The Miracle Goal

The Miracle Goal by Tony Wilson (ABC Books) HB RRP $14.99   ISBN 978-0-733335-46-4

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

The Miracle Goal is one of those books written from the heart.  It is based on the antics of the real life footy mad Selwood Boys, which makes it not only easy to read, but genuine and warm.  If you are an AFL fan and love footy, this is the book for you.  The book targets the 7 years plus age group and would also suit classroom teachers due to its broad range of topics so skillfully  covered.

Tony Wilson is a well-loved Australian author who inspires children to read and love books.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book to ignite a love of reading in a child and who needs to find a book that suits a child’s interests.  Boys in particular will gravitate to this story, but girls will also soak it up.

The Miracle Goal is part of a series of books based upon the Selwood boys’ childhood growing up in Bendigo, Victoria and is based upon the funny things that happened to the boys.  The topics covered include footy, family, sibling rivalry, competitveness, pranks, school, friendship, fairness, twins and having a disability, so you get a lot of bang in one story.  There is madness, mayhem, mischief and mateship.

The sign of a good writer is the ease in which you can read and enjoy the story and this book does that.  The first few chapters introduce each boy and their individuality and little quirks.  Then the scene is set around footy and school by portraying all the characters to paint a vivid picture. I won’t give too much away as I think you need to read the book.

For some light hearted fun with learning along the way give ‘The Miracle Goal’ a whirl and remember to be the best that you can be. 

Tiny Timmy: Soccer Superstar!

Tiny Timmy: Soccer Superstar! by Tim Cahill (Scholastic Australia)

PB RRP $12.99

ISBN 978-1-76015-888-0

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Tiny Timmy has big dreams. He wants to play soccer. He wants to play in the school team. And he wants to become the captain and a super star. But after try-outs he finds he is given the position of orange boy. Coach tells him that if he practices hard he will make the team when he is bigger. So Timmy - with support from his best friend and brothers, and hindrance from Hacker and Studs – attempts in hilarious ways to grow. He becomes faster, stronger and more skillful, but not taller. Will he be able catch the coach’s eye and prove he is good enough for the team when he remains so short?

Written for beginner readers in early primary school, Tiny Timmy is a new series to encourage new readers and increase their enjoyment of reading. Large, easy font, short chapters, loads of sketches and humour make this easy.

Although very male-orientated (there are girls on the soccer team but all the main characters and siblings are male) sporty girls will be engaged by this story as well. The themes of persistence, practice and hard work are universal ones.    

Written by a Socceroos' legend, this is a good book for soccer mad kids who dream superstardom.

Timmy Failure 4: Sanitised For Your Protection

Timmy Failure 4: Sanitised For Your Protection by Stephan Pastis (Walker Books)

HC RRP $17.95

ISBN 9781406363494

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Book 4 is full of the usual verbal cleverness and chaos as Timmy joins his mother on a road trip to Chicago. They are helping Doorman Dave, mother’s boyfriend move, and as always, life is full of unpredictability. Timmy is faced with another crime to solve and everyone is a suspect to the over-confident detective. Additional stress is placed on him when his former partner the bear starts acting up, causing problems, and spending money that Timmy doesn’t have.

By some twisted force of nature, he encounters Molly Moskins who in Timmy’s eyes is a notorious criminal and nothing will change that view. After all she does confess twice. She even consents to a lie detector test. But is this proof enough to close the YIP YAP case? Things are turned on their head again when Corrina Corrina ends up in Chicago as well. Timmy is thrown off course by news his mother finds hard to tell him.

This award winning creator has once again surpassed all expectation with his extraordinary use of language. At times traumatic to the senses, but always hysterically funny in its oddity, this highly imaginative and entertaining book will keep kids 8 years and older laughing out loud.

Wesley Booth Super Sleuth

Wesley Booth Super Sleuth by Adam Cece, Illustrated by Michael Streich (Omnibus Books for Scholastic Australia)

PB RRP $15.99

ISBN 978-1-74299-101-6

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Wesley Booth’s reputation at Hub Hill Primary is in jeopardy. He is a super sleuth. But if new girl, Cassidy Strong, beats him to the solution of the crime wave gripping school, Wesley may be left in her shadow. And to make matters worse, his traitorous best friend seems to like her. How’s a boy supposed to solve a case when his mum keeps confiscating his case notes and grounding him? Will his new – and incompetent – assistant be of any use? And what is going on in the family? Maybe his geologist Dad has told one rock joke too many.

Wesley Booth Super Sleuth is a fun read. Boys especially, will enjoy the antics of Wesley as he navigates his way through school, sibling disagreements, friendship upheavals and parents who just don’t understand why detective work is more important than school work!

Humorous black & white illustrations scattered throughout the chapters add to the story and appeal of the book.

This book is aimed at the 8 years plus range and I think upper primary students (or younger children with high reading skills) will enjoy it the most as, at 264 pages, it is not a quick read.

My Unforgettable Year

My Unforgettable Year by Adem Besim (Morris Publishing Australia)
PB RRP $22.95 e-book $4.99
ISBN 9780992505271
Reviewed by Dianne Bates

It wasn’t until I started reading this YA novel that I realised how little contemporary fiction there is about male teenage protagonists and their lives. In fact, all I could recall was Maureen Johnson’s Boofheads, which was published quite a few years ago.

Here is a book written by a young man in his early twenties who clearly remembers the angst of the teen years. Narrated by seventeen-year-old Nathan Thompson, My Unforgettable Year tells of the teenager’s trials and tribulations as he negotiates his final school year. On the surface, Nathan seems to have it all. He's the goal-kicking footy superstar from the small town of Kyabram. And he’s managed to snag the attention of beautiful, rich Katie who is new to town. However, his life and future at times seems doomed, especially as his over-bearing father, Mark, desperately wants Nathan to be the next national AFL player to make his town proud. Instead, Nathan plays footy for fun and dreams of university and a career in architecture.

When problems arise in his life, Nathan is often explosive and erratic, for instance when he resorts to physical violence against a footy team-mate. He is constantly on a hormonal roller-coast ride. Sometimes he seems mature and wise, other times he acts like an emotional juvenile. His emotions range from feelings of betrayal to disrespect to satisfaction to love. Often, like any teenager, he struggles with peer relationships, at times querying the motives of Katie and his best friend Matty. Nathan’s relationship with his ambitious father, whom he mostly detests, is tempered by his warm relationship with his mother and brother, Josh. Luckily, he has two positive male role-models, his Coach Garry and teacher, Mr Hazelman. What works best in the book is how Besim manages to capture the tension and action of an ongoing football match from a player’s perspective. The role of his coach is beautifully captured.

Besim has a unique insight into what makes a teenage boy click. Mostly his dialogue is true and the emotional depth of his characters is also true but at times his writing is self-conscious and needs a more vigorous editorial hand. I thought that sex would have been a driving force in a book about a seventeen-year-old – lots of talk among boys about girls -- but that doesn’t happen. Yes, there is one sexual episode in the book, but it is glossed over.

For the most part, though, this is a book about things that matter to teen boys – footy, mateship, partying, studying, examinations, thoughts of the future, and relationships with parents, siblings and peers. The book deals, too, with the big issues of bullying, death, and falling in love. Overall it’s an ambitious novel as the reader follows Nathan’s difficult, but ultimately successful coming of age. It is, as the book says, an unforgettable year.

My Unforgettable Year is available from all library suppliers, Dennis Jones and Associates or wholesale from Morris Publishing Australia’s website http://morrispublishingaustralia.com. It is also produced and available as an eBook and on Amazon, Smashwords, Apple and Kobo.