her father, mother and troubled, younger sister. Outsider,Tyra, and rival insider, Alicia, vie to be captain of the girls soccer team. Tyra leads the team to a winning season, eventually taking the Yorkshire Schools Cup. Along the way, Tyra must earn the respect of her teammates and overcome injuries inflicted on her by Alicia and her cousin. The story is a bit predictable, but features a main character with character who consistently takes the high road and shows that focus and good manners can still defeat hype and trash talk.

[Mashell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theme of soccer was very appealing to my kids. Braden said he would give it four stars. He didn't know I skipped over some parts like a few swear words and one junior-high flirtatious exchange of words. It wasn't anything too offensive; just shielding since the kids are younger than the book is written for. The fact that it was written about a girl playing soccer didn't seem to bother the boys at all. There was a theme of teamwork, friendship, understanding and compassion taught through the medium of soccer.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 When Tyra’s family moves from Florida to England, there are many changes but one thing that doesn’t change is Tyra’s love of soccer. She makes her new school’s team but is at odds with Alicia who constantly snubs Tyra. Tyra struggles to focus on the game, after she learns that her family might move back to Florida to get better care for her 5 year old sister (who has ADD and possibly Autism). Girls who like soccer will enjoy this book.

[feux d'artifice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the writing overly childish, the plot simplistic, and the characters a good imitation of cardboard figures. Nevertheless, I zoomed through this whole itty bitty MG novel because OMG FEMALE ATHLETES WHO ARE SERIOUS ABOUT SOCCER AND PLAY MATCHES AND TEAMWORK AND RIVALRY AND FRIENDSHIP YAYYYYY. I'm such a sucker for women's sports stories, you have NO IDEA. <3

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, short read. It is more of a middle-school book, but it was entertaining. There was, of course, some good lessons, like not giving up, etc. Tyra just moved to England and tries to fit in by joining the soccer team. However, one girl seems to have it in for her. Kickoff was good, not memorable though.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tyra has to move from sunny Florida to gloomy England.
All doesn't go well.
I recommend this to any soccer lover.
I really loved Tyra in this story because she doesn't change to fit in, being the only American at school.
This is a story of
dealing with problems, soccer, facing bullies, leadership, and hard work.

[Kristen Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The typicalness that is moving to a new country, where you have to deal with annoying weather, being socially outcasted, and family issues. This is how the character Tyra Fraser feels; all of us, at one point or another, can identify with this kind of discomfort. This story gives decent insight on how to attack changes that come at a person full speed ahead.

[Allen Johnson]

The book I read was Kickoff by Donna King. I liked the book because I like soccer. The main setting of the book was at Germany and the main characters are Tyra and Alica. The main conflict is that the two main characters don't like each other. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes soccer. I would recommend this because the people who like soccer should read this book.

[Arshia Zehra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just soooo AWESOME!!!........i really couldn't put the book down.....it was just sooo wonderful!.....Donna King is a great writer.....i am definitely looking forward to reading more novels written by her!..=)

[Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It could just be that I am more advanced for this book then it's target audience, but I got it when I was. I feel like there was only soccer and there was very little plot line, but hey that's just me. Overall it was worth my time.