by Alan Gibbons
 
"For most of the boys Jimi knew, it was books or football, but Jimi loved books and football". Jimi plays football in every spare moment, clinging tightly to his dream that one day he'll wear the all-white kit of the Lions of Senegal. But the big boys say he isn't ready to join them and that he should stick with the other cubs. Can Jimi prove them wrong? Perhaps he can- armed with advice from older sister, Julia (herself, captain of a local football team) as well as inspiration from his books celebrating iconic players and teams from different African nations. We appreciated the gentle message about giving equal weight to education and sport! Great format in which the narrative is broken up by snappy factual sections on the history of African football, the 1990 World Cup quarter-final between England and Cameroon and star players- including Patrick Vieira who joined Arsenal for a time. Loved by our 9-year-old reviewer, Ryan, who was quite reluctant to send the book back! Reading Age 8+ Interest Age 8-12, Paperback 63pp