Juvenile Fiction

Breathing Soccer is the realistic account of Lisa who is forbidden to play soccer because she has asthma. At its core the novel reveals the plight of asthmatics who desire the challenge and thrill of sports, but who must weigh that desire against some very real health issues. Dr. Emerson, Lisa’s family doctor, has warned her that her asthma must be taken seriously, and that the aggressive demands that soccer places on her breathing could be lethal. Her parents believe the doctor and as a result become overly protective. Even her soccer coach, Wilcox, decides not to play her in the games because he does not want to take a chance on her getting sick and weakening the team’s chance to win.
But just when it seems that the world has conspired against her, while watching the Olympic Games, Lisa discovers a new source of strength in the example of Olympic Rower Silken Laumann. Lisa is inspired by Silken who, after a terrible accident, was told by doctors that her career was over, but who rose above their verdict to overcome her own barriers in order to win the Bronze medal for Canada.

Ages 9-12

•  Nominated for the 2010 Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award
  

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