A really interesting read about a story of friendship, football and family as well as the problems family’s go through. Jaz is going through a lot at home and has football as her outlet to deal with her stress. It’s such a heartwarming read that deals with some hard subjects such as sexism, self-doubt and family problems. Definitely recommend this book especially for younger girls to see no matter what you can do anything and be whoever you want to be. Would love to read more by this author. Jaz is amazing.

A brilliant debut. Shared with my young cousin who absolutely adored it too. Think Black girl rep esp in this space, this sport is really important for you people to see.

This was an adorable, moving read with such depth, and I would recommend to every young reader who is looking for a new emotional read.

2.5 🌟
This was a cute middle grade, but I really struggled with the author's writing style, which seemed a bit amateurish and immature. Not only was the main character's voice hardly that of a 10 years old, but it read like the author had forgotten what it is like to be a child. I have read my fair share of middle grades and I can now tell when the authors know how to talk like, about and to children and when they do not. I believe this was a debut, so maybe in the future this aspect will get better; I don't think I will be reading the other books in this companion series, but I really believe there's room for improvement.
The plot overall was a pretty standard sports fiction plot, with the addition of some other themes, but I don't think they were handled particularly well. The pacing was a bit strange, because the 'non sports' themes were scattered around, without an organic feel to them. Again, as I believe this was a debut, there's room for improvement and I hope the author focuses on developing her future plots in a more cohesive way.
As far as the characters are concerned, they were nice. Not my all times favourites, as I didn't really vibe with the MC and she was narrating everything, but nice nonetheless.
If you have a child in your life who really loves football/soccer, you could gift them this book, as I think it will be enjoyable for them even if I didn't love it. Maybe the next book will be better, anyways!

A fantastically fun book about dreaming big and the power and pure joy that comes with fierce, female friendship. Jaz’s dynamic nature and determination shines so brightly throughout, and I think young readers everywhere are going to fall in love with her, and want to start their very own dream team!

This is a story about friendship, about hope and not giving up on your dreams.
I think it has really important messages for younger readers and will be enjoyed by many.
I found it a little difficult to get into at the start, but overall I enjoyed it and would recommend it to children at school.

Occasionally a middle grade book comes along that makes me more excited with each page I turn, and JAZ SANTOS VS. THE WORLD (Puffin) by debut Priscilla Mante is that book. Ten-year-old Jaz feels her best playing football (soccer), and she's sure that if she can start her own girl's team and win the under-11s championship, it'll bring her recently-separated parents back together for sure. Gorgeous writing, packed with voice, and reminiscent of Cathy Cassidy and Jason Reynolds.

When Jaz Santos-Campbell’s Mãe leaves the family home, Jaz becomes convinced that if she proves that she is a fantastic footballer, her mother will come home. So she rounds up her friends, a group of girls who have never even considered playing the beautiful game before, to form the Bramrock Stars and enter a local football tournament. This heartwarming story of friendship is all about beating the odds and not giving up on your dreams. It touches on darker issues such as insecurity and unstable family relationships in a really lovely, sensitive manner with a hopeful slant that these things can and will improve. There are also some mentions of the sexism within sport and the ongoing fight that women face to change it. I actually finished the book with a newfound enthusiasm for football, which was a very expected side effect!

Jaz Santos vs. the World by Priscilla Mante is a short, middle-grade book about eleven-year-old Jaz who is obsessed with football (soccer). 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. When her mum decides to move in with her sister half an hour away, Jaz is left reeling.

After spotting a flyer for a local girls’ football tournament, Jaz convinces a group of her classmates to form a team and enter the competition. She faces many challenges including lack of funding and difficulty accessing resources for training, but she is determined to see her new team succeed. Will the Bamrock Stars be up to the challenge and even if they are, will their success be enough to bring her family back together?

Sophie failed to engage much with this book, although she struggles to tell you exactly why. The story itself is pleasant enough, and there are some great, age-appropriate explorations of sexism—such as Jaz’s school giving all their sports budget to the boys’ team with nothing for the girls, the boys’ coach refusing to help train the girls, and the boys themselves not wanting to share training spaces. However, the story didn’t feel especially memorable, the levels of serendipity are overwhelming even for a middle-grade, and the majority of the characters (excluding Jaz herself) were two-dimensional at best. This is the first in a series with other books set to explore different members of the team, so Sophie hopes these future installments will help fix that particular issue.

While this isn’t a book that is likely to become a new classic, Sophie would still recommend it to young readers, especially sports fans, and she still plans to pick up the next book in the series to see how the Bamrock Stars story continues.

Firstly, this book is so much fun. Our main character Jaz has a fantastic set of friends and it was so entertaining reading about their journey to becoming a proper team; sleepovers and pizza making included! I celebrated with these characters, was saddened by their setbacks and motivated by their determination.

It highlights so many important issues faced by young people. One of which is the lack of encouragement for girls to pursue football. The boys in Jaz’ class were threatened by a girl who is talented at football and many of the teachers had no interest in helping the girls to get funding or even training for their team. This highlights the impacts of sexism right from primary school age. Boys’ and girls’ football is treated completely differently, regardless of the level it’s played at, and this stems from sexist ideas about what girls can and can’t do as well as boys can. Mante shows that young girls need support and belief from the adults around them, as well as belief in themselves, to excel.

Another important topic is the relationship between Jaz’ mum (Mãe) and dad. Jaz felt like their arguments and problems stemmed from her behaviour and that her team winning a competition would fix everything. It is so easy for children of this age to blame themselves and try to fix parent or family relationships and I think Mante does an incredible job of showing young readers that they are not responsible for their parents. It also shows adults that having honest conversations with your children and reminding them of how proud you are of them, is hugely important for their mental well being and can ease some of the pressures they are placing on themselves.

Many young people will also empathise with Jaz when she is often punished for her reactions to another student’s behaviour and even wrongly accused of things that she didn’t do. It is sometimes easier for teaches to single out one student as being disruptive and to blame them, rather than to address the situation properly and teach children valuable lessons through their actions. It is vital that children understand how to learn from their mistakes but also learn that each student must be treated and valued equally. Mante also does a fantastic job at showing the complexity of each character. The villain isn’t simply evil, there are reasons for their actions just like Jaz has reasons for hers. This is a really important lesson in learning to put yourself in other people’s shoes and for children to try to understand each other better.

This story has lovely overall themes of trying your hardest, kindness, friendship and never giving up. It teaches young people to challenge the status quo and it screams girl power. I think it is something younger readers will adore and can also be enjoyed by older readers. I am incredibly thankful to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK for my chance to read an ARC of this book and I am excited to continue this series in future.

Really enjoyed Jaz Santos vs. the World, thanks @PuffinBooks for the proof. 1st in a new series about friendship & families, it really is for fans of Jacqueline Wilson, with bonus football & girl power. A great #UKMG debut from @priscilla_mante #JazSantos #TheDreamTeam Out soon! https://t.co/EW6ma1fmel

Jaz Santos vs the World is the first in a new series about a girl who gathers an unlikely group of friends together to make their own girls football team. This is an inclusive and empowering tale with a real-life feel that will appeal to fans of Cath Howe and Jacqueline Wilson.

Circumstances in Jaz’s life are starting to feel out of control. She has been in trouble at school, kicked out of dance club and is dealing with the growing cracks in her parents’ relationship, culminating in a house fire and her mum eventually moving out. There’s more on her mind too - Jaz loves football and often plays with the boys at lunchtimes, but is excluded from the school team because girls are not allowed to play.

When Jaz finds a leaflet advertising a girls’ football tournament, she seizes the opportunity to take back some control. Thinking carefully about how to sell the idea to her classmates, Jaz pours heart and soul into rallying a team of girls to prepare for the tournament. 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. Deep down, Jaz wonders whether winning the tournament might magically solve all of the other problems in her life too. but some wise words along the way help Jaz to understand that life’s circumstances do not have to define her, and her own personal successes and failures don’t have to be tied up with the things in life that are simply beyond her control.

With a summer of football fever on its way and girls’ football growing more popular than ever, this is an empowering book with a dynamic and entertaining main character who shows what can happen when somebody leads the way in a new sporting initiative. The discrimination against Jaz as a girl wanting to be taken seriously in football (from both adults and children) feels frustrating and unfair, but Jaz is passionate and triumphant to show what can be achieved with a little determination. Some of the other girls have no interest in the sport before Jaz recruits them to the team, but the story shows how beneficial the opportunity to join in is for them each in different ways. The Author Priscilla Mante says of the book, “Girls’ football and women’s football don’t get the attention they should do and it was really important for me, through Jas, to challenge the status quo.”

This timely and heart-warming story about teamwork, self-belief and following your passions in the face of life’s up and downs is likely to score big with readers aged 8-11.


Many thanks for an early copy - the review will feature on http://www.booksfortopics.com.

Review of The Dream Team: Jaz Santos vs. the World

This is the story of Jasmina, who prefers to be known as Jaz, A girl who loves football and plays for the Bramrock Stars, a football team she created. A lovely inclusive story about unlikely friendships and girl power. My child really enjoyed the book, and read it very quickly and she is looking forward to the next one in the series.

Jaz Santos isn’t the most graceful dancer and she’s always getting into trouble at school, but the one thing she loves more than anything else is playing football. When Jaz’s Mum and Dad start having problems, Jaz works out the perfect way to stop them arguing—she decides to start a girls’ football team and win the local tournament. All she needs to do is find a coach and convince six other girls to join her team.

I’m not a football fan but I still loved this book, ‘Jaz Santos vs the World’ is a wonderfully warm, inclusive story about friendship, teamwork and family. Jaz is a brilliantly dynamic and determined protagonist and I can’t wait to read more about the rest of the dream team. A great start to an inspiring new series.

Jaz Santos Vs The World was a poignant heartwarming story about football friendship and family.

The story followed Jaz Santos who decides to compete in a football competition and starts a new team. The dream team forms a close bond and we see the ups and downs of their friendship. Jaz hopes that winning the match can be the way she can bring Mãe back.

This was a great book that featured many lovable characters and a realistic family. There was a meaningful message and a beautiful theme. The writing was immersive and had a unique voice.

My only complaint was the predictability of the football competition. It was quite predictable that there would be this one thing the main character is bad at but it's the thing that makes them win the match. It's a overdone plot device and was a bit of a letdown.

Other than that this book is full of heart and an amazing read! I'm really looking forward to reading the next installment in this series!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the E-arc!

This debut novel is a story of friendship, family and football. Jaz Santos is a bright, vibrant character who gets into trouble but is passionate and determined ... and obsessed with football. While things may not be going right in other areas of her life football gives her an escape and a way of dealing with everything else.
I loved the team coach and what she has to teach all of the girls involved in the team. But quote of the book for me comes from Jaz's mum who uses Jenga as a great analogy - "If you make one wrong move with your piece, then all your hard work comes tumbling down. Life isn't Jenga, though ... Just because you make one mistake, it doesn't always mean your entire dream is ruined."
What great advice for young readers and adults alike.
I look forward to reading about the other team members in novels to come.
An author to watch

Ten year old Jaz has two great loves: her family and football. Her greatest goal in life is to play for England but for now she has to get through Year 6, while everything in her life is going wrong.

She’s constantly in trouble at school and isn’t allowed to join the football team because she’s a girl and now after months of ignoring arguments between her parents, her mum has left their family home.

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.

//

Wow, I really loved this book.

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. It also gives a realistic portrayal of a family breakdown through the eyes of a child. Jaz blames herself for the break up and tries her best to fix her family before eventually realising it isn’t her fault. I appreciated how the author didn’t have Jaz’s mum come home for the sake of a happy ending.

Jaz is a wonderful character, she is a passionate, determined, brave kid with a huge heart. The football team she forms is also full of amazing characters and I cannot wait to read more from The Dream Team series.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Children’s UK and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a lovely middle grade book for all children. It was wonderful to see a strong leading character with very real and very relatable flaws. I requested this book not knowing it was based in Brighton, that’s where I’m from and grew up and could really imagine all these families and all these children where I grew up. I didn’t play sports as a child for similar reasons to Jaz and I wish I had a friend like her who encouraged everyone to give it a try and do their best. The family dynamics were lovely and well set up. The school issues and dance class were infuriating but only because that was me and it was like going back in time. I love the way this book handles each of these different aspects of jazz’s life and doesn’t leave anything unresolved.
Oh but there was a spelling error at the end talking about Brighton, it’s Laines with an i :’)

Wonderfully funny, wry and determined, Jaz just can't seem to find her place in the world. With her parent's constant arguments and several of her teachers endlessly irritated by Jaz's enthusiastic and sometimes untamed nature, she's having a rough year. But Jaz knows herself well enough to know that she wants, and she's determined and clever enough to push past the NOs and a system that's intent on maintaining the out-dated and incredibly sexist norms to go out and get what she wants: a girl's 7-on-7 soccer club. And even more than that: a championship team!

Jaz builds herself a team that starts out a bit rough around the edges with the intention of shooting for the stars. And shoot she does!

This wonderful story is for all the kids who have adults in their lives who are set on stopping them, on holding up out-dated norms, than encouraging bravery and daring.

Thank you to the author, NG UK and the publishers for the opportunity it read an E-Arc of this fantastic story. Highly recommend for all MG readers.

I loved this book, one to really lift your spirits. And, as much as I loved Jaz, I’m looking forward to reading the other members of the Dream Team too, particularly Naomie, Allie and Talia. In fact, all the characters are so well written, I can see this being a series that goes from strength to strength. I also really appreciated that the author didn’t give Jaz a fairy tale ending with her parents reuniting.