Mackenzie Arnold. Finders Keepers by Mackenzie Arnold and Jess Black. Illus. by Hannah McCaffery

The meteoric rise to fame by the Australian women’s soccer team, the Matildas, has encouraged a whole new generation of young children to play soccer. The well-known goalkeeper of the team, Mackenzie Arnold a.k.a. Macca, features in a series of four books with a young Year 6 Macca as the main character. The first book in the series, Finders Keepers, introduces Macca and her friends and has some important lessons for Macca to learn.

Macca lives and breathes sport. She loves tennis, skateboarding, school sport lessons but her greatest love is soccer and being part of a team. Macca and her friends play for the Seaport Strikers and for Macca it is the best team ever. The next game is against the toughest team and all Macca wants to do is play her best. However, through a series of not so well thought out choices, including Ryder’s ball being taken away due to Macca’s goalkicking against a fence, Macca falling off her skateboard while riding barefoot, and to top it all off turning up late to training twice, Macca is benched for Saturday’s game. Is this the beginning of the end of Macca’s soccer career? At Saturday’s match, due to injuries to three players Macca has the opportunity to show her coach and teammates that she is a team player and can be relied upon. Called up to her first ever goal keeping duties, she remembers Mary’s tips and helps the team to hold their own.

This engaging and entertaining read will appeal to fans of sporting hero fiction. Macca is an appealing character, full of energy and goodwill but also someone who enjoys taking a risk. The second book in the series is called Caught in the Middle and has been released alongside the first book.

Teacher notes are available.

Themes: Soccer, Sport, Friendship, Teams, Training, Competition, Hearing.

Kathryn Beilby