Teen Author Donates Books to 100 Libraries to Celebrate 5th Anniversary of Dramatic 1999 Womens World Cup Soccer Victory

To help celebrate the five year anniversary of the historic Womens World Cup victory on July 10th, teen author, Leah Lauber, is donating 100 copies of her book, Soccer Dreams, to libraries nationwide. Lauber will also be donating an additional 150 copies to local literacy groups to be determined, to bring the total retail value of her donation to nearly $5,000.00. Soccer Dreams describes Leah's true adventure following the U.S. Womens National Soccer Team, as a fan and 12-year-old Junior Reporter for the St. Petersburg Times during the history-making 1999 Womens World Cup.

St. Petersburg, FL (PRWEB) July 2, 2004 -- To help celebrate the five year anniversary of the historic Womens World Cup victory on July 10th, local teen author, Leah Lauber, is donating 100 copies of her book, Soccer Dreams, to libraries nationwide. Lauber will also be donating an additional 150 copies to local literacy groups to be determined to bring the total retail value of her donation to nearly $5,000.00.

Soccer Dreams describes Leah's true adventure following the U.S. Womens National Soccer Team, as a fan and 12-year-old Junior Reporter for the St. Petersburg Times during the history-making 1999 Womens World Cup.

Leah, today a 17-year-old high school senior, wrote the 92-page book five years ago and it is illustrated with more than 200 color photos, most taken by her father, Chris, initially intended for the family photo album. Leahs family self-published Soccer Dreams after the family had difficulty generating interest from established publishers.

I wrote Soccer Dreams for several reasons," said Leah. I wanted to share my adventure with other fans, promote the positive values I learned from the team members, and encourage readers to dream big. Donating these books to libraries will help me achieve my goals, while making the book more readily available to anyone near the chosen libraries."

The Womens World Cup is widely regarded as a significant milestone, with the largest crowd ever for a womens sports event assembled at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to watch the U.S. squad defeat China in dramatic fashion.

After 120 minutes under the scorching sun resulted in a scoreless tie, more than 90,000 spectators and 40 million television viewers witnessed the victory by the slimmest of margins - the infamous penalty kick by Brandi Chastain, followed by the memorable moment of Chastain ripping off her jersey in a moment of temporary insanity," as she later called it.

Winning the 1999 Womens World Cup was recently recognized by ESPN as one the Top 20 Sports Stories" during the last 25 years, as voted by a panel of 100 journalists.

While many of the libraries chosen are in Laubers home state of Florida, 62 of the libraries are being sent by priority mail to libraries coast-to-coast in 17 other states. A complete list is included below.

Soccer Dreams is receiving excellent reviews from a wide variety of soccer fans and book-lovers:

Great book you put together - you should be proud of it!"

Kristine Lilly, World Cup Champion, pre-publication review, 2001

Thanks for a copy of Soccer Dreams. I enjoyed it. Dream BIG and have fun. I wish you the best!"

Shannon MacMillan, World Cup Champion, pre-publication review, 2001

Your book brought back fond memories of a great season!"

Coach Tony DiCicco, World Cup Champion, pre-publication review, 2001

Fun example of Hollywood magic in real life. . .this would only happen in the movies. . . interesting stories and great photos."

Brian Harrington, Touchline (publication for Florida Youth Soccer Association), September, 2003

The book reveals a real talent for good writing...a true sports adventure...a gift wish come true."

Alan Caruba, www.Bookviews.com, November, 2003

Not only a great book about the sport, women athletes & the long haul to success, it is about a youngster's enthusiasm, passion, persistence...& success!...Rebeccasreads highly recommends SOCCER DREAMS for all, no matter their age or their passion."

Rebecca Brown, www.RebeccasReads.com, Amazon #108 reviewer, March, 2004

What a fantastic book. I very much enjoyed reading this account from a young person's perspective and re-living the moments."

April Heinrichs, U.S Women's National Team Head Coach, April, 2004

A dream come true. A remarkable story. Great lesson for everyone: with hard work, you can achieve anything. Highly recommended."

Sharyn McGinty, In the Library Reviews, May, 2004

If you have ever dreamed of being able to talk to your sports hero, you will enjoy this fascinating journey . . . A unique book filled with great photographs and many enjoyable articles by Leah who is definitely an enthusiastic soccer fan with a great personality. Her writing style is fresh and creative."

Rebecca Johnson, www.TheRebeccaReview.com, Amazon #4 Reviewer, May, 2004

An exhilarating work...an eminently clear, entertaining publication...A sure winner for the target audience of middle grade to older readers. Soccer Dreams has a place on shelves of home and school libraries. The book will be reached for often for pleasure reading."

Molly Martin, www.Authorsden.com, June, 2004

Anyone who has ever had a hero - athlete, musician, artist or actor - has dreamed of seeing their hero perform, getting an autograph, and/or talking with them. Leah has enjoyed all those scenarios. What makes Soccer Dreams universally appealing is that her incredible adventure takes place while her National Team of heroes is on the worlds largest stage in their home country before the largest audience to witness a womens sporting event in history.

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Please note: Attached photo files are available in high-res eps format.

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LIBRARIES RECEIVING SOCCER DREAMS

Florida

Clearwater Library

Dunedin Library

Largo Library

Pinellas Park Library

St. Petersburg Library

Seminole Library

Pasco County Library

Hernando County Public Library

Sarasota County Library

Tampa-Hillsborough County

Alachua County Library

Altamonte Springs City Library

Boca Raton Public Library

Brevard County Library

Broward County Library

Charlotte-Glades Library

Cocoa Beach Public Library

Fort Myers Beach Public Library

Jacksonville Public Library

Lake County Library

Lee County Library

Manatee County Public Library

Marion County Public Library

Martin County Library

Miami-Dade Public Library

Monroe County Public Library

North Palm Beach Library

Northwest Regional Library

Orange County Library

Orlando Public Library

Osceola County Library

Palm Beach County Library

Putnam County Library

Seminole County Public Library

St. Johns County Public Library

St. Lucie County Library

Sumter County Public Library

West Florida Regional Library

California

Arroyo Seco Library Network

Contra Costa County Library

County of Los Angeles Library

Heartland Regional Library

Long Beach Public Library

Los Angeles Public Library

North Bay Cooperative Library

North State Cooperative Library

Orange County Public Library

San Bernardino County Library

San Diego County Library

San Diego Public Library

San Francisco Public Library

San Jose Public Library System

Santa Clara County Library

Sonoma County Library

Connecticut

Wilton Library Association

Washington, DC

District of Columbia Public Library

Georgia

Atlanta-Fulton Public Library

Illinois

Chicago Library System

Chicago Public Library

Suburban Library System

Massachusetts

Boston Regional Library System

Boston Public Library

Central Regional Library System

Metrowest Regional Library System

Northeast Regional Library System

Southeast Regional Library System

Western Regional Library System

Maryland

Baltimore Public Libraries

Michigan

Detroit Public Library

Minnesota

Southeast Library System

North Carolina

Central North Carolina Library

Durham County Library

Charlotte Public Library

New Jersey

Highlands Regional Library

New York

Brooklyn Public Library

Central New York Library Resources

Long Island Library Resources

Metropolitan New York Library

Nassau Library System

New York Public Library

North Country Library System

Rochester Regional Library Council

Upper Hudson Library System

Western New York Library Council

Ohio

Cleveland Area Metropolitan Library

Columbus Metropolitan Library

Ohio Valley Regional Library System

Cincinnati Public Library

Oregon

Multnomah County Library

Portland Area Library System

Pennsylvania

Free Library of Philadelphia

Texas

Dallas Public Library

Fort Worth Public Library

Harris County Public Library System

Houston Public Library

Irving Public Library

Virginia

Alexandria Library

Arlington County Library

Fairfax County Library

Prince William Public Library System