Legends' Lair

Starred review from December 15, 2016
O'Brien conjures an old Irish soccer pitch as the setting to settle an old, sentimental feud. Although Charlie Stubbs' family is about as tight as they come, there is friction between Charlie's dad and his granddad. The Stubbses come from Dublin originally and now live in England, but circumstances conspire for them to return to Dublin to work in the family shop. The shop harbors some surprises, including a secret room containing a bag full of Granddad's trophies and a prize antique ball signed by a great Irish footballer. The ball is a significant player in the story, and so are the birth and nurturing of friendships as well as the strange twists and turns of family. But what O'Brien captures so well is the aura of the game. He handles with aplomb the sheer fun of playing a game with grace, yet when he describes the now-decrepit field on which his granddad played--"the mossy and weedy Lair, with its rusted goal posts at each end," the "patches of worn paint that once lined the legendary pitch"--he gets at the very roots of the game. O'Brien doesn't avoid the bumps in the road but invests the story with a lightness that suggests not pursuing daunting projects is more burdensome than marching straight into them. A joyful approach to sports--"Yiz are playing a stormer out there"--and a salute to the importance of understanding history. (Fiction. 10-14)

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January 1, 2017

Gr 5-8-Charlie Stubbs, who lives in England, is the superstar player of his local under-12 soccer team. He and his father are great friends and are united by their love for the sport. When his grandfather dies unexpectedly, Charlie and his family move back to Dublin. There, along with having to find a new team, he learns that years ago his grandfather was a superstar on the pitch, too. To honor his grandfather, Charlie devises a plan to organize a special game to play on the long-forgotten field called Legends' Lair. Many Irish words, idioms, and slang terms are used throughout, which may impede some U.S. readers. Likewise, those who know little about soccer may be lost in the various game-play descriptions, but Charlie's interactions with family and friends are universal. His family members are very supportive of his desire to immerse himself in soccer, and his closest friends are the ones on his teams. VERDICT Consider this for libraries where readers are as passionate about soccer as the protagonist in the book.-Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Avondale, LA

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