JAMES BUCKLEY, JR. is the author of more than 100 books for young readers on basketball, baseball, football, soccer, and more. A former editor at Sports Illustrated and NFL Publishing, he is also the author of the top-selling annual Scholastic Year in Sports. In the non-sports world, he has written a dozen titles in the New York Times best-selling Who Was...? biography series. Buckley lives in Santa Barbara where he runs the Shoreline Publishing Group, a leading producer of nonfiction for kids.

Buckley's second It's a Numbers Game title teaches readers about soccer with the help of basic geometry and statistics and showcases National Geographic's familiar, beautiful graphic design. The text is a combination of soccer strategies, facts, and instruction, which is told through the balanced perspective of male and female players at both the professional and beginner level. Players and enthusiasts of all levels will enjoy reading about their favorite soccer stars and learning how numbers are used to enhance the game. The text also provides lessons for players to practice their skills based on the strategies provided. Each page features bright background colors, photos, and text bubbles, resulting in a book with incredible shelf appeal. A table of contents, an index, a glossary, abbreviations, and references for math teachers allow readers to easily locate information.

VERDICT Soccer fans will love gaining insight about their favorite players and engaging in the math-centered activities, making this a great purchase for all libraries.--School Library Journal

Publisher: National Geographic Kids

Pub date: 2020-12-01

Length: 128 pages