It's a Numbers Game! Soccer - by Buckley (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Information about soccer and soccer players incorporating math into the game, for children"--

Book Synopsis

Grab your soccer ball and calculator and get ready to delve into the numbers and math behind the world's most popular sport.

Whether you call it soccer or football, "the beautiful game" wouldn't be the popular game it is without numbers. From the clock counting up the seconds to positioning your feet at the right angle for the perfect dribble, this book reveals the ways digits and math are part of the game. Read about soccer greats from all over the world racking up points, championships, and even Olympic medals. Learn how goalies use geometry to guard the net and check out cool graphics that show the probability that a goalie will be able to stop a penalty kick. Soccer fans everywhere will get a kick out of this number-focused look at the game, jam-packed with sports trivia, awesome photos, and fun activities at the end of every chapter.

Review Quotes

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

About the Author

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.