Soccer Shake-Up

By Jake Maddox and Jesus Aburto

Dominic doesn't want to play soccer, but when his mom signs him up, he has no choice. So Dominic just messes around on the field during practice, even though he secretly admires the skills of Carlos, his star-player teammate. When Carlos has to miss a game, Dominic starts to think it could be his time to shine. But after his rowdy behavior, will his coach or any of his teammates trust Dominic to score big?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Aug 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781496524690

Jake Maddox

Who is Jake Maddox? Athlete, author, world-traveler – or all three? He has surfed in Hawaii, scuba-dived in Australia, and climbed the mountains of Peru and Alaska. His books range from the most popular team sports to outdoor activities to survival adventures and even to auto racing. His exploits have inspired numerous writers to walk in his footsteps – literally! Each of his stories is stamped with teamwork, fair play, and a strong sense of self-worth and discipline. Always a team-player, Maddox realizes it takes more than one man (or woman) to create a book good enough for a young reader. He hopes the lessons learned on the court, field, or arena and the champion sprinter pace of his books can motivate kids to become better athletes and lifelong readers.

Book preview

Cover

CHAPTER 1

WARMING THE BENCH

Twelve-year-old Dominic Harper slid into the backseat of his mom’s car Monday after school. I really don’t want to play soccer, he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

I know Caleb being sick has been hard on you, Mom said as she strapped Caleb, Dominic’s two-year-old brother, into his car seat. But you can’t just stay in the house all day and play computer games.

Dominic sighed.

This will be a much better way for you to spend your time, Mom continued. Caleb’s operation is in two weeks. After that, everything will go back to normal.

Dominic heard his mom’s voice catch. Even without looking at her, he knew that there were tears in her eyes. Might, he thought. She means everything might go back to normal.

The problem had started months before, when Caleb suddenly became fussy all the time. Mom and Dad had been unable to figure out why he was throwing tantrums, screaming, and crying so much. He stopped sleeping through the night. Finally, the doctor had figured out what was wrong — Caleb had a tumor growing on his spine and would need surgery to remove it.

According to the doctor, the tumor was probably the harmless kind, and Caleb would likely be fine. But still, there was a small chance Caleb might have cancer, and Dominic was really worried about his brother. They wouldn’t know for sure that Caleb was okay until after he had the operation.

Usually Dominic’s parents limited the amount of time he spent playing computer and video games, but because they had been so worried about Caleb lately, they hadn’t been enforcing the rules. Dominic had been playing video and computer games nonstop after school and on the weekends. If he couldn’t sleep at night, he would get up, turn on his computer, and play some more. When he played, he didn’t feel as nervous.

The