You are a Champion: How to be the BEST You Can Be

You are a Champion: How to be the BEST You Can Be by Marcus Rashford, written by Carl Anka (Macmillan Children’s Books) PB RRP $19.99

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Better known in the UK where he is an MBE for his contributions to international football and as a child food poverty campaigner, Marcus Rashford has won many accolades and awards. Thus he is probably the best person to guide a book which is an inspiring, empowering, and practical guide to life for young people aged 10 years and older.

From early childhood as a normal child to recent years, Rashford uses his own experiences to give children the tools needed for success, showing that it is possible to achieve dreams, and that success is all about the right mind set. Positive thinking, he says, can change lives. He also says that people should be comfortable with who they are. They should practise like champions and word hard. To this, he adds building mental resilience and standing up for others; navigates adversity and discover the unstoppable power of their own voice. He strongly believes each child is a champion and that they have the power to achieve their dreams.

Each chapter is full of practical advice, engaging illustrations, and infographics, including advice from performance psychologist Katie Warriner. By the time a young person finishes reading this book, they can surely become the best version of themselves. 

The Selwood Boys Hit the Road

The Selwood Boys Hit the Road by Tony Wilson, (Harper Collins)  SB RRP $14.99   ISBN 9780733335471

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

The famous Selwood Boys are back in book three of The Selwood Boys series. The Selwood family is going on a holiday to Queensland.  The road trip adventure begins with the Falcon six-seater leaving Bendigo for sunny shores.

‘They were away.

Three suitcases, four boogie boards, two footies, a frisbee, six beach towels, a beach umbrella, two Game Boys and six Selwoods.

At the one-minute-and-twenty-second mark, the boys had their first fight.’

The text is an easy engaging read, with splashes of humour. The antics of the four footy mad boys on the road create many memorable moments.  Troy and Adam are the mischief-making twins who are determined to discover Joel’s kryptonite.  Joel cannot possibly be an all-rounder at everything.  There must be something he’s not good at.  Scooter (Little Scott) joins in the mission in helping his older brothers.

Joel with his cheeky, sneaky antics knows his brothers are doing their best to catch him out.  He manages to keep one step ahead of them until… You see you can’t be good at everything and eventually there is something Joel desperately tries to hide.  You’ll just have to read the book to find out what it is.

This fun-filled story can be enjoyed from seven years old onwards.  It would also make a fantastic read for a teacher to share with a class.  The book is based upon the real Selwood brothers and all the funny things that happened to them.  The Selwood brothers are sports stars that were kids once and it’s interesting to see where their footy journey began in their childhood shenanigans.

Tony Wilson has used a mix of sentences from short to long and this really makes the reader feel like the text is speaking directly to them. Often it’s difficult to find books for sporty readers and this book fills the gap.

Book 1 is Battle Royale, Book 2 The Miracle Goal and Book 3 Hit the Road will be followed by Maintain the Mischief.  The books make a great set to collect. 

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. 

Being Jack

Being Jack written by Susanne Gervay, illustrated by Cathy Wilcox (Harper Collins)

PBK RRP $14.99
ISBN 9780732296148
Reviewed by Sharon McGuinness

We first met Jack five years ago in I Am Jack, when, as an eight year old, Jack experienced bullying. In the years (and books) that have followed, Jack has endured his father leaving, dealt with the bullying at school, acquired a stepfather when his mum remarries and works out a relationship with stepbrother Leo.

Now in Year 6, family and school life appears to have settled, with Jack enjoying his photography and sharing a love of surfing with Rob his stepfather. The bullying issue however, again raises its ugly head, this time directed at Jack’s friend Christopher and Jack is forced to relive his experience and find a solution to help his friend.

When Jack and Christopher witness dirty play in a football scrum at school, they know that something must be done about the bullies once and for all. Bullying and unfair play are not Jack’s only concern though, as he is soon to turn thirteen and questions about why his father left and his lack of contact begin to niggle. How will he find a father who may not wish to be found? If he finds him, what effect will this have on his mum?

Susanne Gervay again has written a story that is heartfelt and honest. We feel Jack’s fear, his doubt and worries. The perfect ending to the series, we are left confident that Jack is resilient and confident to take on the challenges of adolescence. Suitable for children aged 9+ years.

Billy Slater: Banana Kick

Billy Slater: Banana Kick by Patrick Loughlin, illustrated by Nahum Ziersch (Random House Australia)

PB RRP $12.99

ISBN 9780857982667

Also available as an ebook

ISBN 9780857982674

Reviewed by Marian McGuinness

What a great concept for a series for young boys who love their sport. You don’t have to be a footy player to engage with the Under 11s Ravens. Each book follows the story of one of the team members. In this 2^nd book of this new series, it’s Junior Taafuli’s turn. ‘At ten years of age, Junior was already five foot five. His hefty Samoan build had earned him the nickname Mount Taafuli.’

Despite his size, Junior is a quiet kid. Author, Patrick Loughlin, describes Junior’s running abilities in vivid phrasing – he came ‘steaming in through the middle of the forward pack like a Spanish bull let loose on a crowd of tourists.’

As the Ravens play more games, the opposition’s parents constantly sledge Junior because of his size. He is so dejected he thinks himself a freak. Even his teammates join in by making mean comments, ‘he’s on a seafood diet: see food and eat it.’

Billy Slater, the famous Australian fullback, is once again centre field when it comes to the kids’ training and wellbeing. In a preface to the book he reveals that when he started out in football, he ‘didn’t have the natural strength or size the other players had,’ so he had to find other skills. With boys reading this they will understand that like Junior, they each have their positive areas.

There is a lovely interlude throughout the book where the reader gains insight into Junior’s supportive and strong family. His father works at the fruit markets and his mother is a nurse and a wonderful, traditional cook. When Billy Slater organises for the boys to swap junk food for healthy food to give them energy, despite his size, it’s Junior who comes up trumps.

But there’s more to Junior than his physicality. During a confrontation with the team bully, Junior is at tipping point. Surrounded by the team who are chanting ‘Fight! Fight!’ he could have pummelled the bully into the ground, but he surprises everyone by rapping about being who he is.

With its punchy use of language that rushes the plot through each chapter, there’s always something of interest. The enticingly colourful cover and the black and white illustrations scattered throughout give just enough of everything. At the end of the book Billy Slater gives his tips on healthy eating and on how to perfect the game-saving Banana Kick.

As the whole team is profiled, who will be the next player in the spotlight in Book 3?

Billy Slater: Try Time

Billy Slater: Try Time by Patrick Loughlin, illustrated by Nahum Ziersch (Random House Australia)

PB RRP $12.99

ISBN 9780857982469

Also available as an ebook ISBN 9780857982476

Reviewed by Marian McGuinness

This is the first book in a new series for boys 7+ who not only love footy but who play any team sport. At the core of each book is the guidance of legendary Billy Slater, fullback for the Melbourne Storm, Queensland Maroons and Australian Kangaroos.

Each short-chapter book tells the story of one of the players of the Under 11s team, the Ravens. This time it’s Josh’s story. His dad’s away, his mum is busy with the new baby and his greatest supporter, his grandad, is embarrassingly over-the-top when it comes to cheering from the sideline.

Josh is so nervous about his first footy game that he dreams he’s forgotten to wear his uniform. He’s running for the line with the ball in his Superman undies.

Every boy who has ever had to get ready for footy will be excited by the descriptions of the pre-game preparations: footy boots, shoulder pads, mouthguard – check! And they will recognise the ‘herd of elephant-sized butterflies’ stampeding in their stomachs.

Josh is on the small side and he’s constantly worried that he will let the team down. In the first game of the season he ‘felt the hard yellow hide slide into his grasp as he dived for the line.’ He lost the ball. ‘Then came the sound that would haunt him for days: a single loud, long BOOOOOOO!’

Enter Billy Slater, friend of Coach Steve and footy hero to the boys. At their footy practices Billy homes in on what each boy needs. He takes Josh aside and says, ‘the yips are when you worry so much about not being able to do something that your body forgets how to do it.’ This is not a didactic series but blends the reality of playing football with the wisdom of those who have done it all before.

With its plethora of footy action, quick pace and short-burst sentences, the climax is exciting indeed. The black and white drawings create a visual connection for the reader. There is added value in the players’ profiles at the back of the book as well as handy footy tips on tackling and catching a pass.

Try Time is about having fun, working as a team and self-belief regardless of ability or background. It’s the whole footy package. 

The David Beckham Academy: Captain Incredible

The David Beckham Academy: Captain Incredible by Emily Stead, illustrated by Adam Relf (Egmont)

PB RRP $12.95
ISBN 978-1-4052-5165-5
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

At the David Beckham Academy in London, boys and girls go to learn about football (soccer), develop their skills while having fun, gain self-confidence, and learn team work.

The main characters in this sports story are Dan, VJ and Mia. Dan has won a competition and the prize was two days at the Academy. VJ is a dreamer, and all he dreams about in class is soccer. Mia is bossy and controlling, and is the Captain of her school team’s under- elevens, therefore feels it is her right to captain this team as well. All the arrivals share a common goal no matter what brought them to the same destination. They long to live their dream for two days as they take part in competition games against other teams. The ultimate reward is a trophy for the winners.

The Academy turns out to be larger than anything the children expected. They are given royal blue Academy uniform kits, and end up on the same team, Brazil. They are all shy with one another at the start. Their coach, Woody, loses no time and gets them all out on the field for a warm up in preparation for selection.

These children know their game. They live it and breathe it. For some, it is all they have of interest in their lives. This is the beginning of a great accomplishment for the group as they play under the colours of various countries and work their way to the trophy.

But it is hard work and many lessons must be learnt. There is no place for pride or self-gratification. Group effort is what propels them to the winner’s position and vanity is washed away. The importance of reporting an injury also comes home to each and every player when VJ injures his ankle and delays the reporting of it to his coach. There are rules that must be adhered to, and for some of the children, this doesn’t come easy.

These are inspiring stories for all children in the 7+ age group who have any interest at all in any sport, not only soccer. The ethical parts of playing group sports are accentuated, particularly that of team spirit, working together for a common goal and respecting the rules of the game as well as one another regardless of their position on the field.

The illustrations play a large roll in the communion of text and image. Although black and white, the pictures are alive on the page and follow the text closely to give an intimate view of the story.

David Beckham’s photo is on the front of every book in the series of which there are now six, and the covers are in a glossy finish with full colour pictures, with royal blue the dominant colour.

The David Beckham Academy: Away From Home

The David Beckham Academy: Away From Home by Emily Stead, illustrated by Adam Relf (Egmont)

PB RRP $12.95

ISBN 978-1-4052-5164-8

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This is another title with positive themes in the David Beckham Academy series of books. The story focuses mainly on three children; George, Ben and Stephan. They arrive at the Academy to learn what it means to play in real teams, under real team names, with a cup as the trophy to the winners at the tournament end. They will also get skills training, confidence building, and their self-esteem will be greatly increased by the time they set off for home again.

Stephan is a Polish boy who can’t speak English and for this reason, he is confronted with a great many obstacles. But he can play football (soccer) like a professional and he proves that the spoken language is not the only form of communication available when it comes to playing sport.

Kelly is the coach of Holland, the team in which the three children are allocated. Stephan tries his best to get a grip on what is being said in the skills training, but fails to do so. Luckily Ben is up first and Stephan follows his lead and comes out the best of the group. Ben claims the captaincy and hands out the positions to the rest of the team. When it comes to Stephan, the Polish boy tries miming to explain what he does best and is misunderstood, and is put into defence position instead of striker, which has adverse effects on the team’s performance.

It’s not until Holland have lost several games and become disillusioned, that things take a turn. Stephan is passing a training room when he sees a tactics board with play positions drawn up. He realises he has discovered the way to communicate without words. He calls the team in and calls each person’s name as he points to their position, then his as striker. He draws up the lines of play and defence and the team returns with full force to take the trophy, which is presented to them by David Beckham.

This series comes highly recommended by the reviewer. There are a lot of values and positive themes in these books which aimed at teaching children the important issues of team play, patience and perseverance. Each book has several lessons to be learnt, with each character evolving by some degree fro the better by the end of the book. Ideally suited for children aged 7+, these books will catch the interest of a wide-ranging audience not necessarily only those interested in sport.

Goal! How football conquered the world

Goal! How football conquered the world by Catherine Chambers (black dog books)
PB RRP $14.99
ISBN 978-1-74203-157-6
Reviewed by Anke Seib

Catherine Chambers has a wonderful way of blending the history of football with world history, giving readers a fully rounded context in which to view the game of soccer. Did you know that many early matches were more like mob brawls and that some leaders tried to ban them? A vast variety of information and a lively layout means this book presents readers with a treasure trove of spice and fun, including all that lies behind the game, its history and its fans.

Part of bdb’s magnificent Drum Series, this work shows football’s evolution through a variety of ancient ball and field sports to final standardisation of rules, explaining how soccer separated from contact codes like league, union and Aussie Rules. Chronological history is interspersed with player profiles, quirky information panels, quotes from big names and odd historical facts (e.g. in the 1870s a US cigarette manufacturer printed player pictures on cigarette pack ‘stiffeners’, thus creating our first ‘footy cards’.)

While hard to prove exactly who invented soccer, Chambers uses historical facts, archaeological evidence and statistics to build a picture of what is likely to have lead to the game we now know. She also reveals what balls have been made of and called in the past, how many players exist in the world, how many teams form FIFA and the rise of women in the sport. Despite Oscar Wilde being quoted in the 1800s as saying football was fine for girls but hardly suitable for delicate boys, it was not until 1970 that the Deutscher Fussball-Bund allowed these frail creatures to play!

Whether a sports buff or not, there is much to grab a reader’s interest. Certainly this book should be in every library and would be useful for many areas of study. I recommend it for readers ten and over but certainly not just for children. Anyone who enjoys observing human behaviour, widening their knowledge of history, or exploring what brings nations together in peace rather than war, will enjoy the spirit of all that is celebrated in Goal!