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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSTwelve-year-old Leo Doyle spends every spare minute playing soccer in his small Ohio town, using the game to avoid thinking about the money troubles at home and the mother he lost two years earlier. His dad works long hours as a carpenter, and Leo has overheard enough hallway arguments to know the family is struggling to keep the house. When a scout named Philip Niles spots Leo at a rec league game and shows up at his house days later, Leo gets an offer that seems impossible: a spot at a month-long summer camp in London, where two hundred kids from around the world will compete for just eleven openings on a Premier League club's youth team. Leo travels to London alone, moves into a dorm called the Castle, and starts writing a journal about everything that happens next. He leaves behind a pet bearded dragon who happens to share a name with a famous soccer player, and now has to prove himself against kids who are bigger, faster, and better trained than he is. Readers who like an underdog with something to prove will want to find out whether Leo's instincts and stubbornness are enough to get him through the cuts.
Free Battle of the Books questions for The Academy
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about The Academy. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a boy catch crickets outside to feed his bearded dragon dinner?
✓ Answer
The Academy by T.Z. Layton
Feeding live crickets to his lizard Messi is part of Leo's routine, and it is also when he talks his problems out loud. He feels a little sorry for the crickets but decides it is just Mother Nature.
- First half
In what book is a boy assigned to a squad named after a spiky green lizard?
✓ Answer
The Academy by T.Z. Layton
Leo scans three rosters posted on the cafeteria wall without finding his name before he spots it on the fourth, which makes him an Iguana. He decides iguanas are basically born center forwards, since they lurk around and then strike fast.
- First half
In what book do young players serve fish and chips to cheering children at an orphanage?
✓ Answer
The Academy by T.Z. Layton
Instead of an evening Special, the campers ride the club buses to an orphanage as ambassadors, wearing their training shirts. Leo sits with a lonely little girl named Lily and discovers that doing something kind feels even better than being cheered for.
- Second half
In what book does a bully hold a boy underwater during a chicken fight at a public pool?
✓ Answer
The Academy by T.Z. Layton
Leo topples off Alejandro's shoulders and Brock pins him by the neck, so all he can see are legs and thighs as thick as concrete blocks. Alejandro shoves Brock under in revenge, but Leo takes the blame for his friend and ends up in the director's office with Brock.
- Second half
In what book do teams play a game with four small goals arranged in a diamond?
✓ Answer
The Academy by T.Z. Layton
Samantha calls it the Four Kingdoms game, and each team of six defends two goals while attacking two. It suits Leo perfectly, because splitting everyone's attention opens up the creative passes he sees better than anyone.
- Near the end
In what book does a boy think his house is being robbed when the lights come on?
✓ Answer
The Academy by T.Z. Layton
Leo steps into the living room after his flight home and a dozen friends and relatives jump out from behind the furniture. There is a welcome home sign over the fireplace, balloons on the ceiling, and a chocolate cake on the table.
