Number 9: The Beginning (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781919504605)

FROM TEXAS DREAMER TO LONDON LEGEND

Jack has never played for a real team-until now.

When a surprise trial lands him at England's top

soccer academy

, Jack trades his small Texas town for the cutthroat world of elite football in London. But it's nothing like he imagined.

Every mistake is punished. Every pass is judged. Rival players want him gone. Alone, out of his depth, and miles behind the others, Jack starts to question everything.

Then he finds

The Bandits

-an underground crew of

street soccer

players. No whistles. No coaches. No limits. The kind of football that doesn't follow rules-it makes its own.

As Jack slips between two worlds-the rigid demands of the academy and the raw freedom of street soccer-he learns that greatness isn't about being perfect... It's about something much deeper.

When homesickness threatens to break him, bullies target his every weakness, and betrayal hits from the one place he thought was safe, Jack faces his ultimate test.

With his dream hanging by a thread-and the legendary Number 9 shirt within reach-he must dig deeper than ever before.

Does he have what it takes to survive-and prove he truly belongs among the best?

Why Kids Love It:

Why Parents Love It:

Ideal book series for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.

For fans of soccer, adventure, sports, and fast-paced underdog stories.

Check out the other books in the Number 9 Series:

Number 9 II: The Club

Number 9 III: The Battle

Number 9 IV: The Fight