Super sports stories for Kids by Patrick Loughlin

Ill. by James Hart. Random House, 2015. ISBN: 9780857989673
(Age: 7-9) Recommended. Themes: Sports, Teamwork, Soccer, Swimming. Author Patrick Loughlin enjoys writing about sports, he has written the popular Billy Slater Rugby League and Glenn Maxwell cricket series. These twelve stories are amusing slices of sporting life, surfing with a shark, the curse of the wooden spoon and racing against a swooping magpie. They explore the range of emotions experienced in a variety of games, Alex's anguish when his Speedos fall off during a swimming competition, Alice's determination to win the pink belt in karate or best friends competing as netball rivals.
Written from different points of view, these short stories are exciting, funny and easy to read, with relatable characters. Imagine poor Eric's dilemma when he is too afraid to use the haunted toilets before the footy game. On the winning siren, his team is not sprayed with Gatorade to celebrate, it's a another yellow liquid! When Ben accidentally sticks a knife in the toaster, he passes into heaven, gains his wings and joins the Pearly Gates Archangels where he plays an epic football game.
This book is just right for reluctant readers, as a class read aloud novel and as story starters for narrative writing. James Hart's black and white sketches capture the dramas in each story, especially Alex's toes bravely gripping his fallen Speedo cords during the swimming race.
Rhyllis Bignell