About This Book:
It’s the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, and Lionel Messi―one of the greatest players to ever take the field―is one match away from victory. Despite his many awards and accolades, Messi has never been able to add a World Cup trophy to his collection.
If Argentina wins, this would be a historic moment not just for the country, but for the entire legacy of soccer on the international stage.
Travel back in time to learn how the World Cup began and see the incredible players―from Maradona to Mbappé―who built it into the global phenomenon we know today.
This exciting new graphic novel series offers a portal to the past, putting young readers in the middle of the most epic moments in sports history.
Along with action-packed games and nail-biting victories, this series zooms out to explore the incredible backstories, social and political issues, and larger historical context that truly make these games the greatest in history.
*Review Contributed by Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer*
This was a very well-done sports graphic novel covering one particular game, in 2022, or Messi’s career. I enjoyed the style of artwork (which sometimes lapsed into some vintage-inspired panels!), the turquoise blue and red color palette, and the general formatting. The text is in a good size, readable font that also has a comic book feel to it. I also loved that there was a lot of soccer history in the first chapter (including the WWI era Christmas soccer match between British and German soldiers), which hopefully readers will not ignore before getting to Messi’s story. The “water breaks” and “trivia goals” are fun as well. This will be in VERY high demand in upper elementary and middle school libraries, especially during the World Cup games.
Good Points
I am very much looking forward to this Abrams Fanfare series. There is no information about further titles now, but there are some illustrations at the front of the book depicting Billie Jean King’s match against Bobby Riggs, so that’s a possibility.
The graphic novel format is a great way to deliver sports history to young readers. There are so few graphic novels about sports, so I am glad to see that there are a few more to join the ranks of books like Gonzalez’s Offside and Simon’s Pele: The King of Soccer.
*Find More Info & Buy This Book HERE!*
