Finals Fever

Matildas superstar Sam Kerr’s incredible story!
  
Sam Kerr has only been playing soccer for a few months after switching from AFL and now her team are playing in the finals! Sam can’t believe it! But when her best friend, Dylan, is appointed team captain, Sam is worried that his shyness might get in the way. Together with her other bestie, Indi, they must find a way to help him overcome his nerves.
 
She is also busy on the home front. New neighbours have moved in next door and Sam has become friends with Jake and his younger brother Will. But strange things start happening. After losing her new water bottle, her soccer boots and then when her dog Penny disappears from the garden, Sam has had enough. It’s time to get to the bottom of the mystery while at the same time preparing for her finals match. There is a lot to deal with for the young soccer superstar!

About the Authors

Sam Kerr is the captain of the Australia women’s national soccer team – the Matildas – and a leading goal scorer for Chelsea in the English FA Women’s Super League. She burst onto the W-League scene as a 15-year-old playing with Perth Glory. In 2016 she played for the Matildas at the Olympics in Brazil, and she was the top goal scorer in the 2017 Tournament of Nations. Since joining Chelsea in 2019, Sam has positioned herself as one of the best female strikers in the world. She was named 2018 Young Australian of the Year.

Fiona has written the children’s series The Super Moopers, Trolls and Miraculous. She was head scriptwriter on ABC3 TV’s Prank Patrol and wrote/co-starred in the TV comedy shows Flipside, Comedy Inc. and SkitHouse. Fiona co-wrote and starred in the international-award-winning web series The Drop Off, with husband Mike McLeish. Their adult fiction novel The Drop-off was released in 2020 and its sequel, The Pick-up, is due out in 2021. Fiona also co-authored Sharni Layton’s biography, No Apologies, and Marcus Bontempelli’s picture book, both released in 2021.

About the Illustrator

Aki Fukuoka was born in the valleys of the alps of central Japan and was raised in the rolling hills of the New Zealand countryside. After spending her childhood exploring nature with her four siblings, Aki moved out to the city of Auckland to learn how to cross roads, manoeuvre between pedestrians and gain her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She is currently living in a little wooden cottage house with her husband, four children and animals and works full time as a freelance illustrator. Aki is most well known for her illustrations for the Billie B Brown series.