Overview
In a small newspaper office in South America, Paul Faustino, a veteran sports reporter, begins an exclusive interview with El Gato, the World Cup-winning soccer phenom. Over the course of the long night, El Gato tells the story of how an unspectacular teenager in a poor logging town became the world's most accomplished goalkeeper. It is a tale filled with tension, hunger, and magic, set in a mythic corner of the jungle. But above all it is a tale about El Gato's ghostly, but very real mentor: the Keeper.“A well-written, fast-paced sports story that addresses far more than just the sport itself.”
— School Library Journal
“This haunting tale is full of sports action. . . . An unusual and compelling story.”
— KLIATT
Synopsis
It was darker now, and the city below Faustino's office was a jazzy dance of neon signs and traffic. The big man went to the window and looked down at it all, spreading his large hands on the glass. "No," he said. "It found me."
When Paul Faustino of LA NACION flips on his tape recorder for an exclusive Interview with El Gato - the phenomenal goalkeeper who single-handedly brought his team the World Cup - the seasoned reporter quickly learns that this will be no ordinary story. Instead, the legendary El Gato ("The Cat") quietly narrates a spellbinding tale that begins in a mythic corner of the South American rain forest, where a ghostly but very real mentor, the Keeper, emerges to teach the gangly boy the most thrilling secrets of the game. Combining vivid imagery and heart-stopping action, this evocative, strikingly ethereal novel about loyalty, passion, and magic will haunt readers, regardless of their love for soccer, long after the story is ended.
An enthralling story of a poor and gawky kid who mysteriously becomes the world's greatest goalkeeper - a seamless blend of magic realism and exhilarating soccer action.
Sharon Oliver - Children's Literature
This book, part sports fiction, part fantasy and part fictional biography has an interesting, if specific, draw to it. It begins with the interview of "El Gato," a soccer goalie who has recently won the World Cup. The interviewer, Paul Faustino, expects a run-of-the-mill interview with a world-class soccer player, but gets something much more. El Gato begins to tell Paul of his childhood in the jungles of South America, surprising the interviewer with his lack of interest in soccer as a young boy. The uncoordinated young boy is useless on his village's soccer team and finds himself spending his time in the jungle instead of playing with the village boys. It is here, in a mysterious jungle clearing that he meets the Keeper, a ghost-like apparition who begins to train El Gato to be one of the world's greatest soccer goalkeepers. This novel has mixed appeal for both fans of soccer and fans of the supernatural. At times some of the dialogue feels a bit formal or stiff, but for the most part, this is a wonderful story and an easy recommendation for some reluctant male readers. 2003, Candlewick Press, Ages 10 to 15.
Editorials
Children's Literature
This book, part sports fiction, part fantasy and part fictional biography has an interesting, if specific, draw to it. It begins with the interview of "El Gato," a soccer goalie who has recently won the World Cup. The interviewer, Paul Faustino, expects a run-of-the-mill interview with a world-class soccer player, but gets something much more. El Gato begins to tell Paul of his childhood in the jungles of South America, surprising the interviewer with his lack of interest in soccer as a young boy. The uncoordinated young boy is useless on his village's soccer team and finds himself spending his time in the jungle instead of playing with the village boys. It is here, in a mysterious jungle clearing that he meets the Keeper, a ghost-like apparition who begins to train El Gato to be one of the world's greatest soccer goalkeepers. This novel has mixed appeal for both fans of soccer and fans of the supernatural. At times some of the dialogue feels a bit formal or stiff, but for the most part, this is a wonderful story and an easy recommendation for some reluctant male readers. 2003, Candlewick Press, Ages 10 to 15.—Sharon Oliver
KLIATT
This soccer novel is told in the form of an interview of El Gato ("the cat"), a legendary goalkeeper who has just won the World Cup for his team. El Gato tells how he grew up in a poor logging camp in the South American rain forest, where he says he was taught to play the game in a clearing in the jungle by a ghostly mentor he refers to only as the Keeper. At 15, El Gato must leave school to help support his family, and he reluctantly joins his father at the logging camp. There the men play soccer for recreation (and bet on the outcome), and El Gato's incredible skills are quickly recognized. A scout appears, and his rise is meteoric, but he never forgets his family and his mentor. This haunting tale is full of sports action, but it also deals with El Gato's anguished loyalty to his family and to the Keeper. An unusual and compelling sports story by a first-time novelist, this has already won awards in Britain. KLIATT Codes: JS*—Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2003, Candlewick, 240p., Ages 12 to 18.—Paula Rohrlick