• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Cody and the Lions are playing great soccer, even if their team has only eleven players. But the arrival of an international company to build a factory on a nearby lake splits the team in two: Cody and his teammates who are worried the factory will pollute the lake vs. the players whose families will benefit from the jobs and opportunities the company will bring. Cody and his friends decide to organize a marathon soccer game to bring attention to the environmental impact of the factory in the hopes people will put pressure on the town council to vote against it being built.

The marathon soccer game tests Cody to the limits of his strength. But it also tests his friendship, teamwork, courage, and faith that he can deal with the emotional effects as well as the physical effects of surviving cancer.

Very much a book that can be read on its own, The Beautiful Game is a sequel to David Skuy's highly successful 2013 novel Striker.

DAVID SKUYis a lawyer, a writer and a Leafs fan to the core. He spent most of his childhood playing some sport or another: hockey, soccer, football, tennis and a few others. What he remembers most is the intensity, the competitiveness, and the sheer enjoyment of playing a sport you love when you’re young. He has written five books in the Game Time series, three in the Rocket Blues series, as well as the YA novel Undergrounders, winner of the Silver Birch Award. Visit him at www.davidskuy.com.

David Skuy's profile page

"There are a lot of messages in the story - from the power of the 'little guy' to influence big business, to bullying, racism, believing in yourself, and the importance of family - all of them worthy."

<em>CM Magazine<em/>

"Skuy writes skilfully about the game of soccer."

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