WOW. This book was brilliant! I loved every moment of it, from the characters to the gentle chaos to the full-blown chaos within the walls of a prestigious ballet conservatory. The writing style was beautiful, at once heartbreaking and concise, with incredible worldbuilding and description. The idea of a picture-perfect group of ballet dancers each hiding dark secrets was executed just right. The characters definitely weren't the flawless images they project onstage. There were so many issues and topics covered in this book, but they kept the pages flying fast and my suspense mounted high. Truly a stellar book with a cliffhanger that nearly killed me (and someone else in the book...). I can't wait to continue this journey in the sequel.

This book is a great quick and easy read for kids who are looking for something not too time-consuming. This book entails a journey of three 13-year-old friends trying to solve the mystery of the missing soccer trophy that went missing years ago from the town library. Between soccer practice, soccer tournaments, and school, Aiden, Ava, and Daniel do their best to solve the mystery of what happened to the trophy. Eventually, after some time of digging and research, they were finally able to solve the mystery. The ending of the book was a very satisfying ending, as we get to hear why it was stolen. If you like short reads and mysteries, this book is for you!

Talented soccer player and 7th grader Albert Kinney just dropped his travel team so he could focus all his time on making the school team. Things aren't going great with him and his friend Trey on the travel team, so he's hoping things will be better if they play together for the school team. Albert thinks his life is over when he doesn't make the team... but later that night he gets transported to another alien planet named Zeenod, who tells Albert they want HIM to be the Star Striker for their soccer team! Albert is in disbelief over the whole series of events, because how do you even react when you get teleported to an alien planet and asked to play soccer with them?! Albert agrees but is told he must keep the whole thing a secret, or he could get his memory wiped permanently. Adapting to the new planet and robots like his advisor Unit B is difficult, but it's a challenge Albert is excited to take on. But something sinister is happening in the galaxy, someone trying to stop Albert from being part of the Zeenod's team, and possibly eliminate him. But why? Will Albert persevere through the different conflicts in his life on the alien soccer team and on earth? And can he keep it a secret from the rest of the world? I thought this book was super interesting with the whole new galaxy introduced and the different types of aliens Albert encounters throughout the story. This humorous and thrilling book kept me on the edge of my seat! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves soccer and adventure!