By: Shamini Flint
Marcus Atkinson is 9 and doesn’t want to play soccer. He also isn’t interested in keeping a diary. His dad though is big on writing down goals and getting involved, which is how Marcus finds himself semi-infamous for scoring an own goal with his butt. He hopes this will mean he can stop playing soccer. No such luck. It is a good thing he is good at maths – why can’t his dad just let him do that? Also it is a good thing others on the soccer team can really play the game.
If you have a 7-9 year old who is interested in sport then these books might appeal. Stylistically they are like the Wimpy Kid books. Marcus is no doubt an athletic underdog and in this the humour is found. There were a couple of things that I wasn’t keen on in this book; firstly if he is so good at math how is it he is so terrible at spelling (haf for have), and after a while the misunderstanding of soccer references seems to get a little tired. However there aren’t many sports books for kids that age so if you are looking for one then give these a look.
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 01 January 2012
Format: Paperback 96 pages
Categories: Humour, Sports Stories
ISBN 13: 9781742378251
Purchase: use booktopia link on the side of the page
TheKylieVerse 
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