Defenders

(Paperback)

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Description

An action-packed soccer story from the author of the shortlisted Troublemakers 'WHO WANTS TO WATCH OTHER PEOPLE SCORE ALL THE GOALS' Chris is a goalscorer - but his life is a mess. He's falling out with everyone- his dad, his teachers, even his best mate. The only thing that akes him feel good is banging the ball into the back of the net. He certainly doesn't want to play in defence - even if his school team does need defenders. Ian Rawson is Chris's new neighbour. An ex-Premier League defender, he's absolute magic on the pitch, in total control of the game . . . When Chris sees Ian play, he starts to wonder. Has he got it all wrong about defenders And if he changes his mind, will there still be a place for him in the team

Reviews

An impressive debut novel which draws out the racism infecting football through an encounter between a star experiencing a rough patch and a young, hopeful and enthusiastic teenage fan * The School Librarian *
A winning combination of realistic match play and realistic characters and dialogue, as well as providing a thought-provoking insight into how the racial tensions and abuse that are so prevalent in the stadium have a far-reaching and dreadful effect * The Bookseller *
In between the action-packed soccer games, the characters have other lives. Underlying issues such as friendship, ambition and self-esteem make this an engaging story likely to appeal to football-crazed boys of eight and over * TES *

Author Bio

Paul May is a teacher and keen footballer with two children. His first book for the Transworld lists, TROUBLEMAKERS, was shortlisted for the inaugural Branford Boase Award