Losers? by Pauline Deeves

Ill. by Adam Carruthers. Mates series. Omnibus Books for Scholastic Australia, 2011. ISBN 9781862918511.
'Will the Wiggly Worms ever beat the Rotten Rats? Maybe not. But they always pick up their orange skins after half-time!' The captain of the Wiggly Worms is set to report at the school assembly on his team's performance. After trying to justify their fifteen to one loss and replaying all the disastrous things that contributed to the score he begins to reflect on all the good things about the team and their supporters.
I liked this story of the struggling soccer team and their realization as they progress through the book that even though the scoreboard is often against them, they have a wonderfully loyal and dedicated team and supporters. Even though they kick goals in the wrong direction most of the time, they each have a special skill and receive an award.
Nicely illustrated to add to the story and help break up text for those earlier readers, this story is a heartwarming look at competitive sport and how sometimes being second can be a good thing.
Zana Thiele