Offside: A Graphic Novel

by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Mari Costa (Illustrator)

From the author of the USA Today and Indie bestselling Invisible, a must-have graphic novel about five very different students who may just have more in common than they thought.Can you get ahead if it means leaving everyone behind?Al, Nicky, Palmer, Fabiola, and Seba are all on the school soccer team. But that doesn't mean they're all on the same side.For the first time ever, the Jackson Middle School soccer team is going co-ed thanks to Nicky's determination. But Al is going to do whatever he can to keep the girls off the team, just the way his father wants.When Al and Nicky's rivalry threatens to tear the team apart, everyone's going to have to pick sides. That is, until Palmer looks into why Nicky joined the team, and he starts to realize that there's a bigger problem than what's on the field. . .And maybe the only way to truly win is together.With text in English and Spanish, Offside features the groundbreaking format used in Invisible, paired with engaging, accessible, and entertaining storytelling. This Breakfast Club-inspired story by Christina Diaz Gonzalez and Mari Costa is a must-have graphic novel about soccer, friendship, and what it really means to work as a team.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 7, 2026

About the author

Christina Diaz Gonzalez is the Edgar® award-winning author of several books including The Red Umbrella, A Thunderous Whisper, the Moving Target duology, Stormspeaker, Concealed, and two upcoming books, Invisible (a graphic novel available in August 2022) and The Bluest Sky (a historical fiction novel available in September 2022). Her books have received numerous honors including the Florida Book Award, the Nebraska Book Award, and the International Latino Book Award. Her work has also been designated as an American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults selection, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection, and as an International Reading Association's Teachers' Choice book. Christina currently lives in Miami, Florida with her husband, sons, and a dog that can open doors. Learn more at www.christinagonzalez.com

Reviews

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Jackson Middle School soccer team is getting ready for a new season, and a lot of changes.  Offside focuses on five of the team’s players, each with their own worries and concerns as the season begins.  One of the best players, Palmer, is injured and on crutches this fall, but the coach has asked him to act as manager.  Fabiola, Palmer’s new neighbor from Colombia, is great at soccer but not so great with English yet.  Nicky is an outstanding player who has fought for the right to play on the boys’ team, since the girls’ team plays on subpar fields with old equipment, and Nicky is really hoping to get noticed.  Seba Louk is a latchkey kid who has little team experience, but natural goalkeeping skills.  And the team‘s captain and star, Al, is furious that the team will be co-ed this year thanks to Nicky’s efforts.  Al does not think girls belong on the team (and neither does his father), and does everything he can think of to keep Nicky and Fabiola sidelined.  Coach Harris asks Palmer to write a story on the team for the school paper, and the finished product attracts the attention of a reporter from the town newspaper.  As the spotlight on the inequities between boys’ and girls’ sports intensifies, Al slowly realizes he will not be able to deter the girls from playing, and instead decides to join forces.  The kids and their adults - coaches, parents, and neighbors - work together to persuade the mayor to improve conditions at local fields to provide better opportunities for all. 

Language barriers, gender roles, social activism, and family matters all come into play in this enjoyable, relatable graphic novel.  Each student’s background and home life is gradually revealed throughout the book, and readers will certainly find lots of ways to make connections with these characters.  Palmer, who is white, is frustrated at being on the bench for the season and accepts the reporting assignment reluctantly for fear of offending his friends.  He has also been tasked with helping Fabiola get acclimated at school, which puts him at odds with his best friend Al.  Having previously attended dual-language school, Palmer is supposed to practice his Spanish with Fabiola, who in turn is trying to work on her English.  She has two teasing older brothers who have helped her hone her soccer skills.  Al’s family is from Brazil and he is feeling pressured by his father, and worried that his visiting grandfather will be displeased by the girls on the team; Al is also trying to be a good role model for his adoring, soccer-obsessed little sister.  Nicky is struggling to impress her father too, but lately he is too busy traveling with his new girlfriend to make it to her games.  Louk is also new to town, from Peru, and his parents work a lot of extra hours to make ends meet, but he finds a mentor in his neighbor Mr. Gellar, who owns a mobile petting zoo (whose emu plays a pivotal role in the story’s resolution).   The plot of the book is framed around soccer practice and game days, and the graphic novel format supports that very well.  The soccer scenes are action-packed, as are many of the conversations, and the illustrations are suitably energetic and expressive.  As with Gonzalez’ book Invisible, much of the dialog is written in English and Spanish, or English and Portuguese in the scenes with Al’s family, in dual speech bubbles, which makes the book accessible to more readers, and serves to highlight the challenges our ELL students face every day.  A glossary of soccer terms is appended. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...