The Mighty Dynamo

July 25, 2016
Twelve-year-old Noah Murphy lives for soccer, but when his father takes a much-needed job in Australia, continents away from their tiny Irish town of Carraig Cruach, Noah wonders if playing professional soccer might be the only way to save his family. With the Schools’ World Cup—and his opportunity to be scouted—weeks away, Noah is devastated when he is banned from his school’s team for a fight he didn’t start. Aided by best friend Stevie, Noah recruits a colorful new team of players whose skills are questionable but whose enthusiasm abounds. The initial chapters of Irish author Crowley’s novel are sluggish as he introduces many characters and sets up a complicated plot, but the story picks up once Noah’s new team is assembled. Moments of hilarity abound both on and off the field, and sports fans will enjoy the action-packed gameplay. After getting to know this lovable team of underdogs (Crowley also provides some outrageously awful antagonists), readers will be all in for the crescendo of the final showdown. Ages 9–13. Agent: Marianne Gunn O’Connor. (Sept.)


This review has been corrected. A previous version mistakenly identified Crowley as an adult fiction writer making his children’s book debut.

The Mighty Ducks (of film fame) meet soccer, Irish style.Only this time it's a team called "Mighty Dynamo." Twelve-year-old Noah, a white boy, is unfairly kicked off his school's soccer team by his principal after being the victim in a fight during a match. With an important international school soccer championship coming up, the only way Noah can play is to create a team himself. With his asthmatic best friend doing a lot of the coaching, the pair brings together a motley group of players, including two girls, a tough, impoverished, white bully, and a Nigerian-Irish boy (who provides much of the book's diversity). Playing is critical to Noah; he's hopeful he can catch the eye of a scout and get on track to be a professional player, a job that will provide the money to bring his dad back home to the west of Ireland from a job in Australia. Thrillingly detailed descriptions of intense soccer matches, plenty of evil villainy on the part of several sketchy, almost caricatured adults, and teammates with fully realized characters all serve to make this an engrossing (if rather predictable) and often humorous sports story, enhanced by the Irish setting. Although too long to promote to very reluctant readers, there is enough breathless action and strong, believable sports flavor to this effort to make it an easy sell to those (male and female) that enjoy the sport. Go team! (Fiction. 9-14) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-Noah Murphy is a star soccer player at St. Killian's in Ireland. He trains hard, passes well, and is an all-around team player. His goal is to be scouted and play professionally-that is why he needs to get his school's team into the Schools' World Cup National Soccer Tournament. His skills are tested when an on-field fight gets him kicked off the team, putting him in danger of missing the World Cup Qualifier in Dublin. Noah is lucky to have the support of his brainy friend Steve, and together they come up with a great solution. They decide to create a new team and play for St. Mary's School for Girls. The new team consists of a band of pals, some friends, Noah's archenemy Kevin McCooley, and a show-off girl named Maggie O'Connell. These teammates become unlikely friends who have a good shot at winning. For Noah, success also means getting his dad (who had to go to Australia to find work) back home so they can be a family again and proving to himself that he is the Mighty Dynamo, a term of endearment his late mom used for him. The writing is funny and characters well-developed. VERDICT A true underdog story that will appeal to sports fans.-Christina Pesiri, Michael F. Stokes Elementary School Library, Island Trees-Levittown NY

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2016
Grades 4-8 Since Noah's mother died, his family has been in a financial crisis. Now, his father, desperate for work, has to head off to Australia for almost a year, leaving Noah and his older sister to cope with his absence. Noah hopes that, if he can just attract the attention of a scout, he could sign a soccer contract and help out the family's finances. When he is falsely accused of starting a fight on the soccer field, his hopes seem all but dashed. But Noah is no quitter, and his friends aren't either; together, they come up with a plan that's ingenious, and maybe even a bit crazy. Reminiscent of Gordon Korman's The Zucchini Warriors (1988), this is more than a sports story. It tackles issues of bullying, sexism, and corruption without ever losing focus on Noah and his mates. Noah and his friends are well-crafted, multidimensional characters, as are the caring adults who try to help out Noah and his fledgling team.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)