THE TWIN STARS AND THE SOCCER SUPERSTAR, by Kristine Rudolph, SparkPress, June 9, 2026, Paperback, $13.99 (ages 10-14)
A sixth-grader sets out to solve a missing teen mystery in The Twin Stars and the Soccer Superstar, by Kristine Rudolph.
Every year, spring in Texas means two very different things to sixth-grader Cassaty Greene: her beloved Barons Creek High School soccer team, the Battling Billies, will contend for the state title, and the anniversary of her twin brother’s death will plunge her family into a deep, unspoken grief.
But this year, the script changes when the Battling Billies’ star midfielder goes missing right before the playoffs begin.
Presented with this mysterious disappearance, Cassaty seizes the chance to heroically bring the missing girl home—and hopefully, in doing so, help fill the hole her brother’s death left in her family so many years ago. —Synopsis provided by SparkPress
The Twin Stars and the Soccer Superstar is an exploration of grief, autonomy and communication through the lens of a 12-year-old soccer player/fan.
The story follows Cassaty as she and her friends set out to find Katey, the star player of their high school soccer team. Cassaty feels guilty for the death of her twin brother who only survived a few months after birth. The weight of his death affects her entire family who never speaks of him at any great length. Cassaty is a relatable character who internalizes a lot and is desperate to shift the barometer in her family.
The book is less about soccer and more about the connections it forms for Cassaty’s growing “community.”
Author Kristine Rudolph utilizes Katey’s disappearance as a tool for Cassaty’s community to address and start to work through grief and deeper, more impactful, communication. Rudolph utilizes different relationships to mirror behaviors that do and don’t work as well as offer greater understanding.
While there are light-hearted moments throughout, I wouldn’t necessarily call The Twin Stars and the Soccer Superstar “an enjoyable romp” as per the publisher’s description. The Twin Stars and the Soccer Superstar is authentic and heartfelt with touches of humor and great instances of friendship.
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