Soccer Bugs

SOCCER BUGS is a sports book for middle grade readers that combines fast-paced soccer action with powerful social issues – including bullying, divorce, and memory loss. Like all Bo Rush books, SOCCER BUGS uses sports to celebrate diversity and inclusion, grapple with important life lessons, and reaffirm important values like courage, determination, and friendship. SOCCER BUGS takes place in the fictional town of New Abe in Sangamon County, Illinois. Midwestern geography and climate are ever-present, and the ghost of Abe Lincoln and his dog Fido offer a twist that is both entertaining and educational. Ten-year-old Rio Planck witnesses first-hand how his adopted grandpa molds a ragtag bunch of rejects into a championship soccer team. The Lightning Bugs feature a superstar striker who uses bilateral cochlear implants to hear, and a hyper-focused goalkeeper who is on the autism spectrum. When their aging coach develops Alzheimer’s can no longer guide them, the young players use the lessons they’ve learned on and off the field to complete their surprising season in spectacular, nail-biting fashion.