Martin has been waiting for soccer season since he was 5 years old. So has his father. When Martin doesn't make the 9th grade team, both of them have to figure out what comes next.
Jamal loves football more than anything. It's his senior year, college scouts are watching, and a scholarship is within reach — if he can just pass French. One class stands between him and everything he's worked for.
Coach Albano is in his third year as head football coach, still the new guy, still proving himself. His team has talent. What it doesn't have is a kicker. Not one player on the roster can kick the ball on special teams. And if that weren't enough, the director of the Board of Education is making his job considerably more complicated.
Three people. One season. Zero easy answers.
This book doesn't play it safe. This book tackles: failure, resilience, father-son expectations, the pressure of athletic scholarships, the radical idea that Plan B might actually be better than Plan A — and a Haitian-American kid and a Black kid at the center of the story, because representation isn't optional
Pairs beautifully with: discussions of failure and redirection, the pressure student athletes face, and the question: "Has something you didn't get ever turned out to be the best thing that didn't happen to you?"
Note for teachers: Martin speaks French at home. Jamal's worst subject is French. The kicker teaches the quarterback — and the quarterback teaches the kicker. This is what mutual aid actually looks like in a classroom. Also: nous forms appear constantly and naturally throughout. Your French 2 students will thank you.
Level: Novice Mid | Tense: Present | Words: 6,900 | Unique words: 325 | Language: French
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