Today is the first day of the World Cup, the world’s preeminent soccer competition that Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is hosting this year. As someone unfamiliar with the World Cup and soccer in general, I learned about the sport the best way I know how and opened a book. Lucky for me this year Scholastic published Frankie’s Magic Soccer Ball, a brand new series for young readers from Frank Lampard, a world-renowned professional soccer player. Lampard was a vice-captain for Chelsea Football Club and also an England international and holds the record for the all-time highest ever goal scorer at the club. (This guy knows his stuff!)
This fun series follows a group of kids who win an old soccer ball at a carnival and discover it’s a portal to a magical soccer competition that they never knew existed. In #1: Frankie vs. the Pirate Pillagers, Frankie and his friends find themselves pitted against a team of soccer-loving pirates and together they have to work to win the game and make it back home.
Lampard says that “Frankie’s friends remind [him] of the mates that [he] used to kick a football about with when [he] was young, as well as some of the players [he] has met during [his] career.” While it’s safe to assume that players in this year’s World Cup will not be time traveling or competing against pirates, the series does paint an accurate picture of the fun camaraderie soccer fosters.
OOM readers, what books are getting you excited for the World Cup?
