Ten: A Soccer Story

Keywords: equality, identity, sports, humor

Maya is a passionate soccer fan eager to start playing soccer herself. But soccer is considered a “boys’ game” in Malaysia in 1986. Maya teaches herself basic soccer skills with only her mother and a potted rosebush as training partners, then gradually persuades enough girls to join her to form a team, all the while trying to keep her unpredictable biracial family together. Reading Maya’s witty, observant first-person narrative will make readers want her on their team, and they’ll cheer her on as she discovers that winning is great—but losing doesn’t mean defeat.