Ten Thousand Tries is a 2022 Lone Star novel.

Golden lives and breathes soccer. His parents decide to settle in this small town and create soccer teams at average schools that competes against the top schools. Because the school is small, they are a co-ed soccer team. This year represents the year that Golden believes they will win the championship. Everything he does is to improve upon soccer. He believes that if you spend 10,000 hours practicing, you'll be the best. He also has two best friends, one of whom lives next door. Lucy and he consider themselves twins--born on the same day and raised together. She's been gone all summer to Maine, so Golden is desperate to see her. Benny is their plus one--he was added years ago and they've been close friends ever since.

Golden fails to see the truth and chooses to believe that trying will conquer everything. He works constantly in hopes of being captain of the team. The truth Golden is avoiding deals with his father, who has ALS. This disease makes every muscle atrophy, so that eventually every muscle stops and death occurs. The novel takes place over the fall soccer season as they compete against teams in hopes of making the championship while also detailing the decline of Golden's father. Golden believes that if he can get his father to fight, he will win. The disease will go away. There's also the reality of Lucy's mom's boyfriend who may move Lucy's family to Maine. Golden can't lose more. He's already sharing a room with his sister and trying to act like a captain. He's still an 8th grade boy, who struggles to control his emotions and struggles to grow up. The lessons he learns teach him that the world doesn't revolve around him. He often feels victimized, believing he is losing everything, failing to see what his family is also losing, especially his mom and dad. Ultimately, the novel builds to the championship game and the decline of Golden's father.

I am not someone who likes to read sad books, so the story of a family losing their father gets too close to realism for me. I prefer escape in my books. I like Golden's optimism, but his continual denial felt repetitive to me. After a while, I thought, "Come on--live in reality. Stop being a stupid jerk." Of course, I'm a grown woman and he's an 8th grade boy. He's a very realistic 8th grade boy! It's truly a good book about the grace it takes to face adversity and accept help. No matter how hard we want something to happen, it doesn't mean it will no matter how hard we work for it. However, our attitude and ability to still notice and help others instead of feeling victimized brings growth and ultimate peace. ( )