By Colorado Kids Advisory Board member Ryan Downing

Title: Soccer Dreams
Author: Leah Lauber
Photography: Leah Lauber
Publisher: WCI PRESS
Number of Pages: 93

“U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A.!” All 76,000 U.S. fans at the 1996 Olympic Gold Medal game against China were going wild! “U.S.A! U.S.A!” The chants continued.
“U.S.A!” joined 12 year old Leah Lauber and her younger sister Nicole.
When the two Florida sisters found out that the United States had made the finals, they never would have guessed in their craziest dreams that they would be able to attend the winning game. As told by Leah in her journal, it was a great game. She said in the second half, the score was tied 1-1. Luckily, in the 76th minute of the game, Tiffeny Milbrett brought the U.S. to victory with a sweet kick on goal. Leah had lots of fun at the game.

12 year old Leah Laubers’ fortune just continued getting better. After the game in 1996, she got the players’ autographs, just like in the game she had attended earlier. Leah told her readers, “If you ever get the chance to see the Olympics, go for it! It’s an experience of a lifetime!”

A while later, Leah applied to be one of 12 members of the X-team for the Kids’ section of the St. Petersburg Times. She made the staff team! As her first big assignment, she got to review local soccer games. Then she got to interview real players, and she also did other stories like on a classmate that Irish-Danced and a review on an N’Sync concert she got to attend. Mostly, she got assignments following the U.S.A. soccer team. Since she was seven, Leah had played soccer so she and her family were big fans. When she got older, she joined a club soccer team. Her love for soccer continued and she continued to play the game, (and of course write).
Along her soccer adventure, Leah said, “There’s nothing like getting advice from a pro.” Leah was able to interview and get autographs from so many players!

Not only does Leah love soccer and writing, she also loves photography. When she entered a contest that had you take a photo of soccer in action, she got a positive reply; SHE HAD WON AGAIN! As a reward, she got to go to the soccer finals in California. It turned out to be a chaotic trip but, as she said, “With a Happy Ending.”
Now 16, Leah continues to play for her Club and to write and take pictures. Leah proved in this story that, “Dreams DO Come True!!”
As an 11- year old girl, I loved this inspiring journal-story of a girl with a passion for the game of soccer. I would definitely recommend this adventure to any soccer lovers.

I think mostly girls would enjoy this just because it is written in the perspective of a girl, but I suppose some boys might enjoy it, too. I know it was a fun read full of colored photographs and even copies of real autographs, and it really inspired me to get out there and play! (February, 2005)