Heads Up!

John Walker is a professor of Spanish at Queen’s University.

Heads Up! is the story of two Grade 5 friends, Glen and Jacob, who live
in Toronto and are teammates on the school soccer team. Their friendship
is sorely tested by the arrival of Danny, a Grade 6 star soccer player
whose poor attitude, selfishness, and bad influence causes problems
between the two friends.

The authors, who are obviously familiar with the soccer scene, include
lots of good soccer action, description, even technical stuff about the
game. But, of course, Heads Up! is about much more than the game.
Through the influence of their teacher-coach, the players learn life
skills about winning and losing, fair play, team spirit, and concern for
others. Interlinked with events on the field are the emotional,
domestic, and social problems that are playing out in the home lives of
the main characters. The story’s message: the values learned on the
soccer field are just as important in life as in sport. Heads Up! is a
sure winner. Highly recommended.