For Soccer-Crazy Girls Only: Everything Great about Soccer

by Erin Downing

For Soccer-Crazy Girls Only <> Hardcover <> ErinDowning <> Feiwel&Friends

Genres: Sports, Soccer, Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 2014

Reviews

[Jeremiah Demster · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I whole heartedly applaud the overall concept of this book. I am a varsity girls' soccer coach, and a MS teacher, and our librarian gave me this book to look at. I think the general tone and idea here is good, so bravo for that.

The actual execution is slightly clunky however. I don't think this book entirely knows who it's audience is. It's brightly colored and presented like it's for younger girls. Maybe young middle school age? Even a lot of the sections and language suggests this. But the dense text and other sections about things like great tragedies in soccer history seem to be geared towards older middle to younger high school age. I can't believe that either would find the book totally accessible. Some of the descriptions of gear and formations are "rookie" sounding...as though the author was a neophyte. But there are other suggestions that she knows quite a bit. It's all very odd when presented together. I can't say I recommend this book because it would be a strange read for many girls, but I can't say I don't either. There's a lot of good information here, and I'm all for the ideas presented here.

[Teresa Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love soccer, this is a fantastic book. If you don't love soccer, this is still a fantastic book. This book teaches the rules of soccer, gives pointers on how to improve your skills, and even has diagrams to show the readers different plays to use. The author also includes instructions on how to be healthy and protect yourself from injury while playing soccer. At the end of the book, several great women soccer professionals are highlighted. This should be the go-to book for soccer players, yes, even boys could benefit.

[Diane Ferbrache · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ostensibly this is a guide to all things soccer for girls, but really a compilation of random and sometimes bewildering facts and advice. While there is some good information about soccer rules, equipment, practice and nutrition regimens, some of the topics/advice is downright strange – soccer hairstyles and pro salaries that feature only the men stars (Alexi Lalas in the hair section, for example). I gave this book to our soccer coach and she couldn’t decide who the target audience was since despite the title, it seemed to be aimed at girls who knew nothing about soccer. She felt that girls who were really “soccer-crazy” would find it tedious and even silly.

There are some good points -- I give credit to the graphic designer who created the layout of the book. The illustrations are engaging and entertaining, and the almost monochromatic color scheme (green, black & white) is cleverly done and visually appealing. The sheer variety of topics is pretty amazing -- from content normally found in a sports book (like game prep and rules) to things like how to plan a soccer themed party. I was just so distracted by some of the oddities that I was disappointed.

[Joza · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't really seem like it was for soccer "crazy girls". It was just a guidebook for soccer. It told you the positions, what to wear, and had a section on nutrition. It was o.k. but didn't really interest me that much.

[Saanvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was like made for me. I learned a lot of how I can become a better soccer player and what I might want to do when I grow up.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book resembles a chapter book due to its size, the introduction explains that the text does not need to be read in order. Rather, the content has a magazine-like feel with articles, text snippets, diagrams and more within each chapter. The color scheme is lime green, black and white with lots of cartoon diagrams to illustrate the concepts. The text is very conversational in tone, full of inspirational quotes by soccer stars and tips from “Coach Mike” (head women’s soccer coach at Augsburg College). Girls in grades five and up will enjoy perusing the vast information in this book, whether they are already soccer-obsessed or only just trying to determine if they’re interested in the sport.

[Yamile Méndez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the concept, but a lot of the information in this book would be repetitive for soccer crazy girls. Nice tidbits and presentation, but some sections are too random. I really liked it, but I don't know what felt off, so it's only 3 stars from me.

[Ainsley]

Very informational! I found myself bookmarking a lot of it to go back to it

[Collette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book to read, and it has some really cool facts in it!