"A gritty, gorgeously life-affirming tale of twins fighting epic odds, anxieties and tragedy to flourish in their respective sports and as young adults."
February 2020 Book of the Month
This gripping must-read for sports fans fizzes with a powerful message about picking yourself up and self-belief, and a poignant portrayal of gang culture coercion. I cannot praise Dan Freeman’s compassion-rich writing enough.
Life’s not easy for twin fourteen-year-olds Kaine and Roxy growing up on their London estate. Their dad’s lost his job and mum works all hours. But Roxy and Kaine aren’t your average teenagers. He’s a super-talented footballer with Premier League potential, and she’s an outstanding tennis player, tipped for the top. Oh, and they can’t stand each other. After being close as kids, they’ve grown apart, with Roxy loathing the fact that Kaine’s always in trouble, and Kaine hating the way Roxy gets all the attention and support, overlooked even when a scout for a Premier League club comes to watch him. Both a bundle of frustration, Kaine is tempted into dangerous territory. If only Mamma, their Barbados-born grandmother, was around to keep Kaine on the right track. Mamma’s warm, wise presence is felt throughout the novel. She was the person Kaine turned to in times of need. She’d feed him soul food, remind him that he’s special, urge him to “do the extraordinary.” Sage advice comes from Kaine’s supportive PE teacher too, who counsels “There are paths in life, there are choices. And you are at one of those crossroads now”.
When tragedy strikes as Kaine loses his way it takes a whole lot of soul-searching for him to turns things round and become the extraordinary young man he is. And Roxy tackles her profoundly life-changing situation with heartrending courage too. With overriding messages of hope, compassion, doing the right thing and staying true to yourself, this is an absolute galáctico, Grand Slam winner of a novel.
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An awesome book!
Unstoppable by Dan Freedman is an awesome book! I really liked the idea and storyline however at first, thought it to be cliché but soon realised it was not but in return, had loads of positive messages through these twins' experiences sprinkled throughout, all packed into one book!
I enjoyed the two twins' relationship and reading about them coming back together, despite their broken relationship. It is all about a family and how important it is to communicate with each other.
I also really liked the style it was written in as it came across to me as a very simple and engaging style that is easy to read, quite relaxing and absorbs you into another world. I read this book in one sitting as it really spoke to me and sucked me into another story.... Read Full Review
Librarian Reviewer: Unstoppable is an emotive and very powerful story that needs to have pride of place in every school library...
Unstoppable is an emotive and very powerful story that needs to have pride of place in every school library...
Unstoppable contains 310 pages that would be suitable for the confident/reluctant reader of 11+. It would also be great for a classroom read for this age group as it has so many discussion and learning points that are relevant in the world today. The book would also be useful for PSHE days, due to content of: gang culture, knife crime, abuse, bullying and family issues. However, even though as much as I like the story and the powerful messages it contains, It does have a few negatives (in my opinion): The ending almost feels like a fairytale, as everything is neatly wrapped up, life is not like that. There are going to be disappointments, and it’s how we cope with them that defines us.... Read Full Review
One of the best books I have ever read. I couldn't put down, it was gripping it was UNSTOPPABLE to read!
One of the best books I have ever read.... Read Full Review
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