Interest Age 9+ Reading Age 8+. A footballing story with a difference sees Arnie, knowledge about the game but not so good at playing it, suddenly given the chance to prove his skills on the field as well as off. Arnie’s nickname comes from his amazing knowledge of everything to do with football so some fun statistics are woven into the excitement of a cup final match.
Without exception dyslexia-friendly books published by Barrington Stoke get off to an exciting start and maintain the impetus throughout, with a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter. The plot is clear, the characters appealing and there are plenty of visual clues, as dyslexics like to run a story like a video in their heads.
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Two Real Madrid players have both been voted World Player of the Year 3 times each?
In May 2002 Hartlepool’s mascot, H’Angus the Monkey, was elected the town’s mayor?!
Or that the World Cup trophy was stolen before the 1966 finals?
Meet someone who does! Arnie Kean knows so much about football that his friends call him Stat Man. But will he get to play for his team in Saturday’s Cup Final?
Alan Durant is the author of books for a wide age-range, from picture books such as Burger Boy to top-end teenage thrillers. He also writes prize-winning poetry.
He was born in Surrey, went to Trinity School in Croydon and then to Keble College, Oxford to read English. Having worked as a copywriter at Walker Books, he is now a full-time author. He’s married, with three children and lives just outside London. He does a lot of school visits throughout the UK and abroad and also runs writing workshops.
In 2007 he won the Portsmouth Children's Picture Book Award for Burger Boy and the Stockport Children's Book Award for Football Fever. He has won the Kingston Borough/Waterstone's Poetry Prize on two occasions. In 2008 he won The Royal Mail Award for Scottish Children's Books for Billy Monster's Daymare which also won the 2009 Portsmouth Children's Book Award.
