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Jamie Johnson #1: The Kick Off

by Dan Freedman (author)

The Kick OffLook inside

Suitable for 9 - 12 years

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Price: £6.99
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Product description

Loved by Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. Written by an FA insider who knows the score. An epic tale of dreaming big and chasing glory. Meet Jamie Johnson: football hero and TV star! When this story starts, Jamie is a talented schoolkid with a passion for football. He dreams of on-pitch stardom – but he’s got a long way to go. Goal one: to become Kingfield School’s star player. Goal two (in his dreams): to play for Hawkstone United. But when Jamie messes up his school trial, has he missed his chance?

  • True-to-the-game footie fiction – now a hit TV series!
  • Dan Freedman is a former FA official writer and editor
  • He toured with the England team during two World Cups
  • “If you like football, this book’s for you” – Frank Lampard

Product Details

Series

Jamie Johnson (book 1)

Format

Paperback

ISBN

9781407116136

Publisher

Scholastic

Date published

July 5th, 2012

Lexile measure

720L Lexiles are the global standard in reading assessment. They are unique as they are able to measure a child and a book on the same scale – ensuring the right book gets to the right child at the right time.

For more details see What is a lexile?.

Accelerated Reader

AR book level: 4.9; Middle years; 4.0 points

Other details
  • 192 pages
Condition

New

Packs

Series

Jamie Johnson

Jamie Johnson

Author/Illustrator

Dan Freedman

108336 dan freedman 1 206747

I was born in London in 1977 but my early writing career got off to a pretty rocky start. At my nursery school I used to write my words so close together that they got all jumbled up and no one could read them.

To be honest, my football career didn’t kick off brilliantly either. My parents were divorced when I was very young so my dad thought that, when he saw me, taking me to football matches would be a good idea. But I was only about four or five. It was quite scary and I didn’t like it at all. I used to plead with him to take me home so I could watch Buck Rogers on TV. But we both persevered and that’s where the football seeds were sewn. These days it’s me that drags him up from Brighton so we can watch games together.

By the time I joined school, football was pretty much the centre of my life. I never thought I was obsessed – I just liked it a lot – but those around me thought I was.

But I wanted to prove that I could be successful and still focus on football. So, during school and university I started to build a pretty decent CV for myself. I did work experience at, among other places, Arsenal FC, Radio Five LIVE, Carlton TV, The Mail on Sunday and Sky Sports. I’d worked out that if I wanted to get a job in football, I’d have to prove my ambition to people. Otherwise, I’d just sound like every other football mad kid: “I want to work in football.” You have to stand out from the crowd in some way if you can.

My CV came in handy when, in 2000, after I’d graduated and gone travelling around Australia and New Zealand, I wrote to The FA to see if they had any vacancies. They called within a couple of days and said they were actually recruiting for graduates at that very time. What luck!

I was so nervous for the interview but I gave it everything. I didn’t want them to think that I didn’t want it enough.

Thankfully I got the job and it has lead to some unbelievable experiences. As Editor of The FA my job around the England Team is bring to life for the public what goes on behind the scenes and to give the players and coaches the platform to talk directly to the fans. The most important thing is getting the players to trust you, to understand you’re on their side.

It was when I wanted to buy a present for an 11 year-old football mad boy that the idea to write this book actually struck. There didn’t seem to be a football novel for kids. I couldn’t understand it. I know that if someone had given me one when I was 11, I probably would have read it in two days flat.

I also knew that writing about football was something that I could do. So I did it.

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What kids think

  1. Horridhenry thumb 16

    superkid2000
    on 23 December 2014

    i love the book its awesome!!!!!!! just as good as shoot to win

  2. Default avatar

    Nashdasher
    on 7 March 2013

    This book has inspired my to play even better football brill