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Soccerology: Unbelievable Facts and Stories About the Beautiful Game
Uncover everything you never knew about the beautiful game in this full color, illustrated soccer compendium―from the science of a perfect backspin to soccer heroes who changed the sport forever.
Colorful illustrations, fun infographics, and supercool trivia reveal all about the most popular sport in the world. Begin with the game’s startling origins or turn to any short chapter and dive in! You’ll discover historic firsts, trailblazing athletes, and the weirdest soccer records. Read unforgettable stories about players who pushed the boundaries of the game―sometimes by bending the rules―and learn why soccer had to become more welcoming before it could truly bring people together. Packed with charts, timelines, and further reading, Soccerology is a must-have that’s equally fascinating for soccer newbies and diehard fans.
Written by former sports broadcaster and award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Kevin Sylvester, Soccerology is a book about the Beautiful Game like nothing else!
Colorful illustrations, fun infographics, and supercool trivia reveal all about the most popular sport in the world. Begin with the game’s startling origins or turn to any short chapter and dive in! You’ll discover historic firsts, trailblazing athletes, and the weirdest soccer records. Read unforgettable stories about players who pushed the boundaries of the game―sometimes by bending the rules―and learn why soccer had to become more welcoming before it could truly bring people together. Packed with charts, timelines, and further reading, Soccerology is a must-have that’s equally fascinating for soccer newbies and diehard fans.
Written by former sports broadcaster and award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Kevin Sylvester, Soccerology is a book about the Beautiful Game like nothing else!
- GenresNonfiction
92 pages, Paperback
Published April 14, 2026
About the author
Kevin Sylvester
57 books158 followersKEVIN SYLVESTER is an award winning illustrator, writer and broadcaster.
His new sci-fi series MiNRs is now out from Simon and Schuster. MINRs was named a 2017 Honour Red Maple and Manitoba Reader's Honour book and a 2015 CLA Honour Book. MINRs2 is out. MINRs3 will be released in 2018.
His series The Neil Flambé Capers is already a bestseller and critical success. Students across Ontario picked 'Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders' as the Silver Birch winner for fiction in 2011!
There are 6 books in the series so far, Neil Flambé and the Duel in the Desert is the latest.
Super-chef Gordon Ramsay calls the series “Good Fun”.
Kevin also does picture books - "Super-Duper Monster Viewer" is out from Groundwood. GREAT (with the Gretzky family) is out from Penguin.
Kevin’s first picture book 'Splinters' was published in fall 2010 by Tundra. It’s about a young girl who only wants to play hockey, but the mean coach and her daughters won’t let her. Can her fairy goaltender come to the rescue?
Kevin non-fiction titles include Follow Your Money, Baseballogy, Basketballogoy, Sports Hall of Weird and Gold Medal for Weird.
Kevin has been a broadcaster on national radio in Canada for years and years and has covered eight Olympic Games. He also produced documentaries on topics ranging from racism in hockey to the history of church bells in Canada.
He now splits his time between his attic studio in Toronto and the radio. He was named a Massey Journalism Scholar in 2007 and used the time to study theology at the University of Toronto.
His new sci-fi series MiNRs is now out from Simon and Schuster. MINRs was named a 2017 Honour Red Maple and Manitoba Reader's Honour book and a 2015 CLA Honour Book. MINRs2 is out. MINRs3 will be released in 2018.
His series The Neil Flambé Capers is already a bestseller and critical success. Students across Ontario picked 'Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders' as the Silver Birch winner for fiction in 2011!
There are 6 books in the series so far, Neil Flambé and the Duel in the Desert is the latest.
Super-chef Gordon Ramsay calls the series “Good Fun”.
Kevin also does picture books - "Super-Duper Monster Viewer" is out from Groundwood. GREAT (with the Gretzky family) is out from Penguin.
Kevin’s first picture book 'Splinters' was published in fall 2010 by Tundra. It’s about a young girl who only wants to play hockey, but the mean coach and her daughters won’t let her. Can her fairy goaltender come to the rescue?
Kevin non-fiction titles include Follow Your Money, Baseballogy, Basketballogoy, Sports Hall of Weird and Gold Medal for Weird.
Kevin has been a broadcaster on national radio in Canada for years and years and has covered eight Olympic Games. He also produced documentaries on topics ranging from racism in hockey to the history of church bells in Canada.
He now splits his time between his attic studio in Toronto and the radio. He was named a Massey Journalism Scholar in 2007 and used the time to study theology at the University of Toronto.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 3, 2026
I grabbed and ARC of this one because my daughter has finished every soccer book we could find for her and we needed something new. She really enjoyed it and honestly, so did I!
Soccerology covers everything from the science of a perfect backspin to the trailblazing athletes who changed the sport forever. Colorful illustrations, fun infographics, and genuinely surprising trivia make this accessible for soccer newbies while still offering depth for kids like my daughter who already eat, sleep, and breathe the sport.
What we especially appreciated: they include women's soccer throughout, not as a separate section tacked on at the end but woven into the whole book. That matters when you're handing this to a girl who loves the game and wants to see herself in it.
The format is great for the kind of kid who wants to flip through rather than reading cover to cover. My daughter went straight for the weirdest soccer records (of course) and then circled back to the historic firsts. Kevin Sylvester's background as a former sports broadcaster shows. He knows how to make facts feel like stories.
A must-have for any soccer-loving kid's bookshelf.
Soccerology covers everything from the science of a perfect backspin to the trailblazing athletes who changed the sport forever. Colorful illustrations, fun infographics, and genuinely surprising trivia make this accessible for soccer newbies while still offering depth for kids like my daughter who already eat, sleep, and breathe the sport.
What we especially appreciated: they include women's soccer throughout, not as a separate section tacked on at the end but woven into the whole book. That matters when you're handing this to a girl who loves the game and wants to see herself in it.
The format is great for the kind of kid who wants to flip through rather than reading cover to cover. My daughter went straight for the weirdest soccer records (of course) and then circled back to the historic firsts. Kevin Sylvester's background as a former sports broadcaster shows. He knows how to make facts feel like stories.
A must-have for any soccer-loving kid's bookshelf.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
As a children’s librarian in a school FULL of soccer fans, this is exactly the kind of book I love having on our shelves!
This is such a fun and engaging way to get kids reading about a topic they already love. It’s packed with interesting facts, stories, and trivia, and the format makes it easy to pick up and read a little at a time or dive right in.
I loved how accessible it is. The mix of illustrations, infographics, and bite-sized information makes it really appealing, especially for readers who might not gravitate toward traditional nonfiction. There’s so much here, from the history of the game to incredible players to some really fun and surprising facts.
Thank you to Annick Press for this gifted copy!
This is such a fun and engaging way to get kids reading about a topic they already love. It’s packed with interesting facts, stories, and trivia, and the format makes it easy to pick up and read a little at a time or dive right in.
I loved how accessible it is. The mix of illustrations, infographics, and bite-sized information makes it really appealing, especially for readers who might not gravitate toward traditional nonfiction. There’s so much here, from the history of the game to incredible players to some really fun and surprising facts.
Thank you to Annick Press for this gifted copy!
June 14, 2026
Another great book through Annick Press, this one is all about soccer. The author was a soccer player, sportscaster and radio host and has written other children’s nonfiction we’ve enjoyed.
Soccerology brings you through from the very first beginnings of a game resembling soccer to where it is today. Known as football in many parts of the world, soccer is very popular, especially among women.
The book is divided into parts: Invention, Evolution, Revolution, Expansion, Inclusion and a section called Just for Kicks.
The book is full of fun cartoon drawings by the author himself. They are really cute and fit the book well. The book is good for soccer newbies or soccer afficionados alike. The book is designed for ages 9-12 and would make a great gift for a soccer fan.
Soccerology brings you through from the very first beginnings of a game resembling soccer to where it is today. Known as football in many parts of the world, soccer is very popular, especially among women.
The book is divided into parts: Invention, Evolution, Revolution, Expansion, Inclusion and a section called Just for Kicks.
The book is full of fun cartoon drawings by the author himself. They are really cute and fit the book well. The book is good for soccer newbies or soccer afficionados alike. The book is designed for ages 9-12 and would make a great gift for a soccer fan.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received this copy from the publisher and Net Galley
I thought this book was well-built! There were some facts and stories that I had not heard before. I appreciate that they put some facts about women's sports and how much they are on the rise, and the struggles that the women of soccer go through. The art I thought was well done and provided cute visuals :)
I thought this book was well-built! There were some facts and stories that I had not heard before. I appreciate that they put some facts about women's sports and how much they are on the rise, and the struggles that the women of soccer go through. The art I thought was well done and provided cute visuals :)
August 2, 2026
Factoids and stories from the soccer field.
The layout is engaging, with a touch of humor, the book is a perfect book to drop post World Cup for those that want to read about the international game.
The layout is engaging, with a touch of humor, the book is a perfect book to drop post World Cup for those that want to read about the international game.
October 30, 2026
Interesting facts about the beautiful game.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews