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Krstel Kicks to Win: Kimberley Kickers #2 – Carl Merrison & Hakea Hustler. Illustrated by Samantha Campbell
Harper Collins Australia July 2025 Last year I had the pleasure of not just reviewing the first in this series – Jy Goes for Gold – but also writing teaching notes for it. Back then I predicted that this would prove a real winner with the kiddos and that’s true enough. Don’t think for one…
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Jy Goes for Gold (Kimberley Kickers, #1) – Carl Merrison/Hakea Hustler. Illustrated by Samantha Campbell
Harper Collins Australia September 2024 It was a strange bit of serendipity when two days after posting my Q&A with Carl Merrison, in which he mentioned this new series, I was asked to write teaching notes for this first one [despite the fact that “you are a NRL girl” haha!]. It’s not like I know…
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First Game Back: Girls Change the Game #2 – Gabrielle Gloury and Michael Hyde
Ford St Publishing July 2023 ISBN: 9781922696304 RRP: $14.99 Fact: Kids love ‘choose your own adventure’ books – the decades roll on and this genre is as popular as ever Fact: More and more girls are playing football – of all codes. And more and more spectators are watching these games. Fact: Your kiddos who…
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Backyard Footy – Carl Merrison. Illustrated by Samantha Campbell
Hachette Hardback MAY 31, 2023 | 9780734421517 | RRP $19.99 This is another fabulous footy book from Carl Merrison and the exuberance of the narrative leaps off the page like a specky. In his own backyard, in the Kimberley, Jy is playing footy, because kicking the ball is fun! When he accidentally kicks the ball over the fence, his…
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The Unstoppable Flying Flanagan – Felice Arena
Penguin Australia 29 March 2022 ISBN: 9781761044366 Imprint: Puffin RRP: $16.99 In a completely genius move, Felice Arena has combined his love of football (the AFL kind) and his skill with bringing lesser-known history to life. Set in Melbourne in the later years of WWII, this is the story of Maggie Flanagan who loves the game of football,…
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Happy Specky-versary!
Following up on my review of Specky’s 20th anniversary edition – as the actual birthday is today – it was timely to kick off the 2022 footy season with not only a display to feature everyone’s favourite young AFL player, but the code itself. And of course, an opportunity to have a ‘win’ incentive to…
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Specky Magee- Felice Arena, Gary Lyons
Penguin Australia 1st March 2022 ISBN: 9780143777168 Imprint: Puffin RRP: $16.99 Seriously, these anniversaries always give me such a jolt – “Whaddya mean 20 years of Specky?” she says with disbelief as she opens the parcel. Yep, face it, you have been doing this job a long time! I’m the first to admit (much to the disgust of…
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Girls Change the Game – Gabrielle Gloury/Michael Hyde
Ford St Publishing April 2020 ISBN: 9781925804492 RRP: $14.99 Although the women’s version of Aussie Rules has been around since the early 20th century with regular competitions and state leagues being established over the years it wasn’t until 2017 that women’s AFL first became professionalised at a national level. Now with more 2 million viewers/followers,…
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