The Dream Team: Jaz Santos vs. the World (The Dream Team, 1)

Product Information

She’s constantly in trouble at school and isn’t allowed to join the football team because she’s a girl and now after months of ignoring arguments between her parents, her mum has left their family home. Jamie’s football prowess made him popular at his old school, and he is determined to be a star player at his new school, where he struggles to fit in. So, when things go wrong for him at the football trials, he becomes even more desperate to be successful next time. I loved the close relationship between Jamie, whose dad has walked out, and his Grandad Mike. I found Jamie’s dedication and commitment to making the team so inspiring and you can’t help but root for this relatable and likeable character. This first title in the Jamie Johnson series is an immersive and engaging read that will appeal to even the most reluctant of readers!

Determined and relentless, Jaz is a role model protagonist. Knowing that the society we live in today is patriarchal, Mante makes certain that Jaz’s life is contextualised and cleverly provides specific examples of how sexism is institutionalised. For example, there is zero funding and resources for the girl’s football team because all the money is invested in the boys’ team. By clearly listing the financial barriers girls and women face, Mante paints a realistic world and provides relatable solutions. Jaz self-organises and seeks advice from older women in the community, who offered to raise funds for transport, find second-hand football jerseys for the team, and an unpaid football coach. What began as Jaz’s dreams eventually grows into goals shared by every team member. By presenting complex concepts like mutual aid and self-organisation in much simpler terms that are relatable to children, Mante highlights the importance of community in a world that attempts to deny women and girls opportunities. The Importance of Representation After going viral for his goal, Javier Moreno is getting too big for his football boots. He’s become a ball hogger and a show-off. With his team so close to the championships, will Javier be the teammate they all need or the reason they fail? So, what works: the diversity and representation of the characters, the very readable prose and the positive messages for the audience. Sophie failed to engage much with this book, although she struggles to tell you exactly why. The story itself is pleasant enough, and there are some great, age-appropriate explorations of sexism—such as Jaz’s school giving all their sports budget to the boys’ team with nothing for the girls, the boys’ coach refusing to help train the girls, and the boys themselves not wanting to share training spaces. However, the story didn’t feel especially memorable, the levels of serendipity are overwhelming even for a middle-grade, and the majority of the characters (excluding Jaz herself) were two-dimensional at best. This is the first in a series with other books set to explore different members of the team, so Sophie hopes these future installments will help fix that particular issue. I've always loved attention, but at the moment, there's a teeny tiny chance I'm getting it for all the wrong reasons.

Families come in all shapes and sizes!": Why we need to see diverse families represented in children's books Hi! I'm Charligh, and one day I'm going to be a big star. I'm full of PIZZAZZ after all, and everyone I've ever met tells me I'm unforgettable. In a good way, I think . . .

When Jaz sees a flyer for a girls football tournament, she has an idea - she will form a team, win the tournament and her mum will be so happy she’ll come home. In the midst of this, I loved the way Jaz's family life was handled. Many kids have Jaz's experience of two parents who love their kids but don't always get along. It will surely encourage children that they don't need to blame themselves for their parents' disagreements. All 9-year-old Megan wants to do is play football, but she isn’t being noticed by her school coach. Taking matters into her own hands, she starts an all-girl under 9’s team. The only problem is you need far more than one goalkeeper for a football match. Jaz Santos vs the World is the first in a new series about a girl who gathers an unlikely group of friends together to make their own girls football team. This is an inclusive and empowering tale with a real-life feel that will appeal to fans of Cath Howe and Jacqueline Wilson.

Featured Reviews

The chapters are short with minimal illustrations. Do Goalkeepers Wear Tiaras? is the first in the Girls FC series, readers can follow the team through their wins and losses. The Football Boy Wonder by Martin Smith

This timely and heart-warming story about teamwork, self-belief and following your passions in the face of life’s up and downs is likely to score big with readers aged 8-11. Football is so topical and relevant at the moment. Why it is important for girls to play as well as boys? Jaz builds herself a team that starts out a bit rough around the edges with the intention of shooting for the stars. And shoot she does! I don’t really have a routine, and I tend to write wherever I can, whether it’s my bed or my small desk which I put up in my living room. For me, it’s more important that wherever I work is quiet and uncluttered because I can be easily distracted. This is a funny book but there are also many opportunities to learn about football and real-life women football players. The sub-plot about a mother who has walked out also shows another dimension to women that is rarely explored in literature.This full-colour graphic novel has small amounts of text, with the majority of the story told through speech. This is a great option for reluctant readers who don't like the idea of chapter books. Non-Fiction Unbelievable Football: The Most Incredible Football Stories (You Never Knew) by Matt Oldfield, illustrated by Ollie Mann

The Dream Team: Jaz Santos vs. The World is witty, filled with wisdom, and inspirational. While the book was written for children ages eight and up, there are many gems or quotes that I, an adult woman, needed to be reminded of. I related to many of Jaz’s worries, like the nagging feeling we’re not good enough or that we are responsible for other peoples’ emotions. Ultimately, Jaz’s story is about structural injustices and written for girls who worry that they will be judged not for their talent and hard work but for who they are. It is an important message for all of us: to believe in our excellence and undeniable talent even when the systems in which we work to be accepted continuously attempt to deny and refuse us. A heart-warming, inclusive and funny new story about three big F's: friends, following your dreams and football!

Wonderfully funny, wry and determined, Jaz just can't seem to find her place in the world. With her parent's constant arguments and several of her teachers endlessly irritated by Jaz's enthusiastic and sometimes untamed nature, she's having a rough year. But Jaz knows herself well enough to know that she wants, and she's determined and clever enough to push past the NOs and a system that's intent on maintaining the out-dated and incredibly sexist norms to go out and get what she wants: a girl's 7-on-7 soccer club. And even more than that: a championship team!