Synopsis:   In 1966, the most famous sports trophy in the world, trophy for soccer’s World Championship called the World Cup, was stolen March 20th from an exhibition in London. The whole world was furious at its loss and England was terribly embarrassed by the theft. An exhaustive investigation by Scotland Yard netted nothing. Exactly 7 days after the theft, the Cup was found wrapped in newspaper under a garden hedge in a blue-collar neighborhood in SE London by the Corbett family dog named Pickles. The actual robbers, a bungling gang of three soccer-crazed fans, were never arrested. (True story).

 After overhearing the robber’s plot to seal the World Cup, the 2 Corbett kids and their 5 neighborhood friends couldn’t tell the police because of their big secret. The kids decided to steal the Cup back from the robber’s hiding place with considerable help from their dogs.  After a series of hilarious, hair-raising adventures they recovered the Cup for the World Cup Games to be held that summer in London and saved the day for England. (Not exactly true but it makes a good story)

The Football Association (FA), England’s soccer governing body, was so grateful for the Cup’s return it gave the Corbett family and the kids passes so the soccer-loving kids could see many of the legendary stars and historic games. The excitement built to a fever pitch as the finals of World Cup drew near. The entire country of England was delirious as England appeared to have a great chance to win its’ first world championship in the game they invented. On Saturday July 30, the Corbetts and kids were in Wembley Stadium as England, for the first and only time, won the World Cup.  

Martin Burniston, the charismatic BBC sports reporter, walks the new-to-soccer reader through what the World Cup is, importance of England hosting it, slightly ‘fractured’ history of how England invented then developed soccer, injecting fascinating true World Cup tid-bits that will amaze even the lifelong soccer fan as he helps the kids and dogs recover the Cup and meet the famous soccer stars. The story even comes with an "Englsih to American" Glossary for easy translation.

The last scene is the Corbetts’ home where all the dogs were watching the World Cup final on TV with Granny as England wins the game.  They see the Queen present the trophy to the England’s captain, Bobby Moore, and then she places a medal around Pickles’ neck for finding the trophy.  Hans, the neighbor’s Doberman, who actually masterminded the Cup’s recovery, shakes his head and says, “ I’m always the bridesmaid, never the bride.”    -The End – Then Hans pushes the –The End- out of the way as he says, “That’s not quite The End; one last thing...Brazil won the World Cup for the 3rd time in Mexico in 1970 and the trophy was permanently retired to Brazil.  Sadly, in 1983 while the trophy was on display in Rio, it was stolen and never recovered.  

This proves, once and for all, English dogs are better detectives than Brazilian dogs! -The End-