Soccer Scoop: Who's making a fool of Mac? (Matt Christopher Sports Classics) [Paperback]

Matt Christopher (Author), The #1 Sports Writer for Kids (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998 | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Matt Christopher Sports Classics (Book 57)

Mac Williams, goalie for the Cougars, is known as much for his upbeat game chatter as for his outstanding saves. But when an anonymous artist starts making fun of him with a weekly cartoon, Mac is anything but upbeat. To make matters worse, he suspects that somebody close to him is the cartoonist. Would one of his friends really betray him-or is there someone else who wants to make him look ridiculous?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5AWhen a cartoon appears in the school newspaper making fun of Mac's "motor mouth," the boy tries to find out who is responsible. This is one of Christopher's typical play-by-play sports stories with an upbeat ending and simple vocabulary and sentence structure. However, the plot is not particularly memorable. Mac has the bravado and confident personality often necessary for a successful goalie, but with all of his bragging, readers will wonder how he has any friends. Conversation between characters doesn't ring true and slang such as "You look spiffy" or the reference to a girl getting all "dolled up" for a dance sounds like phrases from the '40s or '50s rather than the '90s. Consider this for purchase only if more sports stories by Christopher are needed.ABlair Christolon, Prince William Library, Manassas, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-6. Christopher scores again with this exciting sports story that is also a pretty good whodunit. Mac Williams, star goalie for the Cougars, is suddenly the target of a series of unflattering cartoons that mysteriously begin appearing in the school newspaper. His efforts to discover the identity of the cartoonist are the basis of the plot, and readers will have fun trying to figure it out right along with Mac. Although Christopher does a good job of dispensing clues without being too obvious, some older readers may not be challenged enough by the mystery element. Other themes, such as loyalty, trust, and a budding romance with the younger sister of a primary suspect, will hold their interest more, along with the dynamic soccer play-by-play. A great choice for engaging reluctant readers. Lauren Peterson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; First edition edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316188964
• ISBN-13: 978-0316188968
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.4 x 7.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #322,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( C ) > Christopher, Matt
  • #75 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Sports & Activities > Sports > Miscellaneous

More About the Author

Matthew F. Christopher was born on August 16, 1917, in Bath, Pa. He was the oldest of nine children and a talented athlete, playing baseball, football and soccer in high school. He became interested in writing at the age of 14 and in 1940 had his first story published in a detective magazine. He began writing children's books in the mid 1950's with the publication of THE LUCKY BASEBALL BAT (Little, Brown and Company).

Christopher became well-known for his sports fiction novels for children with over 130 titles bearing his name. He was awarded numerous writing honors from state organizations as well as the 1993 Milner Award. Besides books, he had about 275 short stories and articles published in over 65 children and adult magazines over the years. He is considered America's best selling sports book author.

Matt Christopher and his wife Cay were the parents of four children and the grandparents of ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He died in 1997 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Soccer Scoop Review, May 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Soccer Scoop (Matt Christopher Sports Classics) (Hardcover)

Soccer Scoop Matt Christopher Soccer Scoop was a great book. I loved it and you will too. The story kept going and didn't bore me. I was wondering what was going to happen next every second. The book is about a goalie who has a big mouth and chatters during his soccer games. In the school paper there is a comic that makes fun of his chattering. He sets out to find out who the culprit is.The best part of the book was when Mac finds out who the culpret is he goes through a lot of trouble but it is fun and keeps you going. The book is fun because it makes you wonder who the culprit is and is very exciting. John Underwood

5.0 out of 5 stars This will get the boys reading!, January 13, 2009

By 

L. Miller - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Soccer Scoop: Who's making a fool of Mac? (Matt Christopher Sports Classics) (Paperback)

I purchased this for my 8 year old nephew, who is a soccer nut! It is his first Matt Christopher and he loves it! He is asking for another soccer tale to read. There is no better testimony than that!

5.0 out of 5 stars Soccer Scoop is Great, February 6, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Soccer Scoop: Who's making a fool of Mac? (Matt Christopher Sports Classics) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book because there were characters that were my age and the author is a really good writer for kids around the age of 7-12 years old. Matt Christopher, the author, is a really funny writer and I would reccomend this book to anyone who likes comedy books, soccer books or anyone who likes the author.