January 1, 2018

Gr 4-7-Internationally, the World Cup is the most widely viewed sports event, with a viewing audience surpassing that of the Super Bowl and the Olympics. From modest beginnings in 1930, soccer's biggest competition has soared in popularity. Doeden has scored a winning goal with this insightful look at the game's prestigious championship event. Like his earlier book The Super Bowl, this latest is well researched. He discusses the history, appeal, and format of this event, as well as some fundamentals of the game. The chapter on heroics and heartbreaks of past World Cups is quite lengthy and may not resonate well with readers who are not dedicated fans. Men's and women's soccer are covered. True to his engaging style of writing, he presents information with abundant use of appealing photographs and charts. In addition, he addresses in an objective manner controversial issues that have marred the reputation of the sport, most notably the 2015 scandal that rocked the governing body of international soccer. VERDICT Once again, Doeden has demonstrated his sharp skills as a sportswriter. It should not be hard to entice sports fans with this title.-Jeanette Lambert, formerly at Nashville-Davidson County Schools

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 15, 2018
The story of the World Cup, crown jewel of international soccer.Doeden's very sharp contribution to the vast world of World Cup literature deserves to be on every young soccer enthusiast's bookshelf. The book, pulsing with cracking photographs and archival images, starts at the beginning, with accounts of the first international match (attended by 4,000), between England and Scotland (which won) in 1872; the first international match outside the British Isles in 1902; and the initiation of the World Cup in 1930. Doeden writes with an easy hand, a little feverish when the action is hot, conveying plenty of information with plenty of momentum. He devotes a page to the recent FIFA bribery scandal and another to hooliganism--less-savory parts of the game--and then goes on to recap the classic matches and the introduction of women's soccer to the World Cup. There's lots of captivating material here: Zinedine Zidane's head-butt, Brandi Chastain's brilliant shootout goal in the 1999 final, the unreal "barrage of goals" that ended the 1970 cup, the introduction of African teams in the 1980s, the suspected cheating in the 1982 game that allowed West Germany and Austria to advance if Austria failed to score (they failed to score) and keep Algeria out of the contest. And of course there is Pele.Mesmerizing. (Nonfiction. 10-16)

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January 1, 2018
Grades 4-7 This brief but informative overview, filled with black-and-white and color photographs, covers the history of the World Cup from its 1930 debut to its popularity today. It recounts the most memorable matches and moments from Men's and Women's World Cup history and spotlights some of the sport's greatest players: Brazil's Pele, Argentina's Diego Maradona, etc. Even though the Women's World Cup didn't start until 1991, its prominence continues to grow. The book doesn't shy away from mentioning pay inequality between the men and women players (leading to recent lawsuits), some of the sport's scandals, the hooliganism at certain matches, or the strange history of the sport's trophy. Due to its popularity, the men's tournament plans to expand from 32 teams to 48 by 2026. One of the most remarkable aspects of the World Cup is how affordable the tickets are for everyone, and how it promotes good sportsmanship and worldwide goodwill. Soccer fans, or just casual readers, will enjoy this short but engaging supplemental resource.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
A mix of historical black-and-white and contemporary color photos effectively complement Doeden's information- and action-packed narrative describing the origins of soccer and the history of men and women's World Cup competitions. The book features exciting highlights from memorable Cup games and heroics from star players. Full-page inserts also discuss World Cup incidents involving bribery, fan "hooliganism," and on-field rough play.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)