Tiny Timmy : The big break by Tim Cahill

Ill. by Heath McKenzie. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781742764948
(Age: 6+) The big break is the 6th Book in the Tiny Timmy series by Socceroos legend Tim Cahill, and it does not disappoint. This book deals with a major injury (broken bone) and the impacts of this on a mad keen sports player! On top of this set back, Tiny Timmy also has to study and participate in big tests at school! This book is a wonderful read that is engaging for both girls and boys and has many relatable experiences and provides talking points for parents and their children.
This story (and whole series) really shows the benefit in pushing yourself, trying your hardest and not giving up. The injury aspect of the story also shows kids that set-backs are small in the scheme of things and working hard helps to get results.
I enjoyed the line drawings by Heath McKenzie, they are fun and add a great visual aspect to this short novel. Throughout the story there are many different soccer terms and also hints which would be a great incentive for a young child (approximately 8 years old) who loves soccer, but is struggling to enjoy reading.
I loved that the length of the chapters were short enough for children starting with chapter books, and that the lines of text had a good amount of space between them to enable easy reading. The book featured a variety of fonts in a variety of sizes and also word-art style words. While this made the pages visually appealing it could also be distracting for children with reading or visual issues.
The style of this book could also be likened to The Diary of a Wimpy Kid or WeirDo series, with the line drawings and entertaining, relatable content.
On the whole, a great story that could be read by younger, fluent readers or by the parents of any soccer mad kid!
Lauren Fountain