Today's read... Aven Green Soccer Machine by Dusti Bowling

Today's read hit the shelves around two weeks ago and is the third in a series of chapter books, which I've actually read up to this point. We're now at book four of this fun character from the original series, Life of a Cactus, and her energy is always a treat. Let's see what this girl is up to this time!

AVEN GREEN SOCCER MACHINE

Aven Green #3

by Dusti Bowling

Illustrated by Gina Perry

Union Square Kids

Chapter Book

112 pages

ages 6 to 8

Aven Green, the remarkable heroine of Dusti Bowling’s Life of a Cactus series, marches to her own beat in this hilarious, upbeat, and unforgettable chapter book. 

Third-grader Aven Green is an expert soccer player. She even has her own top secret moves! But when her friend Sujata joins the team, Aven has a hard time learning to help the new player shine. When the time comes to choose a new team captain, will Aven learn to share the spotlight and understand what it means to be a team player?

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MY TIDBITS

Aven Green has found her sport and brings enthusiasm while weaving the world of sportsmanship and friendship.

Aven is very good at soccer, and with her dad as the team's coach, is ready to take on the next seasons...if they had enough players. With a few new openings, she's thrilled when her more quiet friend decides to join the team. Soon, they're practicing and having tons of fun, but when it's announced that, this year, a team captain is going to be chosen, the competition goes up a notch and might bring problems with it.

I have read the first books in this series and enjoy Aven's spunk and energy. She's always a force to be reckoned with and carries a positive attitude as well. This book heads into her favorite sport, which was a nice following to the instrumental theme of book two...a wide variety! The plot changes up a bit as she's not diving into this activity for the first time, but rather already excels as her lack of arms doesn't pose a direct challenge (an aspect which is always woven in with amazing, natural finesse). So it's not a rehash of a similar situation time and again, which is great.

The book is set for those readers, who have a pretty good handle on their words but could use a little more practice before heading into lower middle grade novels. The font is a bit larger and the multitude of illustrations keeps everything more than enjoyable. The characters are fun and act as any kids would. This tale rotates around sportsmanship and knowing to recognize others' talents. I would have liked to have seen more soccer in this one and did find that Aven's dad heads a bit too preachy into some themes, but nothing that would hurt this read. 

It's an enjoyable read, and I can't wait to see what Aven has up her sleeve next.