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The Kicks #4
Hat Trick
The Kicks are dedicated to soccer and to friendship—but can they balance all their goals? Find out in book four in the fun and empowering New York Times bestselling middle grade series from star soccer player, Olympic gold medalist, and World Cup champion, Alex Morgan.
Now that playoffs are over, the Kicks won’t be playing together again until the spring. But soccer-crazy Devin can’t imagine a life without soccer! She and her friends decide to try out for a travel team in a very competitive local league, but not everyone makes the cut.
Meanwhile, Devin’s little sister, Maisie, wants to try out for her elementary school’s soccer program. But due to budget cuts, the program has been eliminated! The Kicks rally together to help raise money—and volunteer to help with four different projects on the same day!
Things get hectic as the girls deal with the challenges of being on the competitive, tougher team; figuring out how to keep their friendships together as they all go in different directions; and trying to save the elementary school’s soccer program. If they can pull off all three, it will be a true hat trick!
Now that playoffs are over, the Kicks won’t be playing together again until the spring. But soccer-crazy Devin can’t imagine a life without soccer! She and her friends decide to try out for a travel team in a very competitive local league, but not everyone makes the cut.
Meanwhile, Devin’s little sister, Maisie, wants to try out for her elementary school’s soccer program. But due to budget cuts, the program has been eliminated! The Kicks rally together to help raise money—and volunteer to help with four different projects on the same day!
Things get hectic as the girls deal with the challenges of being on the competitive, tougher team; figuring out how to keep their friendships together as they all go in different directions; and trying to save the elementary school’s soccer program. If they can pull off all three, it will be a true hat trick!
129 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 2, 2015
52 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
Alex Morgan
19 books109 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. This is for Alex[3spaces]Morgan.
(3)American Soccer Player
An American Soccer Player (Forward/Striker) and an Olympic Medalist. Drafted first in the 2011 WPS Draft by the Western New York Flash. And now plays with the Portland Thorns FC.
(3)American Soccer Player
An American Soccer Player (Forward/Striker) and an Olympic Medalist. Drafted first in the 2011 WPS Draft by the Western New York Flash. And now plays with the Portland Thorns FC.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 11, 2015
I really liked this book because it has a lot of communication and soccer. I love soccer and the main character, Devin and her friends join a winter league. This book has a lot of problem solving.
October 25, 2025
I love these books. In this one, Devin is playing in a winter league and things are much different than they were on the Kicks. The Griffons team are all disjointed and kind of mean to each other. They have Jamie, the sabotager from earlier in the series, on the team as well as other girls who have no desire to be friendly. Furthermore, Devin's little sister, Maisie, wanted to play soccer and her season got canceled because of funding. Finally, some of the Kicks made the league and are all on different teams, but some didn't. Devin is worried that the Kicks friendships will dissolve because they're all hanging out with their new teams. She needs a hat trick to fix all the problems going on. She brings the Griffons team together as only Devin can. She slightly softens her coach as well. She does a very successful fundraiser for her sister's team. Finally, she has a heart to heart with the Kicks and they validate their friendship. My complaints about this book come from the fact that I'm reading it to a 7 and 5 year old. There is a lot of crush talk about a famous guy that Frida is filming a movie with. Emma is obsessed and the crush stuff with the boys on the guys Kicks team is too much for my taste. That being said, this is a cute series that we can't wait to continue.
April 25, 2019
This is a really good book for girls to see that they and their friends can have different interests and still be best friends.
March 16, 2020
I think the theme of this book is that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.
January 23, 2021
Fun and funny with a little anxiety thrown in.
February 18, 2021
Emma, how’s Brady?😂🤣
March 9, 2021
Love this book💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
March 28, 2021
Another piece of nice work by Alex Morgan. A good series to buy for your kids. Obviously it will bring courage to do teamwork among kids.
May 21, 2025
amazing 🤩🤩
January 15, 2017
Morgan, Alex Hat Trick (The Kicks Series) 126 pgs. Simon, 2015. $6.99 Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G Violence: G
Devin and her friends are missing soccer, it’s the off-season for their tea, the Kicks. They all try out for a winter league and are put onto different teams. This makes Devin feel like the Kicks are growing apart. Then Devin’s new team and coach are more aggressive than she is used to, and she isn’t having fun and worst of all, finds her interest in soccer fading. On top of everything else, her younger sister’s soccer team was cancelled and Devin isn’t sure how to help.
This was another fun read from this series, and it’s a great series to get girl readers into your sports fiction. I have zero interest in sports and have loved this series. Its always checked out from my school library, especially because the cover is appealing and bright. I am highly irritated that the series is not numbered because these books are far from read-alone. They need to be read in order as many references are made to past plots and no real introductions are done in the continuing books.
EL –ADVISABLE Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2016/...
Devin and her friends are missing soccer, it’s the off-season for their tea, the Kicks. They all try out for a winter league and are put onto different teams. This makes Devin feel like the Kicks are growing apart. Then Devin’s new team and coach are more aggressive than she is used to, and she isn’t having fun and worst of all, finds her interest in soccer fading. On top of everything else, her younger sister’s soccer team was cancelled and Devin isn’t sure how to help.
This was another fun read from this series, and it’s a great series to get girl readers into your sports fiction. I have zero interest in sports and have loved this series. Its always checked out from my school library, especially because the cover is appealing and bright. I am highly irritated that the series is not numbered because these books are far from read-alone. They need to be read in order as many references are made to past plots and no real introductions are done in the continuing books.
EL –ADVISABLE Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2016/...
November 3, 2016
The Kicks Hat trick is the fourth book in the series. This book is about a group of best friends in middle schools. These girls have a very strong bond and that bond primarily revolves around soccer. When only some of the girls make it onto the competitive winter soccer league and another takes an opportunity to go try out her passion for acting the girls are faced with many dilemmas.
Discussion Questions:
1. Do a search on the author Alex Morgan what do you find out about her?
2. Do you think any of the girls should play on the team if they don’t all make it? Why do you feel this way?
3. What would your all about me day look like and how is it the same/different from the one in the book?
4. Devin has to make a choice about how rough she is going to play in the game do you feel she made the right choice why or why not?
5. Come up with your own plan to save Devin’s little sisters soccer team.
Morgan, A. (2015). Hat trick. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Discussion Questions:
1. Do a search on the author Alex Morgan what do you find out about her?
2. Do you think any of the girls should play on the team if they don’t all make it? Why do you feel this way?
3. What would your all about me day look like and how is it the same/different from the one in the book?
4. Devin has to make a choice about how rough she is going to play in the game do you feel she made the right choice why or why not?
5. Come up with your own plan to save Devin’s little sisters soccer team.
Morgan, A. (2015). Hat trick. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
January 2, 2016
In this fourth title in the soccer-related series, seventh grader Devin is playing winter soccer and finding it hard to get her bearings with her coach. Coach Darby encourages her team to play a very physical game, but some of the players take that encouragement too far. Devin starts wondering if soccer is her sport since it's not as fun as it has been. Plus, she misses some of her teammates from her usual team, the Kicks. Eventually, she decides to try some of the community-building techniques that worked for her other team while also helping raise money to support her little sister, Maisie's, soccer league at school. Soccer fans will thoroughly enjoy this, but so will many middle graders because Devin deals with real life problems in a positive way but she also makes mistakes and gets down on herself at times, which makes this book quite relatable for its audience.
February 17, 2016
Hat Trick
This book was the best book so far because it had teamwork with also fighting. I liked how it had some problems that they got over. This book is really ment for soccer freaks. (Like me)
The teamwork in this book was from a team that did not get along well then Devin stepped up and made th e team work together.
The problems that they had they always got over and the team works together to solve the problems.
This book should be recommended to soccer freaks because this book eats soccer,
This book was the best book so far because it had teamwork with also fighting. I liked how it had some problems that they got over. This book is really ment for soccer freaks. (Like me)
The teamwork in this book was from a team that did not get along well then Devin stepped up and made th e team work together.
The problems that they had they always got over and the team works together to solve the problems.
This book should be recommended to soccer freaks because this book eats soccer,
September 4, 2015
If you are sporty than this is the kind of book for you. Devin is the out-going person. She has 4 best friends Jessi, Emma, Zoe, and Frida. They are all part of the middle school girl soccer team. I can relate to Devin and you can relate to any of the other character in the book. If you have any siblings you can totally relate to this book. This is the best book I have read. I recommend you guys to read this book.
July 9, 2015
I love that Alex Morgan does this series of soccer books for girls. I think it is awesome that girls are encouraged to be active in sports. The story wasn't one of my favorite Kicks books, but still a good read for any little girl that loves soccer.
May 30, 2016
Great book!!! Keeps you guessing what will happened after every page!! Alex Morgan did a great job writing this book!!!
October 4, 2016
Great book for soccer lovers
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews