For football mad families this is essential reading as are the previous two stories featuring Charlie and his little brother Bobby. Their mum is so footie mad that she gives yellow cards instead of a ticking off when her children are naughty. As a consequence the family make a great team. The love and affection shown between them all whatever life throws at them including the fact that little Bobby suffers from Down’s Syndrome is a wonder to behold and an education in understanding. Michael Foreman’s illustrations perfectly complement the entertaining story. 6 - 9 year olds will be the book’s core audience but could be read aloud to younger children too.
Charlie has a football mad family - her mother gives a yellow card rather than a ticking off. Usually the family make a great team, so when her thirteen-year-old brother Semi starts to get grumpy and choses not to join in, it is a great shock. But her parents seem to know exactly what is going on.
Sophie Smiley was born in a Dominican monastery near Cambridge - she says she had a very happy childhood surrounded by Fra Angelicos and Ethopian priests! She now teaches English and is also a staff member of Forest School Camps, working with both the able and those with learning difficulties. She is married, and has two sons. They all live in Cambridge.
