Buy new:
$17.99
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$17.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Only 18 left in stock - order soon.
$$17.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$17.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$9.07
Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! See less
$3.99 delivery May 15 - 21. Details
Or fastest delivery May 13 - 16. Details
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$17.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$17.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Ships from and sold by HPB-Diamond.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Fran Pintadera
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Madani's Best Game Hardcover – Picture Book, October 11, 2022

by Fran Pintadera (Author), Raquel Catalina (Illustrator), Lawrence Schimel (Translator)
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$17.99","priceAmount":17.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"17","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"gnmpzLtMPOtTNVgjJJXZTtRfo71ZADWxW5twJYXKhUKKqckk9XKdjniTJC70CdIiG6bQ%2FmBbqf6N5zyZLDJ6tHX%2FfpPB64KbWW5Kvvld%2BZ87O9dA7gdfRLWIuxPUOxxbpSI0yJj3gpn6ZabNy1BJWA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$9.07","priceAmount":9.07,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"07","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"gnmpzLtMPOtTNVgjJJXZTtRfo71ZADWxwsPBwsfX5jBzPVzWo0Rg8Y%2Bo2prQ8Zwd7WToxBqig1ZnLPVVwqspFP7rtakxuSsLdVj7Bz8eZhuYW%2BFgVxx%2BypjAemWUEHtiyZZAvtlVY5K3WkUhd0EkAp2uGQPe52pidvZgHoZaRkWQ2ADNr2ZHCA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

A heartfelt book featuring a neighborhood soccer team and its determined young star, who has a secret plan even more impressive than his bicycle kicks.

No one plays soccer like Madani. When the ball lands on his bare feet, the whole town stops to watch. Even Madani’s mother—still sewing the day’s work at home—can hear the crowds cheer when he scores. His teammates wonder what their best player could do, if he only had a proper pair of cleats. As Madani saves up money, bit by bit, his team’s rivalry match approaches. Maybe he’ll have new cleats in time for the big day! Or maybe Madani has a different goal in mind…

Told with gentle humor and lively illustrations, Madani’s Best Game is a refreshing story about the joys of sports, teamwork, and family.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    5 - 9 years
  2. Print length
    48 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    1 - 2
  5. Lexile measure
    730L
  6. Dimensions
    7.5 x 0.25 x 10.25 inches
  7. Publisher
    Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
  8. Publication date
    October 11, 2022
  9. ISBN-10
    0802855970
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0802855978
  11. See all details
Next page
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

Madani's Best Game
$17.99
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
Only 18 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Building an Orchestra of Hope: How Favio Chavez Taught Children to Make Music from Trash (Stories from Latin America (SLA))
$15.00
Get it as soon as Monday, May 13
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Your Brave Song: An inspirational Children's Picture Book That Shows How Faith in Jesus Can Help Kids Overcome Fear, Worry, &
$10.69
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

From the Publisher

Madani's Best Game

Madani's Best Game

Madani's Best Game

Madani's Best Game

Every Saturday, when the ball lands between his bare feet, every passerby freezes. And not just them— the whole world does! Waiters remain motionless with their trays held above their heads. Old friends stop arguing. The pigeons don’t fly. Even traffic comes to a standstill!

Our whole neighborhood knows it: no one plays soccer like Madani does. Even if there are two hundred kids out on the field, he’s easy to spot: he’s the only one who plays barefoot.

Madani makes the ball twirl and passes it from one side to the other.

Barely a whisper remains now of that first celebration. But Madani’s mother hears it and feels proud. She knows her son has scored a goal.

Madani's Best Game

Author

Fran Pintadera is a storyteller, theater director, and the author of over a dozen children's books. Why Do We Cry? (Kids Can) received a Parents' Choice Gold Award and was selected as a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year. Madani's Best Game is based on Fran's time as a social educator in new immigrant housing, where he often played pick-up soccer with a boy named Madani and his friends. Fran lives in Spain.

Madani's Best Game

Raquel Catalina

Lawrence Schimel

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-This picture book tells the story of Madani, the best soccer player in the neighborhood. He plays with bare feet, scoring goal after goal. His mother, working as a seamstress, hears the distant cheers, but is unable to attend the game due to the amount of work she has. Madani has been saving up all his money, and the children assume it is to buy cleats. However, when Madani returns from his day at the store, he is still barefoot. What he spends his money on leads to his best game ever. The text is told from the children's point of view and is poetic and simple. The soft palette is created with pencil, gouache, and colored pencils. Engaging illustrations are filled with a lot of action and characters for readers to explore. Most of the characters appear white, with a few characters of color in the background. An author's note explains that the story was inspired by Pintadera's experiences with the children in immigrant housing while he was a social worker. VERDICT A good purchase to add to sports collections, books on family, or those on sportsmanship.-V. Lynn Christiansenα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About the Author


Fran Pintadera is a storyteller, theater director, and the author of over a dozen children's books. Why Do We Cry? (Kids Can) received a Parents' Choice Gold Award and was selected as a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year. Madani's Best Game is based on Fran's time as a social educator in new immigrant housing, where he often played pick-up soccer with a boy named Madani and his friends. Fran lives in Spain. Follow him on Instagram @franpintadera.


Raquel Catalina is a Spanish artist and illustrator whose books include Benji's Blanket (Green Bean). She studied fine arts in Madrid, then earned a postgraduate degree in illustration in Valencia. In 2021, the original version of Madani's Best Game was selected as a NYPL Best Spanish-Language Book for Kids. Follow Raquel on Instagram at @raquelcatalinaillustration.

Lawrence Schimel has written or translated over 200 books, including Niños, Different, and 9 Kilometers (all Eerdmans). His works have received many awards, including a PEN Translates Award and the GLLI Translated YA Book Prize Honor. Lawrence lives in Madrid, Spain. Follow him on Twitter @lawrenceschimel.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (October 11, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 48 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0802855970
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802855978
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 5 - 9 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 730L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 1 - 2
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 0.25 x 10.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Fran Pintadera

Fran Pintadera

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
2 global ratings

Top review from the United States

Stories by Storie
5.0 out of 5 stars Heart-Warming Story with a Powerful Message
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2022
This book is a refreshing story about the joy of sports and teamwork, but also celebrates family and prioritizing what’s most important. It would make a wonderful addition to your school or classroom library.
Helpful
 Report