The Dream Team: Jaz Santos vs. the World (The Dream Team, 1)

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Sexism is addressed head-on and I particularly enjoyed the real-life information about women's football that is worked into the story.

The team wants to enter a girls tournament but is up against sports misogyny in their own school, difficult teachers, and no initial funding.

This is a middle grade children's book about a girl who starts her own girl's football team while dealing with her parents splitting up. Priscilla Mante’s debut contemporary novel for children aged 9+ (the first in a series) is strong on the importance of organisation, teamwork and facing your fears and great at promoting women’s football while also tackling (no pun intended) the sexism that girls face in the game.

And of course, the message that girls can do anything is an absolutely great one, and I loved seeing the Bramrock Stars proving girls can play football too. Also by the end of the book Jaz is facing up to her fears and realising that when things go wrong around her, it isn’t her fault. By presenting complex concepts like mutual aid and self-organisation in much simpler terms that are relatable to children, Mante highlights the importance of community in a world that attempts to deny women and girls opportunities. A scene that stands out in the book is when Jaz and her teammates strategise and set goals for what they hope their team will eventually become. Jaz builds herself a team that starts out a bit rough around the edges with the intention of shooting for the stars.It didn't have that extra spark that could have really hooked me (I might be an adult but there are some MG books that I truly love), but that's probably because I am not at all interested in sports. She faces many challenges including lack of funding and difficulty accessing resources for training, but she is determined to see her new team succeed. She likes Dad's homemade pizza, she wants Mum to pay some attention, and her sights are set on football stardom. It’s a fantastic story, showing kids they shouldn’t give up on their dreams, especially when they are discouraged by people with outdated ideas on what girls and boys can and can’t do.

Perhaps by winning the tournament, she can not only prove that girls have got game, but also convince her parents to be happy together again. From fundraising to training, Jaz leaves no stone unturned - with her passionate hopes of proving that girls can be taken seriously in football matched only by her desire to get mum back. Jaz is finding school difficult and is being labeled a troublemaker, but things are also difficult for her at home because her parents are fighting a lot. The school won't provide money or a coach for a girls' football team, so Jaz convinces a group of friends to join her and raise the money themselves. Jaz blames herself for the break up and tries her best to fix her family before eventually realising it isn’t her fault.The pacing was a bit strange, because the 'non sports' themes were scattered around, without an organic feel to them. When Jaz sees a flyer for a girls football tournament, she has an idea - she will form a team, win the tournament and her mum will be so happy she’ll come home. Jaz’s mum, from Angola, and her father, from Scotland, no longer get on – and when her mum nearly burns the house down, her parents decide it is time for Mum to move out.