Meet Vee Merino. More than anything else, Vee loves being part of the team, setting up crosses and taking shots with the other Bombers players. But she's the only girl on the Bombers who lives in a different town and attends a different school. These days it doesn't take much for her to feel like an outsider.
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Andrea Montalbano is an author, journalist, mother and coach.
She grew up on a soccer field in Miami and continued to play through college, acting as captain for her Harvard University soccer team and eventually being inducted into the Harvard Varsity Club Hall of Fame.
After college, Andrea pursued a career in journalism, attending Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. She was an English anchor at Vatican Radio, and then enjoyed a long career at NBC News as a writer, producer and Supervising Producer for NBC News’ TODAY program.
Andrea left broadcast journalism to write books and authored “Breakaway” in 2010. Determined to create a series for girls, she spent the next few years writing the “Soccer Sisters” novels – “Out of Bounds,” “Caught Offside,” and “One on One,” which will be published in Spring 2018 – as well as branching out into philanthropic efforts with organizations such as Coaches Across Continents. She launched the #playitforwardproject in 2017, challenging young athletes to share acts of kindness on social media and demonstrate how to take the positive lessons learned on the field with them into daily life.
Andrea has also continued her love of coaching by taking the helm of her daughter’s soccer team, and by coaching her son. She lives in New York with her husband and two children.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I think readers of all ages can appreciate the issues Vee experiences. As the child of immigrant parents, it was very refreshing to read a story that realistically portrayed the struggle between feeling different around your friends while also enjoying and being proud of your culture. I’m glad Andrea Montalbano was able to incorporate these concerns so seamlessly into Vee’s story. The book also presents readers with many female characters, all of whom have very distinct personalities, and does so without falling into clichés. The Bomber girls are all committed to soccer and through all their different reactions to the upcoming school dance, all the girls avoid being pigeonholed into a “tomboy” role. The positive female friendships as well as the strong father-daughter relationship were two other excellent aspects of the story. I loved the subplot involving Vee and Tabitha’s brother, which was adorable and made for a great ending.
This is another fun soccer book by Andrea Montalbano with a great message. Vee gets caught up in a tough scenario that has one of her teammates telling her she doesn't belong. She believes all the hurtful things she's told, and begins to doubt herself. Once her father convinces her to follow her heart and talk to her best friend, she realizes everything is going to be ok.
As a parent, I like how the story explores the mean things girls can say and how girls take everything to heart. I think some of the worst bullying I see is done with words. This book shows that you shouldn't put up with it, get away with it, or keep it all to yourself.
Andrea Montalbano is a talented writer who speaks in a real voice to young girls about friendship, loyalty and life. My nine year-old daughter and I could hardly wait for the next volume of the Soccer Sisters series to come out and it did not disappoint! The characters are so relatable, the pace of the narrative is addictive and the sports scenes are really fun to read! We just bought five copies to give to friends with summer birthdays. We heartily recommend this book!
Love this series more and more as each new book comes out! The Soccer Sisters have the kindness, maturity, and sensibility I wished I had known at that age. Great role models for every young girl, especially middle-school aged.
I LOVE the Soccer Sisters Series! Strong female characters who struggle like the rest of us...But help each other pull it together and move forward...Just like sisters do...especially if they are soccer sisters.
Vee lives away from the rest of the team and goes to a different school.
When one of the team members hints that Vee is no longer welcome on the team, Vee has to take a hard look at herself and her family situation.
When she decides she wants to stay with the team no matter what she will need to re-evaluate the soccer sister code...can she keep it on the field?
This would be a perfect series to read during summer break! SO GOOD!
(what a fabulous series for girls...I love the idea of them reading it as a team or class and having a "book club" type expierience...while we are bombarded with pretty little liar type books this is the antithesis ...female empowerment is not about bashing others rather lifting ourselves up...being part of a team teaches how to think of the group not just the self.
Caught Offside will be a hit with the middle school audience. This is the kind of story I would have been drawn to as a young reader. I love that the author includes book club questions in the back. I received a free ARC from netgalley.
wonderful Book loved the soccer theme. We have a lot of soccer fans at our school so they enjoyed listening to me read it to them. Thank You so much we will be purchasing your next book. Yours, Ruth Wersal
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The story is about a couple, Jennifer Cavilleri and Oliver Barret. They meet at the university and they fall in love. Their romance goes on and they meet their parents. Oliver’s parents are rich and Jennifer’s father is poor but Oliver doesn’t mind.
Soccer Sisters is a great book series for young girls and Vee Caught Offside is the latest and greatest. Real characters and soccer action scenes, good story, great lessons. Makes a fun gift for birthday party giveaways!