Thursday, January 10, 2013

Go For the Goal! by Fred Bowen: Book Review & Giveaway


Josh and his best friend, Aiden, have finally made the cut to the United, an elite travel league soccer team. After playing for years together with the Flames, they struggle to adjust to their new team.

After hours of grueling practice and enduring team members who only look out for themselves, Josh wonders if he made the right decision to leave his old team. With so many talented players on the roster, Josh can't understand why they are always in the losers bracket.

A research project about the World Cup soccer championship gives Josh new insight as to what may help. During the course of his project, he learns that the 1999 United States Women's World Cup team faced many of the same challenges as the United. The team had many talented players, but couldn't seem to play together. Josh discovers the women used team building exercises to learn to work together. Could this work for his team? Josh musters the courage to approach his coach and give it a try. The skepticism his teammates show at first turns to confidence as the United bond together.

Though at times formulaic and predictable, author Fred Bowen manages to make the reader feel as if he is right there in the middle of the action. Any soccer fan will easily relate to the frustrations of building a team. The universal lesson of working together applies to any sport. A quick read that lends itself to a good book report choice. Good for the sports enthusiast.

Publishing Information:

  • Publisher: Peachtree (Aug. 2012)
  • ISBN: 978-1-56145-632-1
  • Ages 7-12


This book can be purchased at the following retailers:









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**I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher for review purposes only. This in no way influenced by opinion about the book. 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS: One of my lucky readers will win a paperback copy of Go For the Goal. To enter, use the Rafflecopter form. By entering, you acknowledge you have read the terms on the Rafflecopter form and agree to them. Contest ends 1/20/2013 at 11:59 EST.
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

That it's about soccer

pattifritz2000 at yahoo dot com
thank you

Amy W. said...

I think they would like it because they really love soccer and it would be really interesting for them. cwitherstine at zoominternet dot net

Unknown said...

My son is going to love that this is about soccer. He plays soccer and loves everything about it! Plus his birthday is next month so this would be a great gift for him!

Jennifer Noble said...

Andrew's always interested in a challenge, regardless of the sport. noble_ squared @ hotmail.com

Lisa @ Simply Things Family said...

My son loves to read anything. He would love to see something about boys like him.

kpintn said...

my grandson would love for the cover alone! he loves sports especially soccer!

LaDonna G said...

My son is very competitive and would love to read about anything he can do to help be a better competitor.

blew415 said...

My nephew loves soccer!

Coolestmommy said...

I think my son would love to learn the inner workings of soccer while reading for the fun of the storyline.

Unknown said...

my kids love sports

Debby said...

Would like that it is about soccer!

Diana said...

I think my daughter who teaches school would like it for her 5th grade class
hrddiana556@gmail.com

Emi said...

My daughter would read it just because it is about soccer. I would want her to read it because it is about trying hard.

Sunnie said...

My oldest would like it, she used to play in soccer
sunniewoodyplus2 atmsn.com

Adrienne said...

It's about soccer.

Sue Bunting said...

suebunting1977at(gmail)dot(com) That it's about soccer!

annies home said...

our children like reading and sports this would be great for them
shopannies@yahoo.com

Tami Valentine said...

All 3 of my kids have been playing soccer for years and years. The two boys are too old for this book, but my daughter would LOVE this book!

Laurie said...

My nephew would love this..he loves soccer

Anonymous said...

I think my boys would like to see that teamwork and working together is important
marypopmom (at) yahoo (dot) com

Jenny said...

My son will like that it is about soccer.

ken ohl said...

sport related. thankyou, ken pohl19@comcast.net

michelle gilliiland mcafee said...

My son loves sports and likes to read about them. It would think he would really like this.

Unknown said...

I would love to give this to my grandson! He loves to read anything about sports!

Theresa M said...

My brother has teen children now in alot of sports. I believe they will love reading Go For The Goal?

Unknown said...

My daughter lives and breathes soccer, so anything involving soccer is a win.

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