Martina the Soccer Star (Egalitè)

Martina the Soccer Star is about a girl who knows her worth and loves to play soccer. Martina tries to join her school team, but gets tired of her teammates who never pass and only think of themselves and sideline her because she’s a girl. She creates her own team in the park, and they get good working together and treating everyone as a valuable team member.
I like that Martina didn’t settle for being treated poorly, called them out for their sexist behavior, and went on to a better solution for herself. The story is a little preachy and heavy-handed to drive home the virtue of equality and teamwork, but it does clearly make the point, which is a good thing for young female soccer enthusiasts to follow her example. There is a noticeable lack of adults to mediate the situation, so Martina is left to completely find the solution by herself. Having her parents to support her or a community member to be their coach would have been nice to show kids that they can get help and still be the driving force for change.
Overall, this book was equally about soccer, gender equality in sports, and teamwork, which are all positive messages. This book is great for the soccer enthusiast in your life.