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The Academy #1
The Academy
FROM THE PLAYGROUND TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE
#4 Bestseller in New Youth Soccer Books!
Born and raised in a small town, Leo K. Doyle has never seen the ocean or stepped foot on a plane. But Leo is a star soccer player with big dreams in life.
Rock-star, Olympic gold, dragon-slaying dreams.
While Leo longs to make the pros one day, he has no idea how to achieve this goal—
until a professional scout pays a chance visit to one of Leo’s games and extends an invitation to try out for the London Dragons youth squad, known as The Academy.
Leo is stunned. The London Dragons isn’t just any old soccer team. It’s a world-famous English Premier League team.
Soon Leo is off to a whole new country, embarking on the greatest adventure of his life. The downside? Only eleven players can make the team.
Eleven out of two hundred of the very best youth players on the planet.
Along with the grueling competition, Leo must also face a bully intent on torpedoing his summer, a roomie who doesn’t know how to have fun, a terrifying camp director, and, most of all, Leo’s own lack of formal training and the fear he’ll never succeed.
By the end of the summer, Leo will become a much better player and forever changed by his experience.
But will he be good enough to make the Academy?
#4 Bestseller in New Youth Soccer Books!
Born and raised in a small town, Leo K. Doyle has never seen the ocean or stepped foot on a plane. But Leo is a star soccer player with big dreams in life.
Rock-star, Olympic gold, dragon-slaying dreams.
While Leo longs to make the pros one day, he has no idea how to achieve this goal—
until a professional scout pays a chance visit to one of Leo’s games and extends an invitation to try out for the London Dragons youth squad, known as The Academy.
Leo is stunned. The London Dragons isn’t just any old soccer team. It’s a world-famous English Premier League team.
Soon Leo is off to a whole new country, embarking on the greatest adventure of his life. The downside? Only eleven players can make the team.
Eleven out of two hundred of the very best youth players on the planet.
Along with the grueling competition, Leo must also face a bully intent on torpedoing his summer, a roomie who doesn’t know how to have fun, a terrifying camp director, and, most of all, Leo’s own lack of formal training and the fear he’ll never succeed.
By the end of the summer, Leo will become a much better player and forever changed by his experience.
But will he be good enough to make the Academy?
306 pages, Hardcover
Published July 1, 2024
About the author
T.Z. Layton
9 books136 followersT.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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews
July 30, 2026
I loved this. My kids loved this. So much fun. Really a page turner. Great characters. My only gripe is a very unnecessary romance side plot.
September 19, 2022
It’s been quite a few years since I read a YA Sports novel, and many more than that since I read one as well-crafted and enjoyable as “The Academy.”
Besides being incredibly knowledgeable about football, (or soccer, for us North Americans) Layton sculptures the conflict and characters to create a beautiful flow of suspense. This entices us into the world of these young players as we empathize with their joys and disappointments.
Characters are varied and realistic, especially the hero, a young American boy out of his depth in an English professional soccer setting.
The story is filled out by a perfectly orchestrated secondary plot that gives us a love interest at enough distance that a twelve-year-old boy (the main audience for this kind of book) can enjoy it.
In fact, the author is too involved in his sport and allows his enthusiasm to overwhelm his sense of how much his readers will understand. While we are able to follow a lot of the on-field action, there are simply too many technical terms and fancy moves for us to keep track.
Likewise, there are too many secondary characters. The setting is a summer football academy where an MLS team vets possible up-and-coming players scouted from around the world. There are 200 players there, and it seems we are introduced to most of them, including their country of origin and their main playing strengths and weaknesses.
As the story moves along and Leo’s group forms, we get to know some of them. However, the play in the climactic games is described in play-by-play fashion. This gives us great detail, but there are too many unfamiliar names, and we sometimes can’t distinguish friend from foe. Fortunately, when we get to the final game, the focus is tightened, the cast list is pared down and the final action is completely clear.
An excellent story for YA sports fans of both genders, especially soccer players. Coaches might find it an interesting read from a developmental point of view. Well-written enough for adult enjoyment as well. Read it with your kid.
Besides being incredibly knowledgeable about football, (or soccer, for us North Americans) Layton sculptures the conflict and characters to create a beautiful flow of suspense. This entices us into the world of these young players as we empathize with their joys and disappointments.
Characters are varied and realistic, especially the hero, a young American boy out of his depth in an English professional soccer setting.
The story is filled out by a perfectly orchestrated secondary plot that gives us a love interest at enough distance that a twelve-year-old boy (the main audience for this kind of book) can enjoy it.
In fact, the author is too involved in his sport and allows his enthusiasm to overwhelm his sense of how much his readers will understand. While we are able to follow a lot of the on-field action, there are simply too many technical terms and fancy moves for us to keep track.
Likewise, there are too many secondary characters. The setting is a summer football academy where an MLS team vets possible up-and-coming players scouted from around the world. There are 200 players there, and it seems we are introduced to most of them, including their country of origin and their main playing strengths and weaknesses.
As the story moves along and Leo’s group forms, we get to know some of them. However, the play in the climactic games is described in play-by-play fashion. This gives us great detail, but there are too many unfamiliar names, and we sometimes can’t distinguish friend from foe. Fortunately, when we get to the final game, the focus is tightened, the cast list is pared down and the final action is completely clear.
An excellent story for YA sports fans of both genders, especially soccer players. Coaches might find it an interesting read from a developmental point of view. Well-written enough for adult enjoyment as well. Read it with your kid.
July 8, 2025
Awesome middle grade my 13 yo and I listened to on a long car trip. The main character Leo gets randomly recruited to go to a prestigious soccer camp after only playing ymca soccer and learning tricks on YouTube. My 13 yo doesn’t even play soccer and yet we were all in for this story about friendship, teamwork and believing in yourself.
August 24, 2026
It's a nice book and i like that Premier League a part is of the subject!
November 8, 2025
This book: The Academy was one of best books I have read for a while. The main character in the story: Leo, shows great personality, passion, kindness, and gratitude to be at the academy. When the book starts he gets a phone call from Phillip Niles, which is the enroller for the academy. He says yes and goes to the UK. When he gets there he meets his teammates and his coach for the summer. Everyday he practices he gets better but when he does scrimmages he feels out of place. When it comes for the big finale they compete against other teams to be in the professional league. Will Leo faces his fate by being eliminated or win the tournament and get into the professional league?
PS:This book I had mixed feelings about and in some parts it nearly made me cry or feel some kind of emotion.
PS:This book I had mixed feelings about and in some parts it nearly made me cry or feel some kind of emotion.
February 7, 2024
I read this to my oldest for his school book report. What a super cute, good book! So descriptive and relatable. My soccer loving son loved all of the mentions of the Premier League teams and players!
This is the first book that he was actually interested in and wanted to actually have me read to him all the way through!
Major win!
This is the first book that he was actually interested in and wanted to actually have me read to him all the way through!
Major win!
July 25, 2025
Previously self-published, Layton’s The Academy is being re-released by Sourcebooks and will hopefully be discovered by those who buy sports books, specifically soccer, for those in grades 4-7.
Leo, age 12, has played and loved soccer for much of his life and even without private instruction and only playing in recreational leagues, currently with a former basketball-playing dad of one of his teammates, his skills are noticed by a scout for Britain’s premier leagues youth training academy. He is sent to a summer program where only 11 out of 200 hopefuls will receive an invitation to attend The Academy, but upon arrival, discovers that while his instinctive form of play is impressive, he lacks important basic skills, is nowhere close to the top 11 and is surrounded by the best players from all over the world, all of them fighting for those few slots that may equal a professional soccer career.
Layton’s book is filled with play by play soccer action, training drills and an intensive program to guarantee that the most talented are selected for The Academy. Along with all that sports action are strong characters in Leo, coach Samantha, a U-21 player named Tig, roommate Robbie and several players who become Leo’s friends but at the same time, his rivals. There is a bully and his sidekick and a host of other named players who display wicked soccer skills. At first, all those names seemed to be too much, but it soon became clear this was a strategy to help readers feel the pressure of so many talented players and the feeling of being overwhelmed that threatens to derail Leo’s efforts to succeed. The play by play that is present during many of the practice matches is filled with authentic soccer jargon and it could be a distraction for those who are more armchair watchers of the game rather than active participants but context is rich and skipping a few terms will in no way hurt the understanding of the outcome of each match nor how well or how poorly Leo, his friends or the bullies performed. (I am one of those non-participants in the game!) There is a bit of romance and romance derailed between the older Coach Samantha and player Tig but no physical content included outside of hand-holding, hugs and one small kiss.
Sports themed fiction is in big demand by library patrons in the target age group and this one is sure to please many in that target age range of grades 4-7. At the time of this review, there are copies of self-published books 1 & 2 available from a variety of sources but Sourcebooks will be releasing their editions late summer/fall of 2025 and the books will have likely gone through some more professional revising and editing so I would advise checking on which version is being ordered. Text in the Sourcebooks version was free of all profanity and sexual content and the violence was limited to intense and physical play on the pitch/field and a few instances perpetrated by Brock the bully.
Thanks, Sourcebooks and Edelweiss for the eARC for this exciting new sports series!
Leo, age 12, has played and loved soccer for much of his life and even without private instruction and only playing in recreational leagues, currently with a former basketball-playing dad of one of his teammates, his skills are noticed by a scout for Britain’s premier leagues youth training academy. He is sent to a summer program where only 11 out of 200 hopefuls will receive an invitation to attend The Academy, but upon arrival, discovers that while his instinctive form of play is impressive, he lacks important basic skills, is nowhere close to the top 11 and is surrounded by the best players from all over the world, all of them fighting for those few slots that may equal a professional soccer career.
Layton’s book is filled with play by play soccer action, training drills and an intensive program to guarantee that the most talented are selected for The Academy. Along with all that sports action are strong characters in Leo, coach Samantha, a U-21 player named Tig, roommate Robbie and several players who become Leo’s friends but at the same time, his rivals. There is a bully and his sidekick and a host of other named players who display wicked soccer skills. At first, all those names seemed to be too much, but it soon became clear this was a strategy to help readers feel the pressure of so many talented players and the feeling of being overwhelmed that threatens to derail Leo’s efforts to succeed. The play by play that is present during many of the practice matches is filled with authentic soccer jargon and it could be a distraction for those who are more armchair watchers of the game rather than active participants but context is rich and skipping a few terms will in no way hurt the understanding of the outcome of each match nor how well or how poorly Leo, his friends or the bullies performed. (I am one of those non-participants in the game!) There is a bit of romance and romance derailed between the older Coach Samantha and player Tig but no physical content included outside of hand-holding, hugs and one small kiss.
Sports themed fiction is in big demand by library patrons in the target age group and this one is sure to please many in that target age range of grades 4-7. At the time of this review, there are copies of self-published books 1 & 2 available from a variety of sources but Sourcebooks will be releasing their editions late summer/fall of 2025 and the books will have likely gone through some more professional revising and editing so I would advise checking on which version is being ordered. Text in the Sourcebooks version was free of all profanity and sexual content and the violence was limited to intense and physical play on the pitch/field and a few instances perpetrated by Brock the bully.
Thanks, Sourcebooks and Edelweiss for the eARC for this exciting new sports series!
February 19, 2026
I listened to the audiobook of The Academy with my 9 and 12 year old kids and we LOVED it!
My kids are not huge soccer fans, but this book captured our attention quickly and both of my kids specifically mentioned that they loved it because they could visualize exactly what was happening on the soccer field because of how detailed this story was. I have read a ton of sports-themed books over the years and this was one of my favorites.
This book captured so many of the universal experiences and emotions surrounding a deep love of any sport (and in many books that have a sports element, this is the key missing ingredient). Also, while many sports stories have the potential to rely on caricatures for different types of athletes, this book utilized some of those basic stereotypes but added depth and personality that made the characters jump off the page and feel relatable.
Much of this book is set in England and features references to the Premier League. Having recently visited England, my kids really enjoyed knowing a bit more about places we visited. We loved the audiobook narrator and the experience of listening to this story together. I have already been asked when we can start book 2!
My kids are not huge soccer fans, but this book captured our attention quickly and both of my kids specifically mentioned that they loved it because they could visualize exactly what was happening on the soccer field because of how detailed this story was. I have read a ton of sports-themed books over the years and this was one of my favorites.
This book captured so many of the universal experiences and emotions surrounding a deep love of any sport (and in many books that have a sports element, this is the key missing ingredient). Also, while many sports stories have the potential to rely on caricatures for different types of athletes, this book utilized some of those basic stereotypes but added depth and personality that made the characters jump off the page and feel relatable.
Much of this book is set in England and features references to the Premier League. Having recently visited England, my kids really enjoyed knowing a bit more about places we visited. We loved the audiobook narrator and the experience of listening to this story together. I have already been asked when we can start book 2!
May 5, 2026
Este libro está escrito estilo de diario, y Leo, nuestro protagonista, describe las dificultades a las que se enfrenta al participar en un campamento de fútbol de élite a miles de kilómetros de casa, donde todos parecen saber más y tener más talento que él. La historia está bien escrita, se siente muy realista y emotiva al retratar los obstáculos que enfrenta Leo. Disfruté mucho su lectura, incluso siendo adulta.
La traducción al español fue realizada por Ulatus (no por AI). Además, se llevó a cabo en un español neutro (comprensible tanto en LATAM como en España) yo como hablante nativa de español LATAM, no tuve ningún problema para seguir la historia. Hubo algunas palabras diferentes aquí y allá (arquero vs. portero), pero nada que afectará la experiencia de lectura.
Soy mamá dos hijos futbolistas: un niño de 8 años y una niña de 14. También soy latina, y el fútbol o soccer es una parte fundamental de nuestra cultura. De hecho, comencé a leer esta novela durante un entrenamiento de fútbol. ¡Recomiendo demasiado este libro, ya sea en español o en inglés! Yo definitivamente compraré un ejemplar de cada idioma para mi hijo.
La traducción al español fue realizada por Ulatus (no por AI). Además, se llevó a cabo en un español neutro (comprensible tanto en LATAM como en España) yo como hablante nativa de español LATAM, no tuve ningún problema para seguir la historia. Hubo algunas palabras diferentes aquí y allá (arquero vs. portero), pero nada que afectará la experiencia de lectura.
Soy mamá dos hijos futbolistas: un niño de 8 años y una niña de 14. También soy latina, y el fútbol o soccer es una parte fundamental de nuestra cultura. De hecho, comencé a leer esta novela durante un entrenamiento de fútbol. ¡Recomiendo demasiado este libro, ya sea en español o en inglés! Yo definitivamente compraré un ejemplar de cada idioma para mi hijo.
May 16, 2026
Wow, I am so impressed. I did not expect to be totally riveted by this book from start to finish! Nevermind want to continue reading the series. I'm not a huge soccer fan; I enjoy watching it but I don't know the ins and outs. But even so I thoroughly enjoyed all the details this story laid out and now have a renewed appreciation for the sport. I can only imagine how much real soccer fans and soccer players would enjoy this.
There is tons of tension and excitement, lots of emotion, plenty of character growth, and so much soccer. There's plenty to relate to and enjoy for middle grade readers and the language is very accessible. I'd say this is a good read for mid- to upper middle grade readers but it has a lot of appeal for low-level readers too since it's so engaging. I highly recommend this for soccer and sports fans especially, but anyone looking for an engaging read.
There is tons of tension and excitement, lots of emotion, plenty of character growth, and so much soccer. There's plenty to relate to and enjoy for middle grade readers and the language is very accessible. I'd say this is a good read for mid- to upper middle grade readers but it has a lot of appeal for low-level readers too since it's so engaging. I highly recommend this for soccer and sports fans especially, but anyone looking for an engaging read.
July 13, 2025
My husband bought this book, read it, and loved it. So I started reading it to my son at bedtime. Well, we finished it tonight and loved it too!
It was a fun read following Leo around on his soccer adventures with some twists thrown in. Such a great group of characters and I’m curious to see if any of them will return in the next books.
The writing is so well done and we could see the story playing out in our heads.
I’m happy there are more in this series because we can’t wait to see what Leo is up to next!!
Wonderful book for any kiddo interested in soccer, but we (the parents) enjoyed it just as much!
It was a fun read following Leo around on his soccer adventures with some twists thrown in. Such a great group of characters and I’m curious to see if any of them will return in the next books.
The writing is so well done and we could see the story playing out in our heads.
I’m happy there are more in this series because we can’t wait to see what Leo is up to next!!
Wonderful book for any kiddo interested in soccer, but we (the parents) enjoyed it just as much!
May 4, 2026
I think the author nailed the middle school characters and the soccer.
For those who don't like sports or have never played soccer, it's probably too long.
But for those looking for a true sports book, not a message driven book with a nod to sports, this is the one .
Not much of note for young eyes except one brief mention of puberty and a few coaches' off field relationship that is a bit rocky.
I would read another.
For those who don't like sports or have never played soccer, it's probably too long.
But for those looking for a true sports book, not a message driven book with a nod to sports, this is the one .
Not much of note for young eyes except one brief mention of puberty and a few coaches' off field relationship that is a bit rocky.
I would read another.
May 31, 2026
The Academy was a great read! It talks about a boy named Leo. He lived in Ohio and played soccer in a soccer club. Now he needed to go to a soccer camp.It was called “The Academy Camp. Leo had to take a flight to London all by himself. A other kid came to his home at Ohio and gave him the opportunity to play soccer for the London Dragons.In the book you will find soccer being said as football.That is how people say it in their region .Leo faced one two bad kids .One in the camp and other in the final game.But he found his way to stand up for himself.In the finals game Leo’s team the iguanas won against the Komodos the other team!I enjoyed reading this book and writing this review of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2024
My seven year old son absolutely loves these books! His review: "Very good. I love the twists and turns!" Awesome book for a sports-living kid. Also, 1the adults in our family love these books too. Great family read-aloud material.
January 31, 2024
Did not think I would like it. The main character was just so generic. The plot tho? Interesting. Whitman chose a good book for me to read.
March 11, 2025
It was great knew everything
January 28, 2026
3.5 ⭐️ fun to read with my son, some good messages about hard work, practice, and kindness amid a soccer academy background.
February 16, 2026
I read this one with my soccer loving 7 year old. It was fun to go on Leo’s journey thru youth Premier League Academy.
February 26, 2026
i luvvveedd it!!!! i am excited to read the next books in this series!!!
August 13, 2026
Читали вслух вместе с сыном 7-ми лет. Оба в восторге.
Read
August 23, 2026So many of my students have recommended this series and now I get the hype.
December 10, 2025
Middle grade sports novels tend to fall into one of two camps, either formulaic or written by someone who has never played sports, so imagine my surprise when I opened this book to find both excellent play-by-play and a nuanced character that is worth rooting for. This will be my go-to recommendation for kids looking for solid sports stories. I may even read the whole series!
July 7, 2026
This felt like Ted Lasso in a middle grade novel! A fun read- I read the physical book but paired it with the audiobook... The audiobook was fantastic, especially capturing the accents of the various characters...
August 19, 2026
Ended up enjoying this so much! Can't wait to read the second in the series. Shoutout to my nephew for the recommendation!
March 5, 2024
My son and I really loved this book. Great read aloud book, easy to read, the vocab was engaging it was really well written and exciting! My son felt all of the emotions, laughing, shouting in excitement and even crying! There was a lot of soccer terminology that I didn’t know or understand- but my son did.
Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
June 9, 2026
If you have a soccer-loving kid in your life, this series is for them. This is just the first book and there is some suspense and an ending that leaves off with a little bit of a cliffhanger.
October 27, 2024
I LOVED this book. My soccer loving ten year old nephew got this book at the Scholastic book fair this year and I’ve been waiting patiently to borrow it from him. This story follows a youngster named Leo who loves soccer and almost by accident gets scouted for a Premier League youth team.
SPOILERS: (for the book and my life!)
I’ve been on a bit of a career journey the last few years. Doing really well in lots of parts of work. Getting recognized for some of it. But a promotion seems to keep being just out of reach. Leo was behind all his peers because he didn’t have a wealthy family and did YMCA leagues. He got some extra help. And while things did (or didn’t) work out for him for the specific part of the dream he had… something else worked out. As a character at the end says, “there’s no accounting for taste.” I’ve gotta be like Leo and be inspired by him…work hard, keep the goal in mind, be the best (even if and when they keep moving his position around!), and be flexible and hopeful for opportunities to knock.
SPOILERS: (for the book and my life!)
I’ve been on a bit of a career journey the last few years. Doing really well in lots of parts of work. Getting recognized for some of it. But a promotion seems to keep being just out of reach. Leo was behind all his peers because he didn’t have a wealthy family and did YMCA leagues. He got some extra help. And while things did (or didn’t) work out for him for the specific part of the dream he had… something else worked out. As a character at the end says, “there’s no accounting for taste.” I’ve gotta be like Leo and be inspired by him…work hard, keep the goal in mind, be the best (even if and when they keep moving his position around!), and be flexible and hopeful for opportunities to knock.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2025
I read this book aloud to my kids, so this review comes straight from my sixth grader.
He said it was a five star book until the ending and then it was ruined. He did not like how Leo didn’t make the Dragons but easily chose to switch loyalties and join with the Knights. He felt like Leo was abandoning his team and players he invested so much time in. He also didn’t like that they didn’t have any of his friends join the team either. As far as we know, I guess… we’re hoping maybe at least Alejandro, Garika and Robbie end up on the Knights with Leo?
He said it was a five star book until the ending and then it was ruined. He did not like how Leo didn’t make the Dragons but easily chose to switch loyalties and join with the Knights. He felt like Leo was abandoning his team and players he invested so much time in. He also didn’t like that they didn’t have any of his friends join the team either. As far as we know, I guess… we’re hoping maybe at least Alejandro, Garika and Robbie end up on the Knights with Leo?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2026
I really enjoyed this book, I play soccer and hated reading but this book made me realize there are some decent books out there. I love how there are many things I can relate to, and that it is simply entertaining. Made me want to read the other books in this series. Great book for those who are young and are interested in sports of any kind especially soccer.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews