All Heart: My Dedication and Determination to Become One of Soccer’s Best by Carli Lloyd. December 6, 2016. HMH Books for Young Readers, 304 p. ISBN: 9780544978690. Int Lvl: 5-8; Rdg Lvl: 6.7; Lexile: 940.
In the summer of 2015, the U.S. women’s national soccer team won the World Cup behind an epic performance by Carli Lloyd. Carli, a midfielder, scored three goals in the first sixteen minutes—the greatest goal-scoring effort in the history of World Cup finals.
But there was a time when Carli almost quit soccer. She struggled with doubts and low confidence. In All Heart, adapted from When Nobody Was Watching specifically for younger readers, Carli tells the full inspiring story of her journey to the top of the soccer world—an honest, action-packed account that takes readers inside the mind of a hardworking athlete.
Includes two full-color photo inserts.
Potentially Sensitive Areas: None
Reviews
Booklist (January 1, 2017 (Vol. 113, No. 9))
Grades 6-10. Despite being named the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year, winning two Olympic gold medals in women’s soccer, and being instrumental in clinching the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Lloyd’s successes did not come easy. In this memoir for young readers, adapted from her New York Times best-seller When Nobody Was Watching (2016), Lloyd highlights her constant struggles with self-criticism and her quest for perfection, which often leave her feeling like an underachiever. She begins with being cut in 2003 from the U.S. Under-21 soccer team and how it drove her more to become one the country’s best female soccer athletes. Her conversational narrative then takes readers step-by-step through her ups and downs both on and off the playing field, including her intense personal training, initial trouble fitting in among her teammates and with coaches, and troubled relationship with her parents. While soccer fans will especially enjoy the detailed descriptions of key matches from her career, there’s much to glean about teamwork and determination for any teen. An inspiring story of perseverance.
Kirkus Reviews (December 15, 2016)
Writing with sports journalist Coffey, Lloyd presents a play-by-play recap of her progress from elementary school soccer novice to World Cup player and winner of 2015’s FIFA Golden Ball and Silver Boot.In this young readers’ adaptation of her memoir for adults, When Nobody Was Watching (2016), Lloyd seems to remember with total recall every game she’s ever played, recapping them in a direct, detailed, blow-by-blow manner that is sure to confuse anyone who isn’t as into soccer as she is. Of course, her audience is likely to be a self-selected one. But soccer detail isn’t the only reason to read this book. All too often, it is easy to look at heroes of many stripes and think that success came to them easily. Lloyd makes it clear that her path was never easy, never without commitment, never without sacrifice, and, most of all, never without discipline and a lot of hard work. Her path covered a lot of ups and downs, and there were key people along the way who made her success the eventual inevitable goal…along with those who deserted and disappointed her. Narrating in the first person, Lloyd is frank about such difficulties as her estrangement from her family, telling readers, “I don’t hear from any of them after the [2012] Olympics, though they do send me a card. I can’t believe it has been four years since we’ve had any relationship to speak of.” True to real life, her story does not unfold neatly, with a clear narrative arc, but her character comes through loud and clear.Not for lovers of soccer only: readers after inspiration to keep playing, regardless of the odds, will find plenty here. (photos, index) (Memoir. 10-14)
About the Author
CarliLloyd is a co-captain of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team and has been named the FIFA World Player of the Year for two years in a row (2015 and 2016). The midfielder led the U.S. team to World Cup victory in 2015 and also scored the gold-medal winning goals in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. She has played in three FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments, helping the U.S. win bronze, silver and then gold. In 2015 she was also awarded the FIFA Golden Ball and the Silver Boot. The New Jersey native currently plays for the Houston Dash in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Her website is www.carlilloyd.com.
Around the Web
All Heart on Amazon
All Heart on Goodreads
All Heart on JLG
All Heart Publisher Page
Cumberland Regional HS Media Center 