Book Pick of the Week: Soccer Trophy Mystery

This Fall, award-winning author and Washington Post KidsPost Sports Columnist ("The Score") Fred Bowen is back with more soccer action—and a new mystery—in Soccer Trophy Mystery (Peachtree Publishing; 9/1/21; ISBN: 978-1-68263-078-5; Hardcover $16.99; Ages 7-12; 144 pages), the newest addition to the popular middle grade Fred Bowen Sports Story Series that I think will be of interest to readers of GA Followers​​​ as "his many action-packed novels speak to the hearts and minds of young sports lovers, and he demonstrates know-how and grace in writing about baseball, basketball, soccer and football” (Washington Parent). The publisher is also giving away copies of the book at children's soccer tournaments around the country this September, in Texas, Maryland, and California.

Thirteen-year-old twins Aiden and Ava and their good friend Daniel, all avid soccer players, have just learned their county league soccer trophy mysteriously disappeared forty years ago from the town library. It was never recovered. So between games and practices for the town’s soccer championships, the three friends try to solve the case. But will these amateur detectives be able to unravel the mystery and find someone who had both motive and opportunity to commit the crime? And will their teams make it all the way to the championships?

As with the rest of the acclaimed series, Fred Bowen weaves exciting play-by-play sports action with real sports history, including a chapter in the back of the book of “The Real Story” behind the disappearance of the original World Cup trophy that was never recovered. Featuring a new mystery storyline, as well as focusing on girls in sports, Soccer Trophy Mystery is also a great book for character education both on and off the field.

Now with 24 books and close to a million copies sold, the bestselling series has received national and critical acclaim, saying the series “is flush with life lessons about perseverance, dedication, and picking oneself up after a hard knock” (Booklist) and “Fred Bowen never disappoints" (Washington Parent). Each title in the series functions as a standalone, so readers can dive right in whether this is their first foray into the series, or their 24th!

FRED BOWEN is the author of Peachtree’s popular Fred Bowen Sports Story Series for middle grade readers. A lifelong sports fanatic, he has coached youth league baseball, basketball, and soccer. His kids’ sports column “The Score” appears each week in the KidsPost section of the Washington Post. Bowen lives in Maryland. Visit his website at www.fredbowen.com.

Kindle Pick of the Week: Connect

Two great authors, one great book.

ABOUT CONNECT
A transformative guide to building more fulfilling relationships with colleagues, friends, partners, and family, based on the landmark Interpersonal Dynamics (“Touchy-Feely”) course at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business

“Carole Robin and David Bradford are masters at helping people bring IQ and EQ together to satisfy both and be successful.”—Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater and author of Principles: Life and Work

The ability to create strong relationships with others is crucial to living a full life and becoming more effective at work. Yet many of us find ourselves struggling to build solid personal and professional connections or unable to handle challenges that inevitably arise when we grow closer to others. When we find ourselves in an exceptional relationship—the kind of relationship in which we feel fully understood and supported for who we are—it can seem like magic. But the truth is that the process of building and sustaining these relationships can be described, learned, and applied.

David Bradford and Carole Robin taught interpersonal skills to MBA candidates for a combined seventy-five years in their legendary Stanford Graduate School of Business course Interpersonal Dynamics (affectionately known to generations of students as “Touchy-Feely”) and have coached and consulted hundreds of executives for decades. In Connect, they show readers how to take their relationships from shallow to exceptional by cultivating authenticity, vulnerability, and honesty, while being willing to ask for and offer help, share a commitment to growth, and deal productively with conflict.

Amazon Pick of the Week: Early American Wisdom

A cute little book that goes anywhere.

A timeless collection of over 200 inspirational and meaningful quotes from influential figures of America's early history.

As America grapples with its present and its future, perhaps the best way forward is looking back. Early American Wisdom features classic quotes, words of advice, wise sayings, and witty asides from such early American figures as Abigail Adams, Frederick Douglass, Benjamin Franklin, Phillis Wheatley, Thomas Jefferson, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington and more. Early American Wisdom can help illuminate timely lessons for the America of today and beyond.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Early-American-Wisdom-Treasury-Quotations/dp/1578268931

Read of the Week: LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Dummies

I was able to get a digital copy of this for free on makeuseof.com

Give your LinkedIn profile the makeover it deserves—and get the attention you deserve

Look at your profile: you know it could be a little better. Too many LinkedIn users are just posting a basic resume and hoping for the offers to come flooding in, missing out on the incredible opportunity the platform offers to properly showcase their talents, products, and services to 610 million professionals in over 200 countries. LinkedIn is way more than a resume tool—to display your professional past and present—it’s also your career future and personal brand. Used to its fullest extent, it helps you demonstrate the unique value and culture you provide, the skills and aspirations that make you different, to get the outcomes you truly want. But how’s it done?

Profile branding expert Donna Serdula pioneered the concept of LinkedIn Profile Optimization and through her Website, LinkedIn-Makever.com, has helped over 5000 professionals use LinkedIn to achieve increased success. In this guide she applies that experience to help you use all of LinkedIn’s capabilities to meet your goals, whether they be job search, reputation management, or sales.

Amazon Pick of the Week: Elvis: The Unofficial Aldo Cookbook

If you too like shopping at Aldi.

Discover the countless budget-friendly and delicious meals you can make with your favorite ALDI products!

Fans of ALDI, it’s time to celebrate your love of the best-ever grocery store with a cookbook dedicated entirely to your favorite products. You’ll find creative and mouth watering ideas that take simple, budget-friendly ALDI-brand ingredients and turn them into fantastic dishes. From healthy appetizers to restaurant-worthy comfort food classics and everything in between, you’ll be surprised at the amazing breakfasts, lunches, and dinners you can make after a shopping trip to your local ALDI, including:

• Baked French Toast with Berries
• Breaded Chicken Parmigiana
• Shrimp Scampi
• Everything Bagel Dip
• Easy-Peasy Frozen Yogurt
• And much more!

With 75 recipes and full-color photographs, you’ll be cooking like a pro with your favorite grocery store staples.