Corner Kick!: A Branches Book

by Andrew Maraniss, Aishwarya Tandon (Illustrator)

Jasper, Mo, and Ruby learn all about soccer while they play in their town's World Cup tournament in the second installment of this action-packed, fully illustrated early chapter book series!Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!It's time for the Raintree Forest World Cup! Jasper's class is taking part in a World Cup tournament with other third grade classes in the neighborhood. But Jasper is not as excited as everyone else to learn all about soccer, especially since the new student Sofia seems like a soccer know-it-all! Will Jasper be any good at playing soccer? And will his team be victorious in the Raintree Forest World Cup?Engaging black-and-white artwork appears on every page, and game-time scenes are told through fully-illustrated, graphic novel-style panels. Nonfiction sidebars are also scattered throughout, introducing young readers to sports legends and other fun facts. Kids will learn all about soccer as they read this book, and they won't be able to put it down because of its action-packed, relatable story!

101 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 3, 2026

About the author

Andrew Maraniss is the New York Times bestselling author of STRONG INSIDE, a biography of Perry Wallace, the first African American basketball player in the SEC. The original, adult edition of the book received the Lillian Smith Book Award and the RFK Book Awards' Special Recognition Prize, while the Middle Grade adaptation was named one of the Top Biographies and Top Sports Books for Youth by the American Library Association. Andrew's next book (Nov. 2019) GAMES OF DECEPTION, is the true story of the first U.S. Olympic basketball team, at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany. Andrew is a contributor to ESPN's race and sports website, TheUndefeated.com, and is a Visiting Author at Vanderbilt University Athletics. He lives in Brentwood, Tenn., with his wife and two young children. Follow him on Twitter @trublu24.