- Sport
- The Academy collection
- Ages 8–13
The Academy
Part of the collectionThe Academy→Follow Leo Doyle from small-town Ohio to elite English youth football across a bestselling underdog series built for football-mad reluctant readers.
- Books6 / 6
- Arcs1
- Span2022–2026
- StatusOngoing
The series
At a glance.
T.Z. Layton's New York Times bestselling middle-grade football series follows Leo K. Doyle from the muddy pitches of small-town Ohio to the high-pressure world of elite youth football in England. Across the run he earns a coveted academy place, grinds it out as a benchwarmer, leads an underdog club through European and international tournaments, and finally steps up into older, tougher divisions as he starts to grow up. Each book is a self-contained footballing challenge that also advances Leo's larger journey toward the professional game, and the maturity climbs with him — the later books carry more emotional weight and a first brush with tragedy. Short, cliff-hanging chapters and relentless on-pitch drama make it a breakthrough series for reluctant readers.
Follow Leo Doyle from small-town Ohio to elite English youth football across a bestselling underdog series built for football-mad reluctant readers.
Primary themes
Overall tone
- Exciting
- Inspirational
- Adventurous
- Heartwarming
Read in publication order (I–VI) — the story is continuous and Leo's team, rivalries and progression carry directly from book to book.
One arc
The shape of the series.
- INarrative arcBooks 1–6 · 2022–2026Moderate sensitivity
Leo's rise
One continuous underdog climb from trials to the edge of the pro game.
The whole series is a single forward-driving story. Book one is the trial that gets Leo across the Atlantic and onto the academy; the middle books put him on the bench of a failing side, then send his underdog club through European and international tournaments where sabotage, injury and rivalry test him. The later books push him into older divisions, a national call-up and, in book six, real tragedy as he starts to grow up. Because Leo's team, friendships and grudges carry straight from book to book, the run rewards reading in order — each instalment is a fresh footballing challenge stacked on the last, with the stakes and maturity rising alongside its hero.
Book 1The AcademySourcebooks · MMXXIIThe AcademyBook 2The Academy II: The Journey ContinuesSourcebooks · MMXXIIIThe Academy II: The Journey ContinuesBook 3The Academy III: Tournament of ChampionsSourcebooks · MMXXIIIThe Academy III: Tournament of ChampionsBook 4The Academy IV: Title FightSourcebooks · MMXXIVThe Academy IV: Title FightBook 5The Academy V: Cup of NationsSourcebooks · MMXXIVThe Academy V: Cup of NationsBook 6The Academy VI: Rise of the ScorpionsSourcebooks · MMXXVIThe Academy VI: Rise of the Scorpions
Fit check
Right for your reader?
Where the series lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
- 19
- Best fit · 8–13
- Read aloud · 8–12
- Independent · 8–13
Reluctant-reader friendliness
Very high
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Adult crossover
Low
Grows with the reader
Designed to
Sensitivity envelope
Moderate overall, and consistent.
Content notes
- Bullying
- Grief
- Poverty or hardship
About the author