Teen Author Donates Books to 100 Libraries to Celebrate 5th Anniversary of Dramatic 1999 Women’s World Cup Soccer Victory
To help celebrate the five year anniversary of the historic Women’s World Cup victory on July 10th, teen author, Leah Lauber, is donating 100 copies of her book, Soccer Dreams, to libraries nationwide. Lauber will also be donating an additional 150 copies to local literacy groups to be determined, to bring the total retail value of her donation to nearly $5,000.00. Soccer Dreams describes Leah's true adventure following the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, as a fan and 12-year-old Junior Reporter for the St. Petersburg Times during the history-making 1999 Women’s World Cup.
St. Petersburg, FL (PRWEB) July 2, 2004 -- To help celebrate the five year
anniversary of the historic Women’s World Cup victory on July 10th, local teen
author, Leah Lauber, is donating 100 copies of her book, Soccer Dreams, to
libraries nationwide. Lauber will also be donating an additional 150 copies to
local literacy groups to be determined to bring the total retail value of her
donation to nearly $5,000.00.
Soccer Dreams describes Leah's true
adventure following the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, as a fan and
12-year-old Junior Reporter for the St. Petersburg Times during the
history-making 1999 Women’s World Cup.
Leah, today a 17-year-old high
school senior, wrote the 92-page book five years ago and it is illustrated with
more than 200 color photos, most taken by her father, Chris, initially intended
for the family photo album. Leah’s family self-published Soccer Dreams after the
family had difficulty generating interest from established publishers.
“I
wrote Soccer Dreams for several reasons,” said Leah. “I wanted to share my
adventure with other fans, promote the positive values I learned from the team
members, and encourage readers to dream big. Donating these books to libraries
will help me achieve my goals, while making the book more readily available to
anyone near the chosen libraries.”
The Women’s World Cup is widely
regarded as a significant milestone, with the largest crowd ever for a women’s
sports event assembled at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to watch the
U.S. squad defeat China in dramatic fashion.
After 120 minutes under the
scorching sun resulted in a scoreless tie, more than 90,000 spectators and 40
million television viewers witnessed the victory by the slimmest of margins -
the infamous penalty kick by Brandi Chastain, followed by the memorable moment
of Chastain ripping off her jersey in “a moment of temporary insanity,” as she
later called it.
Winning the 1999 Women’s World Cup was recently
recognized by ESPN as one the “Top 20 Sports Stories” during the last 25 years,
as voted by a panel of 100 journalists.
While many of the libraries
chosen are in Lauber’s home state of Florida, 62 of the libraries are being sent
by priority mail to libraries coast-to-coast in 17 other states. A complete list
is included below.
Soccer Dreams is receiving excellent reviews from a
wide variety of soccer fans and book-lovers:
“Great book you put together
- you should be proud of it!”
Kristine Lilly, World Cup Champion,
pre-publication review, 2001
“Thanks for a copy of Soccer Dreams. I
enjoyed it. Dream BIG and have fun. I wish you the best!”
Shannon MacMillan,
World Cup Champion, pre-publication review, 2001
“Your book brought back
fond memories of a great season!”
Coach Tony DiCicco, World Cup Champion,
pre-publication review, 2001
“Fun example of Hollywood magic in real
life. . .this would only happen in the movies. . . interesting stories and great
photos.”
Brian Harrington, Touchline (publication for Florida Youth Soccer
Association), September, 2003
“The book reveals a real talent for good
writing...a true sports adventure...a gift wish come true.”
Alan Caruba, www.Bookviews.com,
November, 2003
“Not only a great book about the sport, women athletes
& the long haul to success, it is about a youngster's enthusiasm, passion,
persistence...& success!...Rebeccasreads highly recommends SOCCER DREAMS for
all, no matter their age or their passion.”
Rebecca Brown, www.RebeccasReads.com,
Amazon #108 reviewer, March, 2004
“What a fantastic book. I very much
enjoyed reading this account from a young person's perspective and re-living the
moments.”
April Heinrichs, U.S Women's National Team Head Coach, April,
2004
“A dream come true. A remarkable story. Great lesson for everyone:
with hard work, you can achieve anything. Highly recommended.”
Sharyn
McGinty, In the Library Reviews, May, 2004
“If you have ever dreamed of
being able to talk to your sports hero, you will enjoy this fascinating journey
. . . A unique book filled with great photographs and many enjoyable articles by
Leah who is definitely an enthusiastic soccer fan with a great personality. Her
writing style is fresh and creative.”
Rebecca Johnson, www.TheRebeccaReview.com, Amazon #4 Reviewer, May, 2004
“An exhilarating work...an eminently clear, entertaining publication...A
sure winner for the target audience of middle grade to older readers. Soccer
Dreams has a place on shelves of home and school libraries. The book will be
reached for often for pleasure reading.”
Molly Martin, www.Authorsden.com, June,
2004
Anyone who has ever had a hero - athlete, musician, artist or actor
- has dreamed of seeing their hero perform, getting an autograph, and/or talking
with them. Leah has enjoyed all those scenarios. What makes Soccer Dreams
universally appealing is that her incredible adventure takes place while her
National Team of heroes is on the world’s largest stage in their home country
before the largest audience to witness a women’s sporting event in history.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/7/prweb138213.htm