You Lucky Dog

Text copyright © 2002 by Catherine M. Christopher

Illustrations copyright © 2002 by Daniel Vasconcellos

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including
information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may
quote brief passages in a review.

Matt Christopher® is a registered trademark of Catherine M. Christopher.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental
and not intended by the author.

Hachette Book Group

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First eBook Edition: December 2009

ISBN: 978-0-316-09469-6

Contents

Copyright

Soccer ’Cats Team Roster

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

SOCCER ’Cats

Subs:

Jason Shearer

Dale Tuget

Roy Boswick

Edith “Eddie” Sweeny

I
t was a beautiful sunny day, just perfect for soccer. Lou Barnes couldn’t wait to get to the field. The Soccer ’Cats were
taking on the Panthers today. The Panthers were always a tough team, but Lou had a feeling that the ’Cats were going to come
out on top.

He rummaged around in his room, looking for his lucky soccer ball. He’d scored his first goal with that ball. Coach Bradley
had let him keep it after the game, and now Lou brought it with him whenever the ’Cats played. He finally found it buried
in his closet. He tucked the ball under his arm and headed downstairs.

Lou knew that some people looked strangely at the arm holding the ball. True, that arm wasn’t quite the same as his other
arm. It was a little shorter, and couldn’t move the same way his other arm moved because it was partly paralyzed.

He’d been born that way, so he never knew what it was like to have two arms that were the same. Things that most people used
two arms and hands for —like playing a game of catch or using a fork and knife—he’d had to learn to do with one. His parents
had hired a woman to help him learn, and over time he’d figured out his own way of doing things.

Sometimes, though, he caught someone he didn’t know staring at him. At a country fair one time, a few older kids made fun
of him. Lou had been so upset he’d almost started to cry. But for the most part, people treated him like any other kid — which
was just fine with
Lou. That’s how he thought of himself, after all.

All that was far from Lou’s mind this morning, though. Now all he could think about was getting to the field and facing the
Panthers! He waved good-bye to his mother, who was out back working in the garden, then jogged off to the game.

The field was crowded with Panthers and ’Cats. They did some warm-up drills, then got into position for the game. The ’Cats
had won the coin toss. The referee placed the ball in the center circle, then backed away. Stookie, the ’Cats’ center striker,
stood next to the ball, waiting for the whistle. When it came, he toed the ball to Jerry Dinh on his left.

Jerry controlled it and took off. He dribbled past one defender. Then two Panthers double-teamed him. Coach Bradley had taught
his team that when two defenders were guarding you, it meant that one of your teammates was wide open. Lou could see Jerry
looking frantically
for that open player. Finally, he saw Dewey London waving. He kicked the ball as hard as he could to him.

Dewey ran to meet the ball. He reached it just before the Panthers’ center got to it. Dewey dribbled on an angle toward Lou’s
side of the field.

Lou knew that if he could get open, Dewey would pass it to him. He tried to break free of the Panther near him, but she stuck
to Lou like glue. Dewey ended up passing the ball to Stookie.

R
ats!” grumbled Lou as he watched Stookie race downfield. Lou ran parallel to him, hoping to help out. His defender matched
him step for step. There was no way Stookie would pass to him when she was so close, Lou thought.

He was right. When the Panther defense rushed Stookie, Stookie glanced at Lou, frowned, then passed the ball to Jerry. Jerry
stopped it, dribbled a few paces closer to the goal, then shot the ball back to Stookie. Stookie wound up and took a mighty
shot on
goal. It all happened so fast that the Panthers’ goalie didn’t have a chance. The ball bounced into the net for the ’Cats’
first score of the game.

The ’Cats cheered and jumped for joy, then hurried back to their starting positions. Lou was happy they were ahead. He hoped
he’d have a chance to give the ’Cats an even bigger lead.

But he didn’t. The whole first half, the Panther covered him like a blanket. He tried dodging around her, stopping short then
speeding up, and weaving from side to side. Nothing worked.

Finally, a few minutes before the end of the half, he decided to try something a little more daring. He was going to run full
out for the Panthers’ goal.

He waited for Stookie to get the ball and start dribbling downfield. Then he took off. Legs pumping, he ran for all he was
worth and managed to leave his defender several steps behind! Keeping one eye on Stookie, he made a beeline for the goal.

Phreet!

Lou stopped short at the whistle. He looked around to see what had made the ref stop the game. To his horror, he saw the ref
pointing straight at him.

“Offside!” the ref shouted.

Lou slapped his hand to his head. He’d forgotten a basic soccer rule: If you don’t have the ball and you’re in your opponent’s
half of the field, you have to keep at least two defenders between you and the goal. Otherwise, you’re offside.

The only defender between Lou and the goal was the goalie. Lou had run so fast, he’d outrun the Panthers’ fullbacks as well
as the girl defending him.

The ref positioned the ball for an indirect free kick. A Panther fullback took the kick and sent it rocketing down the field.
The girl who had been dogging Lou all game trapped
it, spun, and headed for the ’Cats’ goal. She dodged past the defense, and suddenly it was just her against the ’Cats’ goalie.

“C’mon, Bucky, stop her!” Lou pleaded. But the Panther’s kick was just too strong. Bucky lunged and missed. The score was
tied — and it was all Lou’s fault.

L
ou felt awful as he got back into position. He eyed the Panther across from him. She smiled triumphantly back at him.

If I’m going to make up for that mistake,
Lou thought,
I’ve got to figure out a way to beat her!

As the minutes ticked by, Lou tried every trick he knew. He speeded up, then stopped short. He faked left and moved right.
He even stood stock-still, hoping she’d run past him. But nothing worked. He just couldn’t shake her.

Finally, though, something happened that
changed his luck. Midway through the second half, the Panther was taken out of the game and a sub was put in her place.

All right!
Lou thought.
Now maybe I’ll get a chance to help out in this game. Maybe I’ll even make a goal!