Abby has joined a Special Olympics Unified Sports soccer team! Playing soccer every day with a new group of friends is awesome. But Abby expected to be the star on this team. And she's not. Erin is just as good as Abby. Maybe even better.
Abby doesn't know how to be number two. So she hogs the ball. And when Erin gets the ball, she doesn't pass it to Abby. Abby and Erin are in big trouble with the team. How did playing soccer turn into such a big mess?
Main Plot[]
Abby joined a Special Olympics Unified Sports soccer team! Unfortunately, Abby doesn’t know how to deal with not being the best player.
Subplot[]
The BSC creates the SB (short for Stoneybrook) United Booster Team. They start washing cars and selling treats so they can get T-shirts.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Continuity and Inconsistencies[]
Continuity
Inconsistencies
In Kristy and the Dirty Diapers, Anna says that "Abby would never dream of actually playing on a team." Yet in this book, Abby says that in Long Island, she was the star forward, co-captain, and leading scorer on her school's soccer team.
On page 101, Abby tells her mother she has to go do homework, but the book takes place during the summer.
Ann M. Martin's Dear Reader Letter[]
Dear Reader,
For a long time, I’ve been interested in the Special Olympics. Special Olympics is a year-round program for people with intellectual disabilities. Athletes train and compete in twenty-three official Special Olympics sports, including alpine and cross-country skiing, aquatics, basketball, bowling, figure skating, gymnastics, roller skating, soccer, softball, and track and field.
It is often said that Special Olympics is “training for life.” The men, women, boys, and girls who train throughout the year are not only preparing themselves for competition but also for greater participation in family, work, school, and community life. Like Abby, participants in the Special Olympics Unified Sports® program learn a lot about teamwork, friendship, and spirit. It’s an experience Abby will never forget!
To find out more about Special Olympics and Unified Sports, contact your local Special Olympics office (listed in the phone book) or check out the Special Olympics website at http://www.specialolympics.org
Trivia[]
The Stevensons haven't been to the graveyard to see Mr. Stevenson's headstone in four years.