Our Sister, again by Sophie Cameron

"Welcome to Project Homecoming and exclusive trial by Second Chances Ltd.

You are part of one of the most ambitious and pioneering projects ever carried out in the field of Artificial Intelligence. 

One that, if successful will change how we think about 

and experience life and death forever."

Life is a mystery and so is death but we do know that when someone dies we cannot see them again. In books there is an unwritten rule that death is never reversed or so it seems to me. In this book a young girl is 'brought' back and this has huge implications. This book will most certainly make readers think deeply about grief, death, what it means to be human and also the implications of technology in our lives.

Isla's sister has died. Mum is wrapped up in grief and so when she reads about a way to bring Flora back to 'life' she readily agrees. What does this mean? What are the implications for the family of agreeing to the Second Chances Homecoming Project. What are the implications for the community who have all signed confidentially agreements? And what about the other teenagers who were friends with Flora? They have grieved and attended her funeral and now she is back. But they are older because three years have passed. If this version of Flora is frozen in time and only has the memories. possibly unreliable memories, collected by Second Chances, is she a real person? Mum does not want to see the truth and dad is sure this is totally wrong, so he has left the family and moved away from their island home. Now that Flora is back should she go back to school? Is there any point in sitting exams? And of course, the kids in her class from before have left the school and are at college.

Is Flora person or a robot? "As Flora turns towards the harbour steps her hair falls to the side and shows the back of her pale neck. ... Carved into her skin, only just visible above her jacket, is a small square."

Is this Flora, really Flora? "The returnee has been created using vast amounts of data, in addition to photos, videos and extensive interviews with your loved one's friends and family."

"Our returnees look entirely human ... We are confident that this new arrival will be an extremely close match to the person you remember. However, please be aware that there are some differences. Returnees do not need to sleep, they cannot be fully submerged in water, (they do not need to eat), and they don't fall sick with human illnesses."

The food part about the returnee made my stomach squirm. In the first few days Flora does eat with the family but the food goes into a food compartment in her body and she has to regularly empty it. Eventually she just gives up this charade of eating. 

"Losing Flora so young made me realise that growing old is a gift not everyone gets."

Dad "doesn't think she's human ... He says you can't rebuild a soul and you can't be a human without a soul."

Exploring a number of ethical questions, Our Sister, Again is simultaneously an intriguing mystery and a moving story of grief, family bonds, and what it means to be human.  Book Trust

It's an emotional story, and heartwarming too. The Book Bag (read this full review - it is very thoughtful)

This is an incredibly powerful, compelling and absorbing read that raises issues around personhood, ethics and social media.  ... And, that ending – it brought tears and smiles – and was exquisite! Book Craic

Frank and Bert book series by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

 

Chris’s superb colour pencil scenes exude energy, humour and pathos, perfectly capturing the changing emotions of his larger-than-life characters.  Red Reading Hub

Back in 2022 I talked about the first book from this series. This week I spied another and then made the wonderful and surprising discovery that Frank and Bert - the one where Bert plays football - is actually the fourth book. I am a huge fan of Chris Naylor-Ballesteros. 

Here is the blurb for each of these titles:

Frank and Bert: Frank and Bert are the best of friends and they LOVE to play hide and seek. But Bert the bear isn’t quite as good at hiding as he thinks he is . . . and Frank ALWAYS wins! Every. Single. Time.

But when it’s Bert’s turn to hide, and Frank has to decide between winning again OR making his friend happy, Frank learns that friendship is always the true winner. (Read the Kirkus review)

Frank and Bert: The One where Bert Learns to Ride a Bike: Bert isn’t very good at riding a bike. Here’s what happens. It always starts well, but then Bert wibble-wobbles all over the place, until . . . Oops! Whoops! Ouch! Do you see what I mean? Bert is CERTAIN he can ride his bike as well as Frank, but he is very wobbly! And even when they BOTH try riding Frank’s bike . . . it still goes very wrong! Will the best friends make it all the way down from the big hill? Of course! All they need is a little bit of confidence and trust in each other! (Read the Kirkus review)

Frank and Bert: The One with the Missing Biscuits: Frank and Bert are off for a picnic in the countryside. And Bert has brought a delicious surprise! But when he falls asleep, Frank can’t resist taking a peek . . . WOW! Bert has made Frank’s FAVOURITE biscuits! Surely, he won’t mind if Frank eats one . . . or two . . . or three . . . (Read the Kirkus review)

Frank and Bert: The One where Bert Plays Football: Meet Frank and Bert. They LOVE football and Frank is teaching Bert everything he knows . . . until Barbara turns up, the local football legend, and Frank drops everything to play with her. Poor old Bert. But when Frank finds himself in trouble, it’s Bert, his BFF, who is always there for him . . .

The glorious coloured-pencil illustrations are bursting with energy, expression and humour, and perfectly encapsulate the emotions of each character. Funny and heart-warming, this gem of a picture book demonstrates the importance of always being there for your friends. Book Trust

These should all be added to your primary school library. They are perfect discussion starters when you are talking about friends and friendships and kindness. 

The end papers in "The one where Bert plays football" are patterned like footballs (or soccer balls as we might call them here in Australia) in a vibrant hot pink. Frank is trying to teach Bert how to play but Bert either kicks the ball way too far or he trips over it. Then along comes Barbara and we have the classic story trope - twos company threes a crowd. To make matters worse Barbara is a football champion. In fact the book and Frank both say she's "the greatest football player IN THE WORLD." Frank is in heaven - Barbara wants to play with him! but this means he ignores his old friend. In an interesting twist this time it is the famous Barbara who kicks the ball high into a tree. Perhaps even soccer stars can miscalculate their kicking. Frank climbs the tree but:

"I'm a bit scared of heights, and I wish Bert was here, and I wish I hadn't gone off with Barbara, and I wish I hadn't ignored Bert, and if only I'd been a better friend."

At this point it would be good to just pause and let these words sink in. Is there a way for Frank and Bert to find each other again? And what about Barbara should she be allowed to join their game? And does it make any difference that Barbara is a girl soccer player?

I am not a sport fan, but I do love the way Chris Naylor-Ballesteros shows in this book that every position in a team is important. Not in an unkind way, but I cheered when Bert showed Barbara he also has soccer skills - it would be great to have him on your team!

I found an online seller with each of these titles for around AUS$20 each - which is a really good price for a set of books that are sure to be popular with readers and teachers. 

I previously adored this book by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros:

The Suitcase

How to break a world record and survive Grade Five by Carla Fitzgerald

Sam is obsessed with one book - we would call it The Guiness Book of Records. Sam calls it The Big Book of Records. He reads this book at school, in the school library at lunch time, with his best friend Vihaan after school and on weekends. If you look closely at the cover you can see some the world records that Sam has tried to beat and yes, they are all fairly crazy! For example: most sticky notes stuck on a face in one minute - 60 - set by someone in USA in 2014. 

In his class the teacher announces a new assignment.

"In 500 words describe your proudest moment. You will be asked to read your work to the class and are welcome to bring in any certificates, trophies or other relevant objects to help describe this moment."

There are two key words in this assignment that cause Sam huge distress - certificates and trophies. His sister has certificates displayed all over their fridge. And there are trophies in her room and other parts of the house because, even though she is only nine years old, it feels to Sam that she is the family superstar, and he is almost invisible. 

The class assignment gives Sam and idea - IF he can break a world record, and IF he can do it all the official way and have witnesses and time keepers etc, and IF he can submit this to the World Record people in time, he MIGHT get a certificate and he MIGHT gain some recognition in his family and best of all he MIGHT have something fabulous to share for this school assignment. The other kids MIGHT even be hugely impressed.

Of course, some records are impossible, some are messy, some cost money and they don't much of that in his one parent family, some rely on involving others such as his friend or sister but then he hits on the best record that he surely can achieve - the most scoops of ice cream balanced on a single cone - 125 - set by someone in Italy in 2018. And luckily Sam is friends with the man who drives the local ice cream van. 

Publisher blurb: Sam is a kind and thoughtful eleven-year-old, but he thinks he’s not that great at anything. His sister, Ava, is a soccer star and his best friend, Vihaan, is an award-winning artist. The one thing Sam is good at is knowing all about the extraordinary feats in the Big Book of Records. When Sam is set a class project about a moment he’s proud of, he can’t think of anything and takes inspiration from his favourite book. He knows he’ll be proud of himself if he can break a world record! But breaking a world record isn’t easy. And things get even harder when someone close to Sam needs his help and he must decide: will he be good? Or be the best?

You do have to stick with this book because the real action or purpose or poignant moment doesn't happen until page 250 and the whole book is only 278 pages so this moment is nearly at the end of the journey we have taken with Sam as he tries to break a world record and gain some level of fame in his family, class, and neighborhood.

This book will appeal to readers aged 10+. It is an easy book to read and Australian readers will understand the local references. One small example is the Good Guys electrical retail store from here in Australia is called The Great Guys in this story. 

Each chapter begins with a world record (some are real and some specific to Sam):

Longest Handstand 11.82 minutes; Heaviest watermelon 159kg; Most socks put on one foot in under thirty seconds = 22 socks; Largest collection of garden gnomes 2042; and so on. 

Here is the website for the author Carla Fitzgerald. Thank you to UQP for this advance copy. How to break a world record and survive Grade Five will be published at the end of July, 2024.

I previously talked about:

How to be Prime Minister and survive Grade Five

I once made a library display or set of posters with book that incorporated grade names - but sadly most of these are now out of print.

I was a Third Grade Spy; Captain Jimmy Cook discovers Third Grade

Keena Ford and the Second Grade mix-up

The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary

The Last fifth grade of Emerson Elementary

The Swallowtail Legacy: Wreck at Ada's Reef by Michael D. Bell

Meadowlark Elizabeth Heron-Finch is known as Lark and she has returned to the island where her mother lived as a child. Lark has come with her sister Pip (Sandpiper Alanna Heron-Finch), with their stepfather Thomas and his three sons.

"When I was five, and Pip was three, our dad died ... That same summer Thomas's wife was killed by a falling tree branch when she was jogging in Central Park. Four and a half years later, Mom married Thomas. ... So we had kind of a Brady Bunch thing going for a couple of years but then, three months ago, Mom died, and what was left? Thomas and his kids, and then Pip and me. I don't know what we are exactly, but it doesn't quite feel like a family."

The Island of Swallowtail is holding a mystery. One resident now claims the island is his because of an inheritance. He has a plan to develop the island with holiday houses and a golf course but one resident - Nadine Pritchard - is desperate to find the truth and stop this dreadful development which will ruin their tiny island home. Nadine was Kate's (that's Larks Mom) best friend. She is also the granddaughter of a man who was killed in a boating accident many years ago off the coast of the island. This is where describing this story could get a bit complicated.

Captain Edward Cheever was born on Swallowtail island. His wife and young daughter Ada died during the flu epidemic. Edward Cheever has only one brother named Gilbert. 

"So, when Captain Cheever dies, he owns all this land, everything north of this line. Something in the neighborhood of five hundred acres, or almost twenty percent of the island. A lot of land. Unfortunately, the only will that the captain leaves behind is one written in the 1930s that, naturally, leaves everything to his wife and daughter. One little problem: they're already dead. So who gets it all? His only living heir, the brother he hates, Gilbert."

So now we have several mysteries to solve. Did Captain Cheever write a new will? If so where is it? What do his dying words (will, safe, two bells, Ada holds the key) mean? Was the boating death of Albert Pritchard really an accident? Did one of the witnesses leave something important out of the inquest into his death? Why is the woman at the Cheever Museum so nasty? You need to read this book to find all the answers to these and many more questions.

There are a lot of characters in this story and I did find at times I was a little bit confused but that may be because I read this book a little too quickly. It might have been helpful if the author had popped a character list at the beginning of the book perhaps.

Here is the publisher blurb: Twelve-year-old Lark Heron-Finch is steeling herself to spend the summer on Swallowtail Island off the shores of Lake Erie. It’s the first time she and her sister will have seen the old house since their mom passed away. The island’s always been full of happy memories—and with a step father and his boys and no mom, now everything is different.When Nadine, a close family friend, tells Lark about a tragic boat accident that happened off the coast many years before, Lark’s enthralled with the story. Nadine’s working on a book about Dinah Purdy, Swallowtail’s oldest resident who had a connection to the crash, and she’s sure that the accident was not as it appeared. Impressed by Lark’s keen eye, she hires her as her research assistant for the summer.And then Lark discovers something amazing. Something that could change Dinah’s life. Something linked to the crash and to her own family’s history with Swallowtail. But there are others on the island who would do anything to keep the truth buried in the watery depths of the past.

Each character, historic and contemporary, sparks with life. Lark’s process and the reveals are perfectly paced. Descriptions of the island and weather, plus some dramatic moments on rough water, help build atmospheric tension.  Kirkus Star review (this reviewer also said Readers will be hooked—more, please!)

I love the way Thomas inserts wise quotes into his everyday conversations by people like Marcus Aurelius, Aristotle, and Cicero.

If your reader aged 10+ loves a good mystery story they are sure to enjoy Wreck at Ada's Reef. I would pair this book Out of the Wild Night by Blue Balliet. And the publisher links this book with The Parker Inheritance.

The Parker Inheritance

Here is the website of Michael D Bell. And here is an interview where he talks about is book. Nearly everything is resolved at the end of the first installment in this series except we do need to know more about the little bird that Lark found in her bedroom and also more the book that was carved inside to hold this little treasure. The second book from the series The Swallowtail legacy was published in 2023 and it takes up this part of the mystery.

Here is the Kirkus review

Under the Red Shawl by Vikki Conley illustrated by Martina Heiduczek

I wrote this story to explore the many challenges that our world presents for our children. We all have different homes and places where we live (cities, towns, villages), but for some children they are forced to leave for different reasons, and that can be hard. Vikki Conley

It is interesting to ponder the passing of time in this story. When we first meet Salim he has just been born. He hears the boom boom boom of his mother's heart but there is also the boom boom boom all around. We know this is a dangerous place when we read that the mother and child need to begin their journey to a safer place today. Salim is folded into her beautiful red shawl. 

The journey is long and very difficult through all weathers and landscapes but Mama tells her little son that they will find a place of safety.

"Mama whispered stories about green grass, bouncing balls and laughing children."

Publisher blurb: Starting out in a new place is tough, but friendship, kindness and imagination help Salim, Mama and Donkey discover their new world. In this stunning picture book, by award-winning creators – Vikki Conley and Martina Heiduczek – we journey with Salim as he grows up creating a new life around him. This is a story about a journey, hope and creating fun with the little that you have.

Vikki Conley has brought the reality of the world of the refugee child right into the realm of more fortunate children ... The Bottom Shelf

Teachers Notes from the publisher.

Pair this with these books:

Amira's Suitcase

Tomorrow

I am also keen to find this book.  I am sure I have seen another book about kids who make a ball out of found materials set either in Africa or South America but I can't think of the title.

With older children you might also like to look at these books:

Sea Prayer

A Boy and a Ball

Picasso and the Greatest Show on Earth by Anna Fienberg

There is so much going on in the life of young Frances right now. She has moved to an outer suburb away from the busy city, to a home with a garden and lower rent. One special thing about this new place is the nearby bush.  But only a week after they arrive and begin unpacking that dad announces he has to travel overseas for his work as a journalist so now it is just Frances and her mum and the memory of her toddler brother Henry. Clearly something truly dreadful has happened to Henry but Frances is riddled with guilt and just does not want to revisit these terrible events.

Talking about this book I don't want to give too much away. You will work out some of the content from the labels I've assigned this post. Another way to introduce this book might be to look at the title. Moving to the new house means mum and dad decide to buy Frances a puppy. Picasso is her favourite artist and she has his painting Le Chien on her bedroom wall so the new pup is named Picasso. 

Visiting the beautiful Australian bush near her home Frances surveys the scene as the sun is setting and declares that moment - The Greatest Show on Earth. Here are some quotes from the text that will show you the highly evocative way Anna Fienberg describes the natural environment - trees, colours, light and shadow:

"The track turned into a spindly trail that zigzagged round rocks splotched with lichen. It was the palest olive green, thin as dried paint. ... On our right the creek trundled on, gathering into shallow pools, vanishing into mud. Trees towered above, filtering light that ended up as glitter on the water."

"After the rain the angophoras turned tangerine, their juicy pieces of bark smashed around their roots. I pressed my cheek against a massive trunk and the cold was startling."

Anna Fienberg has added some wonderful art insights into her book too - no doubt inspired by the late Kim Gamble. They met at the School Magazine where she was the editor. Kim Gamble illustrated The Magnificent Nose and Other Marvels by Anna Fienberg, which is a favourite book of mine, the Tashi series the Minton series and Joseph which was shortlisted for the 2002 CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award. 

All the art Kit and Frances create surely must link with the special relationship between Anna Fienberg and Kim Gamble. It is described with so much care:

"Crosshatching ... you create a hollow with shading by doing lots of parallel strokes one way, crossed with parallel strokes the other way."

"Kit let me share his chalk pastels and showed me how to make a twilight sky. I made notes of his instructions in my sketchbook ... At home I practised sky after sky. And I learned how to make a star sparkle.With white chalk you do the blue at the top, then take one dot and make it into a cross, smearing out the points into long white lines. When you stand back it sparkles."

I finished this book this morning having started it a couple of days ago and yes I did cry but that's okay because the happy, but not saccharine, ending restored me.  Anna Fienberg adds a wonderful layer of tension to the story. I just kept reading and reading even though I knew something dreadful was going to happen. This is a five star book. It is Australian in so many ways but it is also such a heartfelt human story.

Thinking about this story one word that came to my mind was consequences. Frances is obsessed with germs and diseases because she see this as a consequence of her action or inaction with her brother Henryre. Kit worries about consequences too. He cannot reveal anything about his house or mother because in the past the consequences were dreadful. Then there is the consequence of a tiny decision Frances makes when she makes a sketch of her friend. (When you are reading this book take your time over page 140-141). 

This story is also about personal growth. We watch the trust between Kit and Frances grow and both find a way to trust each other with their deepest secrets and sadness. Kit also has such emotional maturity and his gentle advice to Frances is uplifting

Someone asked about the themes in this book on a Facebook forum and whether it was too confronting for an eleven year old reader. I’d be happy to have this book in my primary school library but I’d be recommending it to mature Grade 6 readers. Yes it’s sad and yes grief and the death of a sibling and mental health are BIG topics but that’s okay. The writing is wonderful. You just feel as though you are right in the bush with all the sounds and smells and light and shade. This is a long book so really only kids with good reading stamina and the right level of maturity will persevere. I’m sure this book will go on to win many awards and be on short lists.

This book is like a warm, comforting hug when you need a friend, and I found myself wanting to read on to find out what had happened yet at the same time, it felt like one to savour and sit with so my reading pace could match France’s pace as she slowly revealed what had happened to her brother. The Book Muse

The different ways grief is expressed is a significant theme throughout this novel but there are other important ideas upon which to reflect such as family, bullying, courage, the healing provided by nature, dogs and art therapy and loneliness. Just So Stories

After reading Picasso and the Greatest Show on Earth you might like to revisit these classic Australian stories:

I do wish we could see the mural created by Kit and Frances but keen artists might like to look a little further into the art of Wang Wei.

It would be interesting to compare Picasso and the Greatest Show on Earth with a 2001 novel by Anna Fienberg - Witch in the Lake. I did read that one many years ago but sadly I cannot recall much of the plot. Other companion books:

The Spangled Drongo by Steven Herrick

Christmas wish list:

I'd like my mum and dad to be alive

Sam and I are friends.
Best friends.
Friday night roof friends.
It's good to have a boy 
for a friend.
It's a change.
He likes food
almost as much as I do.
And he's quite smart - 
he knows about the stars,
and he can name
every soccer team in Australia,
probably every team in the world!
We play 20 questions on the roof.
We each choose a subject:
me - food
Sam - soccer.
Then we ask each other a question
on the subject
until someone gets a wrong answer.
The first person to answer
20 questions correctly
gets the last chocolate biscuit
or
the last slice of cake
but 
mostly we share the winnings
because we are friends,
me and Sam,
best friends.

This verse novel has it all!  A brilliant story which is gently revealed, terrific relationships, poignancy, sadness, joy, and two kids who you will wish were your friends too.  These kids are different but they find so many things they have in common - counting the stars, playing soccer, rooftop picnics, food and friendship.

Jessica loves birds.  Sam says:
"I've seen a wattle bird,
a currawong, a kookaburra
and six sparrows.
Jessica is eager to see her favourite,
a spangled drongo! 
Yes, true.
Jess takes birdwatching very seriously."

The Spangled Drongo was first published in 1999 and has been reprinted seven times. My copy with the new jacket above, will be released early in 2020. I've put the original cover first. I have read many books by Steven Herrick, especially his verse novels, which I love but somehow I missed this one.  I read one guide which said it was for 13+ but I would make this lower and say a mature reader 10+ would enjoy this book.

You may know I adore (ADORE in capital letters) verse novels and Steven Herrick is a true master of this form.

Read my comments about some other books by Steven Herrick:

• Pookie Aleera is not my boyfriend
• Bleak boy and Hunter stand out in the rain
• Untangling Spaghetti

I also loved Do wrong Ron and Tom Jones Saves the World.

Here is a spangled drongo - they are real - they are birds but I think they should perhaps insist on a new name?

Image source: https://ebird.org/species/spadro1

The Eleventh Trade by Alyssa Hollingsworth

Before you read The Eleventh Trade please try to read Sonam and the Silence. This will help you understand the importance of the rebab and why the loss of this precious instrument is so utterly dreadful.

Sami and his grandfather have arrived in America after a long journey from their homeland in Afghanistan. The other members of the family are all dead. Sami and his grandfather have spent time in wretched circumstances in Istanbul, Athens and Iran.  Finally they have somewhere safe to live in Boston. Baba (grandfather) is a skilled musician but he now plays his beautiful antique rehab in the subway to raise money for food and living expenses.

"Back in Afghanistan, before the Taliban came, Baba was a famous performer. People would pay thousands of Afghanis to hear him play."

As the story opens Sami has arrived at the subway. His grandfather leaves Sami for a moment to go to the bathroom.

"I flick my fingers over the rehab's three main strings. The mulberry wood base presses into my chest. ... The pegbox at the end of the neck is carved in a flower design, with one end chipped where Baba dropped it in Iran. The tassel - woven by my grandmother in blue and white string with red beads - swings as I adjust the rebab in my lap."

Sami is transported by his own playing to memories of his mother (mor) and father (plar). His eyes are closed and while he plays someone snatches the rebab from his hands and runs away. Sami chases the teenager but the precious instrument is lost. Sami feels enormous guilt. He has badly let his grandfather down.

Sami has felt utterly alone at school but one boy, Dan, offers to help him. Dan finds the rebab for sale on the internet at a guitar shop but when Sami goes there the owner demands $700.  Now go back to the title and the word "Trade".  Sami begins to trade things to make the money so he can retrieve the rebab.  The shop owner gives him one month. These are the twenty eight days of Ramadan. If Sami can raise the $700 he can give the rebab back to Baba as an Eid gift.

Alyssa Hollingsworth allows the reader to slowly discover what happened to Sami and his parents in Afghanistan. It is a heart wrenching but important story.  Along the way Sami makes new and wonderful friends and he does raise, with a huge effort, the necessary $700 but when he arrives back at the guitar store the rebab has been sold.

I read this book in three huge gulps - up to chapter 9 in one breath, then on to the end of chapter 19 and finally one more breath to reach the end of this utterly splendid book. You can hear a radio interview with Alyssa here. Here are a set of teachers notes from the publisher.  This is a book you must put on your own "to read" list.

I would pair The Eleventh Trade with No Ballet Shoes in Syria.

Both a quest story and a friendship story, this book brings to life the traumatic reality refugee children experience in a world filled with borders and walls. Kirkus

Readers will cheer Sami on in his quest and cry with him when he shares his worst experiences. A true read for empathy and a great story of our times. Book Murmurmation

The fox and the ghost King by Michael Morpurgo illustrated by Michael Foreman

I found this book The fox and the ghost King in our last brochure from Scholastic Book Club.  I wonder why they didn't make a bigger feature of it - this is quite an engrossing story and one that will appeal to young soccer fans.  It is a short book with wonderful illustrations by Michael Foreman and it would make a good family read-aloud.

Take a look at this football team logo - Leicester City F.C.  It has a fox in the centre and the nickname for this team is The Foxes.  They were founded in 1884 and by 2008 the were at their lowest ever position. "Then ... in August 2012, King Richard III was found under a Leicester car park, and a right royal turnaround in the Foxes' fortunes began..."

That in essence is the story of The fox and the ghost King.  Narrated by a little fox cub we read that this pair make night visits to watch their beloved team.  Once again Leicester have been defeated but on the way home everything changes.  Our narrator and his dad hear the buried king.  He asks them to dig around his body so the archaeologists working on the site will finally discover his burial ground. Naturally foxes are very good at digging. The rest, as they say, is history!  There is even a touch of Shakespeare woven into the story.

"By his play of Richard III, that vile villain made a  villain of me, a traitor, a murderer... that dastardly dramatist, that William Shakespeare."

Here is a six minute video of Michael Morpurgo reading his book.  At the back of the book you can read about Leicester City FC, King Richard III and "newspaper" article about the change in fortune for this popular team.  You can read a review here.

I was quite excited to discover the London Underground have a series of posters promoting books and one featured The fox and the ghost King."

Losers? by Pauline Reeves illustrated by Adam Carruthers

You may have noticed I have not reviewed many books about sport on this blog.  This is partly because I rarely find a sport theme book that I enjoy.

Today a young boy in Grade 3 visited our school library. He is having difficulty with book selection and has been focusing on quite complex books intended for our senior students.  I know this boy loves his soccer so I took the opportunity to grab a handful of little chapter books about soccer.  We actually have quite a few.

Tonight I bought three home to read so that I can talk about them with this student and with other soccer crazy readers.

Losers? is just a brilliant little junior novel.  It feels like an authentic story as we read that the narrator has to give the sport report at the School Assembly.  Sadly the team have lost their last match of the season and lost it badly fifteen to one (we were the one).

"The other team were called The Rotten Rats.  They are sponsored by a pest company that goes around killing rats and mice and snakes. And probably lions and tigers too.  The Rotten Rats have a big fierce rat on their jumpers.  It's got huge teeth and there's blood dripping out of its mouth.  Our sponsor is Peter's father. He owns a worm farm.  We're the Wiggly Worms.  Our jumpers have a goofy-looking worm called Wally on them."

This slim book of just 55 pages has colourful illustrations and uses different fonts to emphasize important words - you may have seen this technique used in the Geronimo Stilton books.

There is no changing the fact that the team lost their match but our narrator is able to deliver a very positive report at the Assembly when he thinks about all the good things that have happened to his team over the season.  This book is from the Mates Great Australian Yarns series and I certainly plan to read some more of these now that I have made this discovery.

I read two other little soccer stories tonight both by Martin Waddell.  Going up follows the fortunes of the Belton Goalbusters as they climb the winners' ladder each week. Part of this book is laid out like a mini photo album so you can see the action from each game.  Cup Final Kid is all about the Hottenham Totspurs (versus Wombledon Home) and one special player called Herbie Bazooka.  He is small, he is fat, he wears glasses and he is only eight years old but he may be the best striker the team have ever seen.  This is probably because he plays like they do in Brazil.

"Herbie back flipped.  Herbie ball juggled.  Herbie cannonball shot with his right then with his left ... breaking the net. Herbie hit corner-inswingers and outswingers. The team were amazed. They'd never seen anyone play like Herbie Bazooka, except maybe Pele."

If you are a soccer fan and looking for a simple chapter book we have plenty to choose from in our school library.

The boy with lightning feet by Sally Gardner

All the books in this Magical Children series have such appealing covers although I will say the colour here is not quite as bright as my copy.  The boy with lightning feet is such a happy book (although there are some awful bullies) and a story that will be enjoyed by all sport fans especially children who play football (soccer).

"In that moment something in Timmy clicked, like a light being turned on in a dark room.  He stood up and it seemed everyone on the pitch had disappeared. He rubbed his eyes.  There next to him was the lad he had met my the canal.  'Timmy Twinkle, I've told you already.  You've got lightning in your feet. Use it."

Just like the Billy in The boy with magic numbers, Timmy has lost one parent - in this case his mum. He has been raised by his grandparents but as the story opens we read that his precious grandmother has recently died.  Gramps had been a baker and after the death of wife Timmy is the only customer and so over the weeks and months Timmy has been packing on weight eating cakes and scones and not much else.  In an old photo album Timmy sees a photo of his Great Uncle Vernon known as Twinkletoes and from that moment we know Timmy's life is set to change.

The Boy with Lightning feet is a terrific book for readers who enjoy a satisfying story that is quick to read with lively characters and a very happy ending.  You might also enjoy Extra Time by Morris Gleitzman which is also about soccer and the determination of one boy and his very special younger sister to play and enjoy the game.  I was interested to read Morris Gleitzman actually met families in the UK of young boys who had been selected as football rising stars.