This is a perfect book for classrooms, given the recent success of the Lionesses in the World Cup!

When Lily's football talent is spotted, she is asked to join the school team. But Lily is shy and finds it hard to make friends - will she be able to find her feet with the rest of the team?

Barrington Stoke books are ideal for readers who struggle with longer texts - the short chapters help to retain interest. In this book, the story is interspersed with facts about the history of women's football.

A must for class bookshelves.

Football is the path to belonging in this sporty tale as a young girl deals with high school anxieties, loneliness, self-doubt and navigates the difficult waters of friendship. Just in time for the FIFA Women’s World Cup too!

The move to high school has not been easy for Lily. Struggling to make friends and overwhelmed by lots of things, she often feels like the outsider. Feeling invisible, Lily is sure that no-one even notices her so she is shocked when Mr Allen, the PE teacher, invites her to join the football team. Friendship, belonging and that winning feeling beckon. But will a moody team-mate ruin everything…

The start of high school can be tricky; a new environment, new routines, new friendship groups and a new social pecking order mean it can take time before pre-tweens find their feet. And whilst there are no easy answers to the transition, Eve Ainsworth offers promise that even if the first few days are overwhelming and outsider feelings are simmering, things can and will get better.

Delivered as part story, part history lesson, and featuring the artwork of Luna Valentine, Finding Her Feet is a gentle, relatable and accessible read that will be a hit with football-loving girls, those worrying about the move to high school and fans of sporting history. In a match-winning story the facts are fascinating and the action is plentiful with much drama both on and off the pitch.

In Lily, Eve has written a genuine protagonist whose feelings and experiences - the knot in the tummy when trying to make friends, the nervousness at being the newbie on the team, the stomach churning that comes with keeping things bottled up - will resonate with many. Everyone will join in with the pitch-side cheering as Lily finds her feet, kindness and teamwork hit the back of the net and spitefulness and angst get the red card.

Brilliant bonus content, that charts the history and progress of women’s football from over one-hundred years ago through to the present day, features at the end of each chapter adding some terrific non-fiction to this fest of footy, friendship and finding yourself. Learning about the struggles that women and girls have faced to play the sport they love, some of the ridiculous criticism that has been thrown at them and the oppression doled out by the FA in the 1920’s will certainly elicit cries of ‘foul play’. More uplifting commentary on a national framework for the women’s game and the success of the Lionesses will empower our future sporting stars and certainly proves that the girls are more than a match for the boys if not quite on an equal footing in terms of pay and sponsorship deals (hopefully this is addressed soon).

Perfect to share in the last weeks of the summer term with year six children as they prepare for their own moves to secondary school.

Recommended for 8+.

Lily has always felt a bit like she doesn’t fit in. She’s shy and anxious and her best friend from primary school has become close to the confident girls. When her PE teacher encourages her to join the local girls football team, Lily tentatively attends practice and begins to make friends.

This is a great book for young sports fans. The chapters are interspersed with facts about women’s football explaining some of the surprising history of the game.

Thank you so much to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Lily is anxious, she’s in a new school, has no friends and has become lonely. Her teacher encourages her to join his girls football team to help her gain confidence and find some friends.

This was really sweet, it was an accurate depiction of anxiety and was written delicately with a really fun football story alongside it. I really liked that Lily found a place to feel happy and relaxed, though it wasn’t easy, she still found she really enjoyed it there.

It was so nice that Lily managed to make some friends, though it wasn’t easy with Beth and Amelia, she eventually found that by being a good enthusiastic player she managed to get lots of friends from the team and started fitting within it.

I loved that throughout the story we got some facts on the truth of women’s football and how it came to be and the the hard times it’s had to get woman to be able to play at a level the men are at. We also get some really beautiful illustrations throughout the book, that I liked to look at.

This is a really sweet book, on friendship, football and dealing with anxiety. I enjoyed it and felt for the characters. It is a great read for young readers they will really enjoy rooting for Lily and her team, and enjoy learning all about woman’s football as they go along.

I really enjoyed this book. For non UK/European readers, this takes place in England and references soccer as football.

A quick children’s/middle grade story that centers around Lily Moore, a young girl that’s started year 7 and is feeling a little lost but finds her way by joining a girls football team. The book explores the feeling of uncertainty when moving to a new school, loneliness, finding new friends, and the belief in oneself to overcome doubt.

I really liked the historical references to Women's Football in England, from conception to present day. It gives the reader a brief insight to the hardships and inequality women have faced and continue to face in sports to hopefully inspire young players to keep working hard and push the limits that others try to set for them.

Overall it is an excellent book for readers 8+ and for those who have an interest in football or sport in general. It has a great message and could help those that need a little nudge or encouragement to try out for that team they’ve been thinking about.

Thank you NetGalley and Barrington Stoke for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.