The six other girls she recruits for her soccer/football team are unique, all with their own ways of handling things. The empowerment for girls/women, the building of unlikely friendships, the tackling of tough issues and a whole heap of laughs! Why would six girls, none of whom were football-mad like me, agree to be in a team that didn’t exist yet? She spent several years delivering arts, literacy and cultural programmes to young people and currently works in corporate communications.

This is a really important lesson in learning to put yourself in other people’s shoes and for children to try to understand each other better. She’s constantly in trouble at school and isn’t allowed to join the football team because she’s a girl and now after months of ignoring arguments between her parents, her mum has left their family home. The boys in Jaz’ class were threatened by a girl who is talented at football and many of the teachers had no interest in helping the girls to get funding or even training for their team. Not only was the main character's voice hardly that of a 10 years old, but it read like the author had forgotten what it is like to be a child. Faced with all these problems, Jaz finds solace and comfort in putting her energy into football, the place where she can forget about her problems.

The villain isn’t simply evil, there are reasons for their actions just like Jaz has reasons for hers.

While things may not be going right in other areas of her life football gives her an escape and a way of dealing with everything else.Yes Jaz faces sexism and doubt, yes it is harder for her because she doesn’t come from a privileged background, but it is her self-belief and sheer determination that propels her to realise her dreams. While this isn’t a book that is likely to become a new classic, Sophie would still recommend it to young readers, especially sports fans, and she still plans to pick up the next book in the series to see how the Bamrock Stars story continues. Many young people will also empathise with Jaz when she is often punished for her reactions to another student’s behaviour and even wrongly accused of things that she didn’t do. When Jaz finds a leaflet advertising a girls’ football tournament, she seizes the opportunity to take back some control. Telling the rags-to-riches tale of Bramrock Primary's first girls' football team, the novel is full of diverse characters who break plenty of sterotypes.

Mante shows that young girls need support and belief from the adults around them, as well as belief in themselves, to excel. But after a shaky start, seven very different personalities to manage, and no one at school taking the girls’ team seriously, football stardom feels a long way off. Spotting a flyer in a library for a Brighton Girls Under-11s Seven-a-Side Football Tournament she forms a team, Bramrock Stars, which is her escape really. Exciting, original and heart-warming' - Jacqueline Wilson'Priscilla Mante is an author to watch' - Aisha Bushby---A relatable, inclusive story about families, unlikely friendships and girl power. It was quite predictable that there would be this one thing the main character is bad at but it's the thing that makes them win the match.Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys. Jaz is a spunky, lovable heroine, who sometimes gets in trouble, but always has the best intentions. My child really enjoyed the book, and read it very quickly and she is looking forward to the next one in the series. It is sometimes easier for teaches to single out one student as being disruptive and to blame them, rather than to address the situation properly and teach children valuable lessons through their actions. She has been in trouble at school, kicked out of dance club and is dealing with the growing cracks in her parents’ relationship, culminating in a house fire and her mum eventually moving out.

Serious issues are explored with sensitivity and humour, creating a funny, moving and uplifting tale. Definitely recommend this book especially for younger girls to see no matter what you can do anything and be whoever you want to be.She faces many challenges including lack of funding and difficulty accessing resources for training, but she is determined to see her new team succeed. Jaz is finding school difficult and is being labeled a troublemaker, but things are also difficult for her at home because her parents are fighting a lot. Jaz’s mum, from Angola, and her father, from Scotland, no longer get on – and when her mum nearly burns the house down, her parents decide it is time for Mum to move out. Jaz blames herself for the break up and tries her best to fix her family before eventually realising it isn’t her fault.