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Super Sub
Alan Gibbons returns with an action-packed football story accompanied by fascinating facts and historical detail about famous substitutes. New boy Smithy can’t understand why everyone is so excited about a player on the football team called "Bengo". He’s been absent for the first few games of the season, and starts the next game on the bench - surely he can’t be that special? But when their coach pulls Smithy off and sends Bengo on in his place, Smithy gets a chance to see him in action. Bengo is easily the best player Smithy’s ever seen, putting in perfect crosses and generally running the opposition ragged. So why is Bengo left on the bench so often, and why does he seem to bottle it when any strong tackles come his way?
- GenresSports
80 pages, Paperback
Published January 14, 2025
2 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Alan Gibbons
165 books56 followersAlan Gibbons is an author of children's books and a Blue Peter Book Award. He currently lives in Liverpool, England, where he used to teach in a primary school. His father was a farm laborer, but was hurt in an accident when Alan was eight years old. The family had to move to Crewe, Cheshire where Alan experienced bullying for the first time. He began to write for his pupils as a teacher, but never tried to get any of his work published.
Gibbons trained to be a teacher in his mid-thirties and starting writing short stories for his students. Later, he began to write professionally. In 2000, he won the Blue Peter Book Award in the category "The Book I Couldn't Put Down" category for Shadow of the Minotaur. He was a judge for the 2001 Blue Peter Book Awards. He was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 2001 and 2003 and shortlisted twice for the Booktrust Teenage Prize. He has also won the Leicester Book of the Year, the Stockport Book Award, the Angus Book Award, the Catalyst Award, the Birmingham Chills Award, the Salford Young Adult Book Award and the Salford Librarians' Special Award.
Gibbons trained to be a teacher in his mid-thirties and starting writing short stories for his students. Later, he began to write professionally. In 2000, he won the Blue Peter Book Award in the category "The Book I Couldn't Put Down" category for Shadow of the Minotaur. He was a judge for the 2001 Blue Peter Book Awards. He was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 2001 and 2003 and shortlisted twice for the Booktrust Teenage Prize. He has also won the Leicester Book of the Year, the Stockport Book Award, the Angus Book Award, the Catalyst Award, the Birmingham Chills Award, the Salford Young Adult Book Award and the Salford Librarians' Special Award.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 29, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Paul "Smithy" Smith plays soccer with the Jags team, although their nickname is the Lemons, since they haven't had a great season. When a new player, Bengo, shows up, Smithy is surprised that such a good player hasn't been around. Bengo is super fast and very talented. When Smithy has a bad game and has a problem with a player he refers to as "Grumpy", Bengo is put in to sub for him. Bengo does a great job, and after the game tells Smithy his story; he was on the team, but broke his ankle in a tackle gone wrong and had to be in a cast for six weeks. He plays well... unless there's a tackle. He's very skittish, and blows a couple of plays because he doesn't want to get hurt. Smithy and Bengo practice together, and help each other out a lot. Smithy learns not to let interpersonal problems with other players get to him, and Bengo learns how to fight through his fear so that he can continue to play, and possible be scouted for a higher level team. Information between the chapters covers the historical use of substitutes in soccer games, which was not a widespread practice until the later twentieth century.
Strengths: This had lots and lots of soccer plays for readers who are into the sport, but I liked Bengo's story, and the fact that he and Smithy struck up a mutually beneficial friendship. The history was good as well, and will appeal to fans of Fred Bowen's fantastic titles like Soccer Trophy Mystery, Out of Bounds, and Go for the Goal. There are a LOT of students who get injured playing soccer, and it can be hard to come back from an injury. Preller's new Shaken deals with a concussion, but a broken ankle is serious as well! I was glad to see that Bengon was able to work through his fear.
Weaknesses: Astute readers will pick up that this is a UK title, but there's no tea being served! They will also probably be aware of the history, which is heavier on UK teams, but does include world soccer as well.
What I really think: This book, with a fantastic cover and short length, will be a HUGE hit with my students, and goes well with Gibbons' Keeper as well as Fabbri and Brown's Back of the Net series as the Jake Maddox sports books.
Paul "Smithy" Smith plays soccer with the Jags team, although their nickname is the Lemons, since they haven't had a great season. When a new player, Bengo, shows up, Smithy is surprised that such a good player hasn't been around. Bengo is super fast and very talented. When Smithy has a bad game and has a problem with a player he refers to as "Grumpy", Bengo is put in to sub for him. Bengo does a great job, and after the game tells Smithy his story; he was on the team, but broke his ankle in a tackle gone wrong and had to be in a cast for six weeks. He plays well... unless there's a tackle. He's very skittish, and blows a couple of plays because he doesn't want to get hurt. Smithy and Bengo practice together, and help each other out a lot. Smithy learns not to let interpersonal problems with other players get to him, and Bengo learns how to fight through his fear so that he can continue to play, and possible be scouted for a higher level team. Information between the chapters covers the historical use of substitutes in soccer games, which was not a widespread practice until the later twentieth century.
Strengths: This had lots and lots of soccer plays for readers who are into the sport, but I liked Bengo's story, and the fact that he and Smithy struck up a mutually beneficial friendship. The history was good as well, and will appeal to fans of Fred Bowen's fantastic titles like Soccer Trophy Mystery, Out of Bounds, and Go for the Goal. There are a LOT of students who get injured playing soccer, and it can be hard to come back from an injury. Preller's new Shaken deals with a concussion, but a broken ankle is serious as well! I was glad to see that Bengon was able to work through his fear.
Weaknesses: Astute readers will pick up that this is a UK title, but there's no tea being served! They will also probably be aware of the history, which is heavier on UK teams, but does include world soccer as well.
What I really think: This book, with a fantastic cover and short length, will be a HUGE hit with my students, and goes well with Gibbons' Keeper as well as Fabbri and Brown's Back of the Net series as the Jake Maddox sports books.
December 21, 2024
A very simple book for very young kids or students learning English.
Short, simple sentences. An easy plot and some facts mixed with the story
Short, simple sentences. An easy plot and some facts mixed with the story
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews