Steven Gerrard: Captain Fantastic

Gr 3–7—A narrative biography of arguably one of Liverpool's greatest soccer players, who wore the Liverpool FC jersey for 17 seasons and ended his career playing for the L.A. Galaxy in the United States. Steven Gerrard was a natural at the sport from childhood and was scouted early on by a Liverpool youth coach. Coming from a long line of Liverpool FC fans, Gerrard grew up around the sport, playing matches with his brothers' older friends at the neighborhood fields. When Gerrard's young cousin was one of the many who perished at the Hillsborough disaster (a deadly incident at a soccer stadium in England), "Stevie" knew that he had to become a Liverpool hero in memory of his cousin, which is just what he did. The authors chronicle Gerrard's on-field professional life from his humble beginnings through his early years and into his retirement. Although Briticisms are used, readers who are soccer fanatics will get past that easily.