Soccerland

by Beth Choat

"One day I’m going to play for the U.S. Women’s National Team." That’s what Flora Dupre promised her mom, before her mom died of cancer. Flora and her mom had created a place called Soccerland, an escape world where they went and just talked soccer. And now Flora’s dream of playing for the U.S.A. might be coming true. Flora’s received the invitation of a the chance to try out for the Under-15 U.S. Girls’ Soccer Team, an opportunity that could put Flora on the road to making her dream a reality and reaching the real "Soccerland." But when Flora arrives at the International Sports Academy, the level of talent there is like nothing she’s ever seen before. Flora struggles to hold her own, grappling with new positions on the pitch, injuries, a frustrating coach, and contempt from other players. But Flora is a big, strong Dupre girl—and she’s not going to go down easy. The author of Soccerland has donated this book to the Worldreader program

Genres: Young Adult, Sports, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Contemporary, Fiction, Soccer

200 pages, Hardcover

First published August 31, 2010

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story for young athletes and any girl going through high school issues with "mean girls". The story takes us to an elite training camp for young soccer players and we learn about how tough it is in the world if high level athletics. The protagonist is real and has a loving family that supports her dream....nice to see in a YA novel where many families are shown as dysfunctional. Uplifting and funny.

[Timmy T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! A must read! You don't have to be a soccer player to identify with Flora's story. If you're a girl and you play sports buy this book.

[Panther Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flora is near impossibly driven, and that can make her a complainer.

And that's OK, even better than OK. Heck, she's a 14-year-old prodigy who's never been less than number one. What else should people expect from her?

That's not to say Flora is a brat. She's happy and supportive most of the time. But she does get mad. She has trouble seeing the big picture even when it's plastered right in front of her, and she suffers the kind of mood swings that keep the story grounded in reality, even as she hurtles herself off another teen abyss.

Flora's go-to pickup is her absolute faith that she'll make the US National Women's Soccer team one day. It's one of those impossible dreams that only an impossibly driven girl can have. And that may be the best reason to root for Flora, in spite of her more erratic moments.

Choat shares a lot of insights into life at an elite soccer academy, in this case a youth development squad. The drills, the gameplay, the dorms, the training and rehab, the coaching philosophies: it all seems right, at least as far as I can tell.

I only have two complaints: early in the book Flora is at a pep rally for a big game against a high school rival. The principal addresses the students and shouts out why she feels her girls will win. "We've got something they don't... Flora Dupre!" I can't imagine a principal would do that, publicly single out one girl as the main reason why a high school team is as good as it is. That goes against just about everything I believe as a teacher and coach. It doesn't help that Flora's an 8th grader. That's an easy away to build resentment among the older players. It's just one brief moment, but it sets the wrong tone for me.

Second complaint: Flora goes overboard in her negative reaction to her development academy coach. Of course it's part of her typical tween self. And it's easy to assume she's going to come around - the book's uplifting message wouldn't quite work any other way. But it takes her a long time to get there.

Not too long, thank goodness. This book moves quickly. It's a fast-paced realistic inspirational story about a one-in-a-million chance, and the kind of desire worth aspiring to.

[Int'l librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flora is near impossibly driven, and that can make her a complainer.

And that's OK, even better than OK. Heck, she's a 14-year-old prodigy who's never been less than number one. What else should people expect from her?

That's not to say Flora is a brat. She's happy and supportive most of the time. But she does get mad. She has trouble seeing the big picture even when it's plastered right in front of her, and she suffers the kind of mood swings that keep the story grounded in reality, even as she hurtles herself off another teen abyss.

Flora's go-to pickup is her absolute faith that she'll make the US National Women's Soccer team one day. It's one of those impossible dreams that only an impossibly driven girl can have. And that may be the best reason to root for Flora, in spite of her more erratic moments.

Choat shares a lot of insights into life at an elite soccer academy, in this case a youth development squad. The drills, the gameplay, the dorms, the training and rehab, the coaching philosophies: it all seems right, at least as far as I can tell.

I only have two complaints: early in the book Flora is at a pep rally for a big game against a high school rival. The principal addresses the students and shouts out why she feels her girls will win. "We've got something they don't... Flora Dupre!" I can't imagine a principal would do that, publicly single out one girl as the main reason why a high school team is as good as it is. That goes against just about everything I believe as a teacher and coach. It doesn't help that Flora's an 8th grader. That's an easy way to build resentment among the older players. It's just one brief moment, but it sets the wrong tone for me.

Second complaint: Flora goes overboard in her negative reaction to her development academy coach. Of course it's part of her typical tween self. And it's easy to assume she's going to come around - the book's uplifting message wouldn't quite work any other way. But it takes her a long time to get there.

Not too long, thank goodness. This book moves quickly. It's a fast-paced realistic inspirational story about a one-in-a-million chance, and the kind of desire worth aspiring to.

[Makayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soccerland is a very inspiring book espesially reading it as a soccer player myself. It shows how a small town girl rides her ways up to one of the best teams in the country with her skills. It shows confidence, leadership, and simply just friendships. This book tied all of these topics together including sports, romance, death, and simply just pain. It makes you feel expressions as you read the book using todays society issues.

[LeeAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

14-year-old Flora lives and breathes soccer.

Told through a series of soccer matches, workouts, and training, intermixed with friendly banter and frequent flirting, Flora's journey to become her truest self is helped along by messages from home and heart-to-heart moments with coaches, new friends, and love interest Logan.

"I leaned back and looked up at the sky. 'One chance,' I said to no one." (21)

"I don't know about trust. I'm just trying to keep my head above water out there." (123)

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Soccerland* by Beth Choat is a heartwarming story that truly impressed me. Flora Dupre stands out as an incredibly impressive character, navigating the typical insecurities of a teenager while showcasing immense talent and determination. Despite her grief and the challenges of sports life, she pushes herself to chase her soccer dreams. It’s a delightful read that perfectly captures the mix of teenage chaos and the drive to overcome obstacles—definitely a must-read!

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was on Stevens middle school list and I couldn't resist. A great book for an elementary school soccer fan. Very good details about working hard and what girls can come up against in competitive environments. I liked the references to the US National team players.

[Yana · Rating 3 out of 5]

4.5 stars
the only reason I gave this book less stars is because it needed to end in a better way. Sure, the protagonist and her side were happy. But the main point of the book was the future of becoming a US soccer player, and as the reader I didn't get to see as much as I wanted.

[Danna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very much a young adult read. However, I digress, one can easily resonate with Flora with her emotions about her mother, but also about loving a sport so much because of her connection to it.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED IT... One of the most amazing books EVER.

[Nicolas Acevedo]

It was a great book! 10/10 recommend for my fellow soccer people

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having a teenage daughter heavily into soccer, this was a great read. I hope she does exactly like the lead in this book and follows her dreams !

[Paityn Koch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you love soccer if so I think you would like this because I play soccer and it is fun

[Hailey R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soccer Land
Realistic Fiction,
Beth Choat
232 Pages

The main character's name is Flora Dupre. She is an amazing soccer player that is asked to go to an elite soccer camp. Flora isn't skinny, she is built and very muscular. Her family really doesn't want her to go because it is fielding season. After they finally let her go, Flora isn't expecting the challenges and the intensity of the camp. Throughout the whole camp, she works past obstacles and finds herself.

I really enjoyed this book, it was very interesting throughout. Choat created the characters very pristine, I could see what they looked like in my head

Rating: 9 ½

I would definitely recommend this book, because it is one of my favorites.

Flora Encountered lots of problems. The first one is that she is made fun of for her body because she is not very skinny. The next conflict she faces is at camp. Her grandfather has a heart attack and she has to decide whether to go back or stay at the one in a lifetime camp. There are many other small conflicts but these two are the biggest throughout the book.

My favorite part of the book is when Flora gets to stay at the camp. She is so full of joy, even when she is very disappointed that she didn't get on the team. On top of all that, her best friend from camp also made the practice team. I liked this part because it shows that when it rains, there will always be a rainbow coming.

If I could change one thing in this book, it would be to add what would happen to her at the next camp. After reading the book I just wanted to their to be another book with more information. After Flora accepted practicing at the camp, the book ended. I felt as if their wasn't enough closure.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

this story is about a girl name flora,flora and her mom loved to watch soccer the u.s then flora and her mom made a soccerland for the women's who loved soccer and who had cancer.Then flora mom died and flora promised her mom that she was going to be come s profitional soccer play for the u.s.Then flora coach told her that he was going to send her to a national camp but floras dad didn't wanted to let her go so flora coach talked to her dad he wasn't to happy but he let her go.Then flora went to the national camp she was sad because she wasn't going to see her family but exited because she was going to play soccer what she really love but when she was leaving her dad gave her a nickles that her mom had she was happy to have something of her mom.Then flora left she was happy to be then when she was i the bus she found a friend they were going to share bedrooms and floras friend was going to show her the camp of where she needed to practice then she stared to email her to see how things were going to know if flora was doing find then she stared to practice to know each other then they stared playing soccer flora was in the front but she really didn't know the position when she was in the farm she played different with her friends but she stared to know how they played in the camp and she stared to get it but then there was problem it the field there was another group name the queens b is where the players that really know how to play she really didn't like the then there was problem in her family one of her family member was in the hospital and she had problem in the soccer filed she didn't know Wat to do her family wanted here to go but she didn't know what to do.I put the five stars because the everything that they have to pass through and the hard time they have i ha field.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

From November 2010 SLJ:
Gr 5–8—Flora Dupre loves soccer, and before her mom died of cancer, she made a promise that one day she was going to play for the U.S. Women's National Team. She dominates the team at her secondary school, but she is not being challenged, and she longs to play with more seasoned players than those in her little Maine town. She gets her chance when her coach tells her that she has been invited to Colorado for a two-week National Team Identification Camp, where she quickly finds out that things are quite different in the big leagues. The head coach seems to have it in for her with constant criticism; a clique of mean girls makes fun of her large stature; and she feels very alone in the pool of 100 girls who are just as determined as she is to get one of the few spots on the Under-15 national team. Choat's background in sports journalism is obvious. While soccer action takes precedence over any deep character development, readers will enjoy following Flora's new friendships, budding romance, and changing relationship with her father. Themes of sportsmanship and the mental and physical aspects of training are subtly woven into the story line. John Feinstein, Tim Green, and Mike Lupica have broadened the availability of engaging sports fiction with male protagonists; this is a solid purchase for collections looking to expand female representation in their sports-themed novels.—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

[Liz Forbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soccerland
Beth Choat
Soccerland is about a teenage girl named Flora who is a starting center forward on her high school soccer team. She is so good that she is asked to tryout for the Girl's National Team, so she goes to a camp where the tryouts are. When she is there, she meets her roommate who is a defender. She turns out to be a great friend of Flora during the weeks of tryouts. Flora also runs into a group of girls that are called "The Queen Bees" around the campus, and people say not to get near them. When they come upon Flora, her experience at the national level gets harder, especially because the number one Queen Bee is also a center forward. Throughout the book, Flora learns new things about the game she loves, and new things about the people and coaches she meets.

My favorite part is when Flora accidentally lets in an "own goal", and afterwards she redeems herself by scoring two goals for her team. After she shows perseverance by putting the own goal behind her, one of the coaches recognizes it and compliments her. Later in the book, her actions show greatly for her. I liked this part because it was awesome to see how she reacted after a mistake. It made me feel optimistic about what was to come later on in the story.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys soccer because soccer is the main idea of the story, and if you didn't like soccer, the book would not be very interesting for you.

[Hailey Huff]

This book is about a girl named Flora and she wants to escape from potato farm life in Maine after her soccer-playing mother's death, so when she is asked to go to a two week program to pick girls to train for the US Women's National Team, she is very excited. She is impressed by the training facilities and the programs while realizing that the competition is very tough and some of the girls are horrible and mean. She rooms with a nice gymnast, Samantha, has a bit of a crush on Logan, and is a bit scared of the intense British coach. She struggles with feeling fat (even though she is lean but very muscular) and works through some body issues. When her grandfather has a stroke with just a few days left of camp, she has to decide whether to stay and pursue her dream, or return to her family. The best part is at the end when Flora didn't make the national team but the coach asked her to stay all year round for training and for next year’s try outs so she can make the team. But the worst part is when the means girls are very rude to Flora and make fun of her when they don't even know her! I think everyone who plays soccer should read this book because I think they will enjoy it! This book is also like a motivational book! It’s telling you to never give up and just follow your dreams until you get what you have been trying for!

[Jordan Lund]

Soccerland was a fantastic book! Flora Dupre is a 13 year old girl who fell in love with the sport soccer, just as her mom did when she was her age. When her mom was diagnosed with cancer, soccer was their only escape from it all. They would go to an imaginary location called Soccerland. In Soccerland they would talk about events in previous World Cups and many other things having to do with soccer. After years of being the star forward for her small high school soccer team, Flora travels to Colorado for a tryout camp for the Under-15 U.S. Girls' National Soccer Team. Throughout her adventure at the camp, Flora meets a cute boy named Logan, three bullies, and she learns the ways of an elite athlete.

I REALLY liked this book. I could really relate to it all too! She spends time at an Identification camp, and I'm going to one this December, in Oregon! Also, her coach's name is Matt and oddly enough that's what my coach's name is. I didn't really like how cheesy Flora's personality was. She always called people wackadoodles, but then other times would be more normal, I guess.

I would recommend this book to any athlete really but mainly soccer players. If you're anywhere near an elite athlete you'll really relate to this book!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soccerland by Beth Choat tells the story of Flora a young soccer player who gets a change to go to the international sports facility and go to a camp where they pick the girls that have a chance to play on the under fifteen US soccer team. At the camp Flora faces homesickness, difficult social situations, cutthroat competition and a coach that's hard to read.

I almost didn't read this one. I'm not a fan of books that are put out by minor publishers because the writing and editing is almost always bad. This book however was terrific and felt very professionally edited. I loved reading about Flora and the adventures and stresses she had while at camp and couldn't put it down.

Appropriateness: There is no adult content in this book and only a hint of romance. While this is a sports book it's appeal is broad enough to interest those who aren't obsessed with sports. I recommend this book to readers 10-15

[Luke Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book! The main character, Flora Dupre, is a young teenage girl with a big dream. She wants to play soccer at the professional level, but must first work her way through the ranks by trying out for an international soccer league pertaining to her age group. Flora must compete with other soccer athletes at the International Sports Academy. She must do well at the academy, or face the fact that she may never make it to the professional level due to her circumstances of living in a small town, where soccer recruiters never come to visit. She knows this is her big chance to get noticed and to have a shot at playing soccer as a career. With the support of her family, friends and her soccer coach back home, Flora must put forth her best effort in order to impress the soccer coaches at the academy that she is worthy of playing on their team.

[Maddy Chang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soccerland , a novel by Beth Choat, is about a girl named Flora Dupre who is invited to play for the Under-15 US National Team at the International Sports Academy. Once she arrives at the International Sports Academy, also known as the ISA, she realizes how much better the players are at the ISA. During her one week at the ISA, she struggles with new positions, an injury, and players and a coach who are extremely hard to get along with. Despite all of this, she makes it through the week and finds out the results of rather or not she will play for the Under-15 US National Team. All in all, this was a great book. I cannot find one thing I disliked about this book. I was buried in this book from start to finish. It was well written. If you play soccer, you will probably enjoy this book.

[Anna Dority]

This was a fantastic and a very interesting book. I liked Soccerland because it had so many interesting characters and plot twists. I also liked the twist of her own drama and soccer. One of my favorite parts was when Flora scored her own goal, and handled it perfectly. Even in the text it showed that Charlie said, "Well, I was impressed with how you handled your own goal." When I was reading this story I felt like I was there on the field, playing and experiencing what she went through. There were so many details in this story it definitely added a good effect. I related back to most of everything she did. I also loved the happy ending when she didn't make the team, but she ended up staying full time. That plot twist was very shocking, and definitely makes you want to read a sequel. It made the book that much better at the end.

[Caitlin Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and how it was written. I found the main character, Flora Dupre, very easy to relate to in a variety of ways, especially when it came to her feelings about sports. Once I started reading this, I kept telling myself I'd just read a little more and then take a break to get some food or something, but then I just kept going and before I knew it, I was finished. I love when a book can pull me in like that. Although not the most exciting of books to read, if you love sports, especially soccer, than you'll especially appreciate reading Soccerland. The dedication and hardwork that Flora displays in the novel is something that anyone could, and should, look up to and work to achieve in their own personal goals. Great book, highly recommend it.

[Martha Schwalbe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soccerland was interesting in the way it handled life at the selection of the National teams. In several ways I felt connected to events in the book because I had a student several years ago who was third alternate on the Olympic Downhill team. She would come back from competition with injuries and experiences. Because Erin thinks she would like to compete in gymnastics at the National level it gave me insight into the camps. Then, the many references to the first World Cup for women was mentioned over and over again. I was glued to the TV for the match.
I can definitely recommend this book to students.

[Morgan W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you had a dream that you wanted so bad? Read Soccerland!
Flora Dupre has a dream to be on the Under-15 U.S. Girls National Soccer Team.All of the sudden she gets invited to the International Sports Academy in Colorado.She feels like she is going to be the best at camp. She makes the first cut,then something shocking happens. The first time in her life she has to decide if she wants to stay at camp,to follow her dreams,or go back to her hometown in Maine.Will she make the team?
What I like about this book is that Flora pushes herself to be the best and tries to make her dream come true. I recommend this book to all my friends and people who love soccer and love sports!!!

[Myranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I loved everything about it. Probably because I like soccer so much. It's all about a girl who goes to the International Sports Academy and trains for two weeks to compete to make the U-15s National US soccer team. Her whole experience on and off the field are things that happen to girls daily. I loved being able to relate to her feelings, emotions and experiences. I recommend this to everyone who loves soccer or is at least interested in it. I'm positive you won't be disappointed.

[WCPL Teens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star soccer forward Flora lives for soccer and nothing else. When this fourteen-year-old, 5’9” small-town Maine standout receives a coveted invite to the U-14 Girls’ National Team ID Camp in Colorado, her dream comes true. Facing stiff competition from 99 other elite players, Flora’s attempt to impress coaches backfires and results in a humiliating “oh-gee,” a flub almost certain to keep her from making the final cut. Harassed by the “Queen B’s,” embarrassed over her final performance, she awaits her fate and the final announcement. (Grades 6 & up)

Reviewed by Teen Librarian Elaine D.

[Lily Sporleder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soccerland is a book all about fitting in and of course, soccer. Flora, the main character, is very passionate about soccer. Especially, because it was her mom's dream. It is a little predictable but, it was very detailed and clear about who Flora is and what she wants to do with her life. At Flora's age its hard to decide what you want to do with your life and what you want to do in a couple years and Beth Choat did a great job. I highly recommend this book to sport lovers and basically anyone because its not just about soccer, its about growing up.