Hard training is only the first step in a fast-paced read, which will keep more than just sport fans gripped until the last page.

Jack can't believe that he was accepted to the academy in London. It's the first step in having his soccer dreams come true...or rather, football. He already knows that the training at the academy will be harsh, but he hasn't even considered the language differences and soon feels like he's learning a new language: field to pitch, practice to training, cleats to boots, and so much more. Plus, the competition is fierce and some of the other students are ready to do anything to make sure they keep themselves in the limelight. When it almost becomes too much, he runs into a street team outside of the school walls, and this team isn't one to be scoffed at. Soon, he finds himself caught between the two worlds, and extra stress might not be exactly what he needs.

From the very first moments, this read propels forward to keep the reader engaged the entire way through. There's always something happening, whether soccer, grades, coaches, friendship, or dealing with living abroad. The author uses short, clipped sentences to keep up this atmosphere and only feeds in enough descriptions to make the scenes clear. Even the inner-depth is kept very concise, giving characters enough to be interesting but never dwelling on anything. There is drama on the friendship end, but this weaves right into the soccer world so as not to distract from the main plot line. Instead, plenty of training and game scenes keep the tension high...and even stay clipped to short scenes on this end. The vocabulary is also relatively simple to create an easy, quick-flowing read. So, this is one reluctant readers will want to take a look at. I'd also recommend this one for the lower end of the middle grade audience. Older readers will buzz right through, though, and enjoy the excitement as well.

It's a great start to the series, keeps the reader in the pages, and will be fun to see what happens to Jack next.