{"product_id":"9781609453534","title":"The Penalty Area","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Penalty Area \u003c\/i\u003eis a heartwarming novel about overcoming adversity, making human connections, and playing the glorious game of soccer. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVincent once had a shot at becoming a professional soccer player, but a career-ending injury put an end to his dreams. A tough kid from a poor family, he has become an emotionally cut-off man with frustrated hopes and limited options. He finds himself coaching an under-16 soccer club in an attempt to keep alive his only passion in life. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe team he coaches is little more than a roster of hotheaded boys, none of whom understands the on-field chemistry needed to win. Simply put, they aren't of a championship caliber. When his unemployed sister Madeleine, a single mother, dumps her thirteen-year-old son on him, Vincent panics. With no clue how to take care of a teenager, he brings his nephew to practice and eventually throws him into the scrimmage. It's then that Vincent notices there's something strange about Léonard. He has a preternatural ability for anticipating each striker's intentions, making him a remarkably talented goalkeeper, but he seems detached, absent, lost. It becomes clear that Léonard has undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome, and also that, with Léonard's abilities as a goalkeeper, Vincent's ragtag team has a chance to reach the finals. For that to happen, for the team to find a reason to rally behind this strange kid from Paris, Vincent will have to let down his guard and open his heart for the first time ever. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA warm and engaging read, \u003ci\u003eThe Penalty Area\u003c\/i\u003e is about building a sense of family on your own terms.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Europa","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47055617687792,"sku":"9781609453534","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781609453534_p0.jpg?v=1763836740","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781609453534","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}