Game On! (Star Striker)

Game On! (Star Striker)

By Amato, Mary

12 ratings 10 reviews 14 followers

Cut from the soccer team, Albert's dreams of playing soccer are over. . . on Earth that is! Join in as he and the aliens Zeenods dribble, cross, and score in this interstellar adventure.

The day that aliens abducted 13-year-old Albert Kinney was the day he was hoping to make the school soccer team. Like the rest of Earth, he'd never heard of the Fŭigor Solar System; he didn't know the ten planets in the system even existed. That afternoon Albert only cared about making the team. That's the way life works sometimes, especially for Albert.

Astonishingly the Zeenods, don't want to harm Albert, they want him to play. . .soccer! And so, Albert jumps at the chance to join the Zeenods. Yet just as he is introduced to the specifics of their game and all their high-tech gear, he faces a series of direct threats to his life. Does someone have a mysterious vendetta against Albert? Or does their first opponent, the ruthless team from Planet Tev, want to guarantee that they win?

Action-packed, yet filled with humor and heart, Star Striker is the first book in an action-packed series that features thrilling play-by-play soccer scenes and an intergalactic plot with far-reaching consequences for the Zeenods--and Earth.

Publisher: Holiday House
ISBN-13: 9780823449118
ISBN-10: 0823449114
Published on 9/7/2021
Binding: Hardcover
Number of pages: 352

Book Reviews (12)

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It's a good book and makes for an interesting read I'd place it top #4 easily and I would suggest it.

Albert Kinney is just your average kid, trying to earn a place on his school's soccer team. But it turns out that, to aliens, he is pretty much a celebrity. And now, Albert is going to play soccer with a bunch of aliens in order to inspire their planet. Will he, an average kid, be able to lead his team to victory? Well, when aliens play soccer, pretty much anything can happen. There was action in the book, but I found it hard to get into at first. Other than that, I think the author had a pretty cool idea for this book and enjoyed the concept of aliens playing soccer. (Albeit a little differently).

Star Striker Game On is an amazing, action-packed book. Our main character, Albert Kinney, went through so much from the beginning to the end of the book, including several near-death experiences and now being able to talk to his dog and have full conversations with his dog. I think this book is an amazing read, especially for people who love sci-fi books with tons of action and adventure.

Albert Kinney is a seventh grader with a lot on his mind. He’s concerned about not making the soccer team, trying to understand why his former best friend hates him, and has been abducted by aliens who need him to play striker in an intergalactic tournament. Seventy-five years ago, in the Fŭigor Solar System, the planet Zeeno was occupied by inhabitants from the planet Tev. The Zeenods plan to use their success in the next tournament of Fŭigor johka—the most popular sport in the Milky Way and the precursor to Earth’s soccer—to draw attention to their cause and eventually regain their planet. They need Albert to do it. If being sworn to secrecy and traveling to another solar system for practices using time-folding technology weren’t enough, several attempts on Albert’s life threaten his resolve. Luckily, the dog next door has been observing everything and has his own plan to protect Albert. This ambitious series opener starts out strong: Readers will instantly connect with Albert and his struggles at home, school, and with the sport he loves. Unfortunately, some will lose steam as the complex storyline unfolds; while there is a great deal of science fiction action, Albert spends more time on thought awareness preparation and cultivating his energy control than playing actual johka. An absence of physical descriptions makes the races of human characters difficult to determine. Middle school soccer meets Space Jam in this uneven adventure.

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!

This book was full of surprises! It was hard to put down once I got started because I wanted to know what would happen next! Definitely recommend for anyone who likes mysteries. Soccer lovers will definitely enjoy this book!

Albert Kinney: The average 7th grader. Just a normal kid trying to get into the soccer team. You might be thinking, "UGH WHO CARES ABOUT A 7TH GRADER WHO IS TRYING TO GET INTO THE SOCCER TEAM. THIS IS GOING TO BE SUCH A BORING PLOT." He tries out for the soccer team and he doesn't make it. But what happens is that he get abducted by aliens. Now that's a pretty cool plot. He gets abducted by aliens and they end up telling him that they want him to play soccer for thier team! Albert is still confused and shcked by that fact that there are such things as aliens. Okay let's recap so far, middle school kid tries out for soccer team. Fails. Gets abducted by aliens, and what else well they want him to be their Star Stikers. The planet that he will be playing for is Zeenod. Pretty cool name if you ask me. I can't tell too much without spoling the book. I would reccomend to anyone who likes Sci-Fi and Soccer.

Albert Kinney is a normal boy that simply wants to make the school soccer team, but he does not know what is in store for him. First, a stroke of bad luck ensures that he doesn’t make his school’s soccer team, and second he gets abducted by aliens from Planet Zeenod. As if that isn't bad enough, he meets a robot and aliens from that very planet and is scared about what might happen to him. Now he is left wondering why would aliens want to kidnap him out of all people, well he finds out pretty soon: they want him to play soccer! But as he is introduced to the technology of the game, along with the other Star Strikers, he finds out that not everyone wants Zeenod or him to succeed. Some shadowy life-threatening warnings come his way, and just then he opens his streak of bad luck- he finds it impossible to use the zees, he becomes aware of the stakes for Zeenods all around the solar system, and he has quite a few problems of his own to deal with. And if he doesn’t succeed…it could be the end of Planet Zeenod. “Game On” is a magical and hilarious book that is perfect for all soccer fans, it is definitely a must read!!

Ah, soccer tryouts: the time of year where you do your best to impress the coach and get on the team. However, there is always at least one person who doesn’t make it. And Albert was that person. Dejected, as he heads home to take care of his grandma, he gets beamed up into an alien spaceship! There he meets Unit B who tells him about Johka. It is an alien version of soccer, and they want him on their team! Although, once Albert signs up and starts training, there are multiple attempts on his life. Who would do this? Why? I really liked this book! I would recommend this book to someone who loves soccer and sci-fi.

“Goal!” Heart pounding so loud, hard and fast drowning out all other sounds that Albert can still hear it over the cheers from the fan filled crowd of unfamiliar faces- not family and friends. He turns to the cheering crowd and sees Zeenods, Jhaateez, Fetr, Manam, Liöt, Z-Tevs, and Tevs and reminds himself that he is playing soccer on another planet, an alien planet! Abducted on his way home from soccer tryouts, Albert comes face to face with members of the Zeenod Johka team. Learning that these aliens want him to be their star striker after being cut from his school’s team, Albert is elated to be able to play soccer, or something like soccer after all. But wait! He can not tell anyone, not even his family. An amazing opportunity to travel, to learn about new worlds and a solar system beyond what even his teachers have taught him AND to be able to play a star position even when his own school soccer team cuts him puts Albert’s world into a dilemma that only his neighbor’s dog, Tackle can help him maneuver. Albert Kinney is a 13-year-old who loves soccer and has spent his earlier years playing on the same soccer team with his friend and next-door neighbor Trey. At the end of the summer his only goal is to get a spot on the 7th grade soccer team along with Trey. But the two of them had differences, which made them friends and not best friends, and by tryouts those differences had multiplied. Albert wants nothing more than to play soccer and knew the importance of making it onto the 7th grade soccer team. When he does not make the team after the last day of tryouts, he does not tell his family. Instead he tells his mother, paternal grandmother and 3 gold medalist gymnast younger sister, he quit and wanted to try something new, the clarinet. Shocked and surprised, his mother and grandmother are supportive, but his relationship with his younger and more successful athletic sister becomes a thorn in his side. What Albert does not share with his family or classmates or Trey is that he has been chosen to play for an intergalactic soccer team. The Zeenods abduct Albert the same day he does not make the school’s soccer team. The Zeenods tell Albert that he will be their star striker in a johka tournament which is much like the soccer he plays on Earth. Confused and excited to be able to play soccer on a team, Albert accepts the opportunity. Little does he know that by accepting the johka star striker position he has created battlegrounds at home, at school, and in the Füigor Solar System. With danger lurking around every corner, Albert does not know who or what to trust. Help from his new teammates, the Zeenods, the neighbor’s dog, Tackle and a robot, Albert maneuvers his way traveling through space, learning about high tech soccer and ominous messages! This series is off to a great start with some questions answered and new developed cliff hangers. Star Striker: Game On! by Mary Amato is filled with advanced technology and cunning humor. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

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