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Author: Wheatle, Alex

Reading age: from c 12 years

Published on 24 April 2025 by Hachette Children’s Group (Hodder Children’s Books) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 288 pages
197 x 130 x 22 | 238g

A thrilling and heart-warming tale about family, friendship and football from award-winning author, Alex Wheatle.

‘Alex Wheatle is such a fine writer. This novel is beautifully written, beautifully paced. We’re drawn easily into his vivid world and we’re rooting for his hero all the way.’ – David AlmondFourteen-year-old aspiring footballer Kadeen Best is sent to stay with her Aunt Mel in London after her beloved older brother is tragically killed and she identifies the shooter – a dangerous crime lord. She must carry her grief while adjusting to her new home – away from everything she knows and loves in Jamaica – and living with her strict aunt. Kadeen must lie low, as if she’s recognised, she’ll put them both in serious danger.

Desperate for a distraction, Kadeen practises football in the local park where she’s asked to try out for a girls’ team. Kadeen thinks her aunt won’t approve, so she keeps it secret, and finds herself part of a new family: the SW2s. But when Aunt Mel finds out, she is furious and bans Kadeen from playing. Can she convince her aunt to let her play her way to the top with the SW2s and avoid attracting the crime lord’s attention?