Ten Thousand Tries
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
A middle school soccer whiz’s determination to keep things from changing is tested when his father’s ALS symptoms worsen in this “heart-tugging and uplifting” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) story about growing up and facing loss, perfect for fans of Shouting at the Rain.
Twelve-year-old Golden Maroni is determined to channel his hero, soccer superstar Lionel Messi, and become captain of his soccer team and master of his eighth grade universe…especially since his home universe is spiraling out of orbit. Off the field, Golden’s dad, once a pro soccer player himself, is now battling ALS, a disease that attacks his muscles, leaving him less and less physically able to control his body every day. And while Mom says there’s no cure, Golden is convinced that his dad can beat this, just like any opponent, they just have to try.
Golden knows that if you want to perfect a skill you have to put ten thousand tries in, so he’s convinced if he can put that much effort in, on and off the field, he can stop everything from changing. But when his dad continues to decline and his constant pushing starts to alienate his friends and team, Golden is forced to confront the idea that being master of your universe might not mean being in control of everything. What if it means letting go of the things you can’t control so you can do the most good for the things you can?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Twelve-year-old Golden Maroni, the "smallest boy in the eighth grade. BY FAR," dreams of emulating his hero, Argentine soccer champion Lionel Messi, and captaining Mudbury Middle School's team despite his short stature. Golden's world revolves around soccer, as it does for his parents, former soccer stars turned Mudbury K–8 coed team coaches: his mother, who is currently coaching his team, and his father, who is slowly dying from ALS after getting diagnosed a year and a half ago. Golden, cued as white, believes if he achieves 10,000 hours of training à la Gladwell, he'll become a soccer master. But, deeper, he believes—and bargains with God—that if he perseveres, his father's illness will not worsen. As plotlines parallel, Golden faces stinging triumphs and devastating setbacks in his quest to lead his team to the championships, just as he navigates his relationships with his father and best friends, Chinese American golden boy Benny Ho, and white neighbor Lucy Littlehouse, who might be moving to Maine. Makechnie (The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair) breathes life into both soccer scenes and contemporary struggles in this emotional tour de force centering family, love, grief, and death. Ages 8–12.
