Description
The war seems a long way away to Maggie Flanagan. Her brother is somewhere across the sea, flying to protect England from the Germans and the Italians. But Maggie is more interested in kicking the footy and finding out who's going to play for St Kilda this season.
But when the war comes to Australia and Maggie sees what she's sure is a Japanese spy plan in the skies of Melbourne, it all gets very real. The Japanese attack Australia up north, raining bombs on Darwin and Broome, and American soldiers start appearing on the streets. Worst of all, it looks like the football season will be cancelled!
When Maggie decides to stage an all-girl football game to raise money for the troops, she's breaking all the rules. Everyone knows that girls can't play footy! But the rules aren't going to stop the unstoppable Flying Flanagan…
Review
Maggie loves kicking the footy with her older brother, Patrick. But Patrick is now away defending his country, and the war is getting closer to home.
Maggie dreams of actually playing a match herself. So an idea to raise money for the troops by staging an all women’s game evolves, and Maggie is surprised by how many girls and women are eager to participate.
Set in the time of the Second World War, when women had to take on many chores and jobs that used to be solely men’s work. The women’s movement was well underway, and this terrific story gives us a picture of a changing Australia at an important time in our history.
Always well-researched and wonderfully written, this is another fantastic historical fiction book from Felice Arena, aimed squarely at middle grade readers in upper primary and lower secondary.
Reviewed by Rob
