This is an outlandishly detailed overview of soccer: rules, statistics, parlance, teams, strategies, and personalities, served up curriculum-­style. Chapters are devoted to subjects such as biology (lots of advice on how not to poop on field during a professional soccer match), zoology (mascots), business (salaries), music (national anthems, chants), drama (celebrations, diving), and even geography. It's a wide-ranging, engaging conglomeration, with lots of factual information mixed in alongside generous trivia, bad puns, and really stupid jokes. The brief chapters feature pages that are littered with line drawings and word-bubble asides, charts, graphs, and quizzes, all designed to keep readers entertained and engaged. Irreverent, inappropriate, and irresistible, this import from England will attract soccer fans me, perhaps, who may have been recently indoctrinated due to all the World Cup mania ke a magnet, and entice browsers as well. There's a sequel already in the works, promising at least some coverage of women's soccer, so be prepared.

With a chatty, kid-friendly tone, this lively British import teaches soccer facts and other (loosely) soccer-related information by subject area: math, physical education, psychology, and so on. A biology chapter, for example, briefly outlines the human digestion system before diving into some scatological soccer trivia, such as a British team's pre-game pooping regimen. Equally engaging are the end-of-chapter quizzes and black-and-white cartoon illustrations.

Bellos and Lyttleton team up to create the ultimate school, one in which every subject from biology to zoology is focused through the world of soccer. The premise is an interesting one, and the book begins successfully enough with biology, where readers learn about the importance of a soccer player's diet as well as gain a cursory understanding of the digestive system. Each chapter is similarly themed—with varying levels of success—and readers learn about different subjects while picking up facts and trivia about international teams. Each chapter begins with a cartoon rendering of the authors and a few puns and ends with an equally punny player's card for the star student in the class and a quiz. For instance, Tulip Feaver is star student of philosophy class, where readers learn about famous Dutch coaches Marinus Michels and Johan Cruyff and how their strategies changed international play. While the player's cards are amusing and offer a variety of genders and a bit of ethnic diversity, the quizzes are less successful. The questions asked frequently have nothing to do with the preceding chapter and vary between those that are specific to soccer and general knowledge. This may be the most frustrating aspect of the book; how do you become a star student if the instructors are quizzing you on things you've never been taught?Red card it. (Nonfiction. 8-12)