Valeria “Magic” Salomon is the star of the Overlords, the best boys soccer team in Utah. As Yamile Saied Méndez’s The Beautiful Game opens, expectations are high: The Overlords are defending state champions, and Coach and his assistant José are determined to conquer Nationals this year.
Valeria is confident in her abilities and ready to revel in a glorious victory lap, but she’s also sad her absentee father won’t be at the State Cup to cheer her on. “If he loved me,” she thinks, “why wasn’t he by my side for all the important events in my life?” And it’s not as if she can relax at home. Coach is her abuelo and rules her life with a grouchy iron fist. He also doesn’t defend her from snidely sexist José, which certainly taints her futbol experience.
On game day, Valeria gives it her all, but alas: The team flubs an important play; Abuelo learns his estranged daughter in Argentina has passed away; and Valeria gets her first period and publicly bleeds through her white shorts. José blames her for the loss and ousts her from the team, while Abuelo and the Overlords betray her with their silent assent.
Just like that, Valeria finds herself adrift and desperate to find a way to keep playing soccer. Thankfully, she secures a spot on a girls team, the Amazons, but is nervous about fitting in. Will she win over Coach Blume? Can she adjust to positive reinforcement and true teamwork? Who is she if she’s not the star?
The Beautiful Game is a compelling, heartfelt story about second chances, complex family dynamics, and the joy and pain of growing up. Fans of Méndez’s Furia, recipient of the 2021 Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Award, will be thrilled the author has once again created a memorable young futbol-focused protagonist with loads of talent and grit. After all, “the game is brutal. But it’s also beautiful. It breaks your heart, but then it gives you a chance to put it back together.”
