To help celebrate the five year anniversary of the historic Womens 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. Womens National Soccer Team, as a fan and 12-year-old Junior Reporter for the St. Petersburg Times during the history-making 1999 Womens World Cup.
St. Petersburg, FL (PRWEB) July 2, 2004 -- To help celebrate the five year anniversary of the historic Womens 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. Womens National Soccer Team, as a fan and 12-year-old Junior Reporter for the St. Petersburg Times during the history-making 1999 Womens 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. Leahs 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 Womens World Cup is widely regarded as a significant milestone, with the largest crowd ever for a womens 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 Womens 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 Laubers 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 worlds largest stage in their home country before the largest audience to witness a womens sporting event in history.
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Please note: Attached photo files are available in high-res eps format.
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LIBRARIES RECEIVING SOCCER DREAMS
Florida
Clearwater Library
Dunedin Library
Largo Library
Pinellas Park Library
St. Petersburg Library
Seminole Library
Pasco County Library
Hernando County Public Library
Sarasota County Library
Tampa-Hillsborough County
Alachua County Library
Altamonte Springs City Library
Boca Raton Public Library
Brevard County Library
Broward County Library
Charlotte-Glades Library
Cocoa Beach Public Library
Fort Myers Beach Public Library
Jacksonville Public Library
Lake County Library
Lee County Library
Manatee County Public Library
Marion County Public Library
Martin County Library
Miami-Dade Public Library
Monroe County Public Library
North Palm Beach Library
Northwest Regional Library
Orange County Library
Orlando Public Library
Osceola County Library
Palm Beach County Library
Putnam County Library
Seminole County Public Library
St. Johns County Public Library
St. Lucie County Library
Sumter County Public Library
West Florida Regional Library
California
Arroyo Seco Library Network
Contra Costa County Library
County of Los Angeles Library
Heartland Regional Library
Long Beach Public Library
Los Angeles Public Library
North Bay Cooperative Library
North State Cooperative Library
Orange County Public Library
San Bernardino County Library
San Diego County Library
San Diego Public Library
San Francisco Public Library
San Jose Public Library System
Santa Clara County Library
Sonoma County Library
Connecticut
Wilton Library Association
Washington, DC
District of Columbia Public Library
Georgia
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library
Illinois
Chicago Library System
Chicago Public Library
Suburban Library System
Massachusetts
Boston Regional Library System
Boston Public Library
Central Regional Library System
Metrowest Regional Library System
Northeast Regional Library System
Southeast Regional Library System
Western Regional Library System
Maryland
Baltimore Public Libraries
Michigan
Detroit Public Library
Minnesota
Southeast Library System
North Carolina
Central North Carolina Library
Durham County Library
Charlotte Public Library
New Jersey
Highlands Regional Library
New York
Brooklyn Public Library
Central New York Library Resources
Long Island Library Resources
Metropolitan New York Library
Nassau Library System
New York Public Library
North Country Library System
Rochester Regional Library Council
Upper Hudson Library System
Western New York Library Council
Ohio
Cleveland Area Metropolitan Library
Columbus Metropolitan Library
Ohio Valley Regional Library System
Cincinnati Public Library
Oregon
Multnomah County Library
Portland Area Library System
Pennsylvania
Free Library of Philadelphia
Texas
Dallas Public Library
Fort Worth Public Library
Harris County Public Library System
Houston Public Library
Irving Public Library
Virginia
Alexandria Library
Arlington County Library
Fairfax County Library
Prince William Public Library System
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