Sergio Agüero: The Little Genius

Gr 3–5—An imaginative look at the childhood and early career of Argentine soccer player Sergio Agüero, nicknamed Kun. The authors start with Agüero's sensational goal against Queens Park Rangers, who won the 2012 Premier League championship, before looking back at his humble beginnings on the dirt pitch in the rural neighborhood of Los Eucaliptos, outside of Buenos Aires. A young Agüero found success at Club Atlético Independiente (an Argentine soccer club) and Atlético Madrid before joining the Premier League with Manchester City. As part of the "Heroes" series, this entry aims to draw in reluctant readers who are interested in athletics. While Agüero's rise to fame is compelling, the Oldfields define Agüero as a prodigy on the pitch, his skills virtually unmatched and his career only occasionally peppered with adversity, making the narrative somewhat repetitive. U.S. audiences in particular may need to acclimate to the specific vocabulary of European football and a variety of soccer all-stars, including Lionel Messi, who are mentioned in the text.