Tim Cahill (text), Julian Gray (text), Heath McKenzie (illus), Tiny Timmy Makes the Grade! (Tiny Timmy #2), Scholastic Australia, 1 March 2016, 128pp., $12.99 ISBN 9781760273644
This is the second book in the Tiny Timmy series written by Socceroos star Tim Cahill and Julian Gray. With two of my own children playing soccer, I’m well aware of the growing popularity of soccer as a sport for Australian kids. The series is a worthy addition to the sports-themed chapter books that appear to be trending at the moment. Timmy has proved himself (in book one) with the local Lions team and at the beginning of this book is trying out for the local rep team, the Tigers.
This is a light-read for junior to mid-primary aged kids and is greatly enhanced by lots of Heath McKenzie’s cartoon-style illustrations and the occasional ‘match report’ break-out box. I particularly liked that towards the end of the book, Timmy is forced to spend lots of time on the bench. His old coach encourages him to think about how he can be a ‘super-sub’ when he finally gets his opportunity to play. Timmy uses this as an opportunity to learn and grow his skills. It’s an important lesson for kids that sport is not always plain sailing.
Reviewed by Heather Gallagher
