The Beautiful Game

The start of her first period—mid-game in white shorts—marks the beginning of a transformative summer for incoming eighth grade soccer player Valeria. Coached by her abuelo, with whom she lives, Valeria always played on the boys’ team, but the game during which she got her period turns out to be her last with them. Valeria remains undeterred: “I’d learned that when one door closes, I had to be strong enough to smash down a wall and make a new one.” Seeking out the best girls’ coach in Utah, she earns a spot on the Amazons and struggles to find her place among her new teammates’ “sisterhood.” While Valeria navigates the bodily discomforts of severe menstruation symptoms, family tragedy necessitates her cousin Maxwell moving into her home—and into the role she vacated on her old team. Growing emotional maturity accompanies physical maturation as Valeria learns to manage intense emotions, embrace family changes, and step outside her comfort zone to bond with the Amazons. Méndez (Furia) fluidly combines the challenges of growing up and the pressure of elite athletic competition in this winning novel. Valeria cues as having Argentinian ancestry. Ages 9–up. Agent: Linda Camacho, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Sept.)