Defending Champ

by Mike Lupica

In this follow up to Triple Threat, New York Times bestseller Mike Lupica takes us to the soccer field in another empowering story about dismantling sexism in sports.

Fresh off her football victory as QB, Alex Carlisle is on cloud nine. But with football season ending, Alex is ready to get back on the field in the spring. Ideally she’d like to play soccer again, but as she’s about to sign up for tryouts, she hears word around the school that they’re planning to cut athletic funding. and girls soccer might be first to go. Now, Alex knows playing soccer is about more than just healthy competition. It’s about fighting for their right to play. Why should the girls team be first to get cut? It’s an injustice that seems to follow Alex through her middle school athletic career, and it needs to stop. The soccer girls get together and hatch a plan. A battle of the sexes. The girls team versus the boys team. Whoever wins gets to play in the spring. But Alex soon realizes that’s not the right approach. Everyone deserves to play. So instead, she hatches a new plan—charging tickets to the game to raise money for the school’s athletic program so that no one is left on the sidelines.

Genres: Sports, Middle Grade

239 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 7, 2021

About the author

Michael Lupica is an author and American newspaper columnist, best known for his provocative commentary on sports in the New York Daily News and his appearances on ESPN.

Reviews

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alex's soccer team challenges the boys team to a game as a way to raise money for the girls' team. This will remind readers of a certain age of the classic Billie Jean King vs Bobby Riggs battle of the sexes tennis match from the mid-1970s.

[Andrew Baker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Defending Champ
The book “Defending Champ” is about a girl who just wrapped up her football season and is now heading into soccer. Unfortunately due to financial constraints, there might not be a soccer season. Alex and her teammates decide to raise the money needed to continue with the season. Even after hosting a variety of fundraising events including bake sales, charity matches, and craft sales, they were still short on meeting the goal. With the football teams’ generosity, the soccer team was able to play for another season.
This book was written by Mike Lupica, who is a great writer in the sports genre. This story was both entertaining and inspirational. A reader would appreciate how even through all Alex’s struggles, she was able to remain positive and encourage her teammates to take action. It was amazing how the football team came together to help their friends at the end of the story. This was a great reminder of how someone should live their life by staying positive and always helping others.

[Libriar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this one with my family on a road trip and it was a hit for my husband and soccer loving daughters. None of us had read the first book in the series but now both my daughters want to read it. Pretty much a perfect book for our family. I like that Mike Lupica is writing a series with a girl as the main character.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Mike Lupica really knows how to spin a sports yarn. In this, his most recent title, he returns to a character from a previous book and follows her as she charts a new course. Twelve-year-old Alex Carlisle has just finished a successful season as the quarterback for her school's team. She decides to join the girls' soccer team again to stay busy in the spring and because she loves the sport. But her nemesis, Lindsey, isn't having it since she remembers how Alex forsook soccer for football. Alex persists, though, and even when she is required to try out for the team rather than be placed automatically on the squad, she doesn't give up. Eventually, she figures, Lindsey will come around. But her plans are threatened due to school district budget cuts, which means that there isn't enough funding for the sport. But the girls are determined to play, and Alex and her teammates concoct a plan to raise money through a variety of sales, including a match between the boys' and the girls' soccer teams. This timely story features a likeable, almost too-good-to-be-true protagonist in Alex and plenty of action on and off the field. There's even a relatable subplot concerning her friend Gabe who suffers an injury and is tentative about playing baseball at all. Readers will be tickled to see how the remainder of the money the girls need to pay for their soccer season is raised, showing that even confident (maybe arrogant) players like Chase have hearts and a compassionate nature. Alex is fortunate in having supportive parents even though they are divorced and friends who rally to her side. Fans of this author will eat this stuff up.

[Ava Voors · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book was a very good sports book for girls. Even if you don't like soccer, the book is still enjoyable. The book is basically about supporting girls sports, and fighting for equality in sports, especially for girls. I thought that the book had a good message, especially since girls sports and boys sports aren't equal. Boys have a lot more stuff than the girls do, and this book pushes the message that girls need to fight for their sports and get them the attention they deserve.

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally good with some nice lessons on sport / injury / teamwork/ friendship etc.
I did think there was a little too much focus on the prior season / book.
Also FFS what grade 7 class anywhere in the world is doing “ alice in wonderland “ as their class novel😡 really? Call any ELA teacher anywhere in the world for a better suggestion on what 12 yo are reading.
Liked the mother/daughter interaction but had to suspend belief that it worked so well when it seems they seldom see each other …

[Brynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. I had a hard time getting into it as I do most books. But after about chapter 1o, I really enjoyed it. I can't believe how good a book it is. Right as that big revel happened I let out a breath of relief I did not realize I was holding in. 5 star book. Will be recommending it to all my friends and family.

[Teresa Gellenbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud with my soccer-playing 7 & 10 year olds. Rating by my son (the 10 year old). He liked the soccer story line & “thought it was a good story!”

[Lila Stroup · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am def not the target audience but still enjoyed