Mia and Friends: Mia Hamm and the Soccer Sisterhood that Changed History

Ages 7 to 10

Based on the true story of soccer legend Mia Hamm, Mia and Friends tells the empowering story of a group of young women who became as close as sisters on the soccer field, eventually making history at the 1999 Women’s World Cup!

Despite being named after a famous ballerina, little Mia Hamm never cared for pirouettes. Instead, she chased the ball: the baseball, the basketball, and especially the soccer ball. She was often the only girl in the game until, at age fifteen, she stepped onto the soccer field as part of the US Women’s National Team. All around her, young women tackled and dribbled, passed and kicked, scored and screamed. They were just like her—but even more skilled. For Mia to improve, she had to play up to the levels of Michelle Akers, Briana Scurry, Brandi Chastain, and so many others. She was determined not to let her team down!

About the Author

Karlin Gray is not a soccer player or a sports star. But like Mia Hamm, Karlin grew up as a shy military “brat” who moved frequently and found some great friends along the way. (And coincidentally, she graduated from the same high school as Mia!) Today Karlin is the author of several biographies, including Nadia: The Girl Who Couldn’t Sit Still and Serena: The Littlest Sister, and lives in Connecticut with her family. karlingray.com

Born and raised in New York City, Micheline Hess started her professional comic book career in the early ’90s with Milestone Comics. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, she has several creator-owned works such as Malice in Ovenland, The Anansi Kids Club in the All Saint’s Day Adventure, and Diary of a Mad, Black, Werewolf. She hopes to encourage a stronger sense of self-love, friendship, and a hunger to embrace all things new and different in the world around us.