Game On!

Star Striker #1

by Mary Amato

Join Albert and a group of ragtag aliens as they dribble, cross, and score across the galaxy in this soccer-themed story of unlikely friendships.

The day that aliens abducted 13-year-old Albert Kinney was the day he was hoping to make the school soccer team. But that's the way life works sometimes, especially for Albert.

Astonishingly the Zeenods, don't want to harm Albert, they want him to play soccer. And so, Albert jumps at the chance to join the Zeenods. Yet just as he is introduced to the specifics of their game and all their high-tech gear, he faces a series of direct threats to his life. Does someone have a mysterious vendetta against Albert? Or does their first opponent, the ruthless team from Planet Tev, want to guarantee that they win?

Genres: Sports, Science Fiction, Middle Grade, Aliens

355 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 7, 2021

About the author

I write fiction for young adults and children and enjoy connecting with my readers. Adults (ages 18 and up) who are interested in writing, please check out my Meditative Art/Writing Workouts, a donation-based twice monthly online group.
https://www.maryamato.com/meditative-...

Reviews

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albert has been cut from the school soccer team, and he sees his dreams of playing in high school and college going down the drain. But then Albert finds himself abducted by aliens who want to recruit him to be their one special player from another planet for an inter-planetary competition. The Zeenods who recruited Albert come from a planet that was conquered 75 years ago, and they are being allowed to compete for the first time since then. Most other planets are ignorant of the subjugation and environmental degradation their planet has experienced, so the team feels like they are playing for a chance at justice more than just a soccer championship. Albert doesn't know if they've picked the right guy. And other forces don't want Albert to be a part of the team...and will take drastic measures to stop him.

This book surprisingly goes on beyond just cool soccer on a different planet to also address how to deal with fear, anxiety, and change. No one on Earth knows what is going on with Albert except the neighbor dog, Tackle. But he has Nana (who is a perceptive, wise, and spunky old lady from New Zealand) and the Zeenod team in his corner. The book balances personal growth, sports, human rights issues (or I guess alien rights), and suspense well. This book ends after the first game of the tournament, so the overall plot is still ongoing while some of Albert's personal challenges get some resolution. The narration varies between Albert, Tackle, and an alien scientist actively trying to sabotage Albert. The author did a good job with the various voices and using them to tell different aspects of the story, and the transitions between them were smooth and easy to follow. I loved Tackle...he sounds a bit like Dough from Up. Hand this to alien scifi fans and soccer fans.

Notes on content: No language issues that I remember (at most 1-2 minor swears). No sexual content. The Zeenod planet has been colonized and subjugated, the environment has been wrecked by the invaders taking natural resources, and the locals have very few rights and are treated like lesser beings by the subjugators. Albert just gets little peeks of this. Albert is being verbally bullied by his former best friend/teammate/next door neighbor.

[Jamie Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting woldbuilding built around soccer, or johka, which is an universal sport. The characters, Albert, the dog Tackle, and all the Zeenods were believable and fun characters to follow along in the story. The use of ahn, positive energy, to help make the johka team better brought in the power of positive thinking and forgiveness. The johka games were described as the Zeenod team and Albert took the field in detail. Fast, fun, and entertaining. The political machinations in the backfround that lead to trouble for Albert and the Zeenod team lace the story with more tension. A good fit for science fiction and sport fans. Looking foward to see how the torunament progresses and if the political sabatoge is discvovered.

[Jamie Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Albert just wants to play soccer, but he never expected to be abducted by aliens and brought in to play their Star Striker position in space. Soccer, of johka in space, plays a big role throughout the entire book with play-by-play scenes with interesting differences occurring. The book focuses on Albert and how lost he feels losing some of the things he clung most to in life. The focus on positive energy is strong throughout the story, teaching Albert how to settle his emotions and anxieties, and helps his team of aliens as they play their games.

[Michele Rice Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Game On! is an action-packed, plots filled book that also has a spiritual element. If you like aliens, alien worlds, future technology, soccer, or adventure, you would enjoy this book. It's a fast read, but it's perfect for slowing down to enjoy every word. I must admit that I loved Tackle, the dog, and his part in this book.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A weird little scifi story about soccer featuring a thirteen year old boy who doesn't make his school's soccer team but gets sucked up into a beam of light and is asked by the aliens-- Zeenods-- to play for their galactic soccer team as a way to settle some scores with the rest of the universe.

It's quirky like Korman and sporty like Blue Lock.