It’s a familiar sight to many young soccer players: a flat stretch of green grass stretches into the distance, broken up into multiple soccer fields, each occupied by two teams vying for a win. As the narrator of Wonder Goal runs onto the field with his teammates, he knows that they all share “the same impossible dream, of one day becoming world-class soccer stars.” Indeed, he is on his way, as he launches a perfect shot toward the goal. As the ball flies toward the far corner of the net, time is suspended momentarily, and the soccer player thinks about his fantasy of scoring a “wonder goal” to win the World Cup and how his father shared the same dream in his boyhood. Then time speeds up again as the ball hits the back of the net, but the young dreamer is now an adult and a member of a team playing their first game of the World Cup Finals. The ball he kicked as a child becomes a shot on goal expertly fired by the adult athlete he imagined becoming—another type of goal, gloriously achieved. Watercolor illustrations capture the energy of the sport, and excellent pacing and design combine with the text in a surprising yet satisfying shift in time and perspective. Although only a very few who dream of reaching the pinnacle of their favorite sport actually do, the multitudes who have visualized themselves in that spot will take vicarious pleasure in this young player’s success. (Ages 8–12)

Like many children all over the world, a small boy dreams of winning the World Cup! But in the meantime, scoring the perfect, time-stopping goal would be just fine. And once you've done that, who knows what the future might hold?

‘A perfectly paced story about passion, dedication and what they might bring, accompanied by Foreman’s tender drawings... You might say he has the hand of God... Vital reading for aspiring Harry Kanes everywhere.’ THE TIMES (Book of the Week)

'Michael Foreman deserves all the applause he gets.’ INDEPENDENT