Stephanie Chiocci and the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Chase: Footy Stars Book One (Matt Porter, Ford Street Publishing)

Stephanie Chiocci, captain of the Collingwood AFLW team, is taking some time away from footy training to compete in the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Chase in England—a race to catch a cheese down a steep hill. Steph is ready for the challenge, but a family business is on the line and rival cheesemaker Neville O’Shea is up to some unsportsmanlike tricks. While Steph’s ball skills might be excellent with a Sherrin, this round, rolling cheese is proving very unpredictable. Setting a story about Aussie Rules in England seems almost as bizarre as the cheese chase event itself, but Matt Porter delivers the right amount of madcap adventure and comedy alongside a message of teamwork, determination and resourcefulness. It might just be Steph’s footy skills that were needed all along! The first in a new series featuring stars of the AFLW, this book is sure to be popular with the upcoming season return. Suitable for a middle-primary audience, it will appeal equally to footy fans and to readers looking for a laugh-out-loud escapade. The resulting story is both fun and action packed, complete with football tips from Stephanie Chiocci herself.

Eadie Allen is a bookseller at the Younger Sun Bookshop

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