Dream Team!
Jo Stanley
Publisher: Five Mile
Summary
On the footy field, good friends Rainbow and Hanh work together as a superhero duo. Coach Shawna must choose a new captain for the Flyers and everyone knows that Hanh and Rainbow will lead the team. But which girl will become captain, and will their friendship pass the test? Hanh loves her footy team and loves playing with her friend Rainbow. Hanh and Rainbow are midfielders for the Flyers, and together form “the perfect superhero duo” on the field. Hanh is excited when their coach Shawna announces that she’ll be choosing the team captain the following week. Hanh really wants to be captain, and is still embarrassed about bursting into tears in front of everyone last year when she missed out. Coach Shawna tells them she is looking for passion, leadership, commitment. Hanh’s friends think Hanh would be a great captain, which makes Hanh even more excited and nervous about Shawna’s announcement. But when they all agree that Rainbow would also be a great captain, Hanh is surprised and hurt. Even at school, which she loves, Hanh can’t stop worrying about the captain’s job. She has a terrible time, and is just counting the days until the Jaguars game when Shawna will make her announcement. In the first year following the announcement of the AFLW, more than 350 new girls’ footy teams were started, and the number of girls and women playing Aussie Rules continues to rise. Footy is one of the fastest growing sports among Australian girls and women, but there are still very few reading and literacy resources reflecting this. Play Like a Girl is a celebration of Aussie girls kicking goals in the sport they love! This trailblazing new series is proudly brought to you in partnership with the AFLW. Written by radio personality Jo Stanley with humour and fun, Play Like a Girl weaves the ordinary world of young girls with the thrill and excitement of AFL. Each book focuses on one girl and her experiences playing footy and her general life of friends, school, hanging out at the shops, and being a good sport. The football, essentially, is the scaffolding of the books, but they’ll be relatable to all readers.