An impressive debut novel which draws out the racism infecting football through an encounter between a star experiencing a rough patch and a young, hopeful and enthusiastic teenage fan

A winning combination of realistic match play and realistic characters and dialogue, as well as providing a thought-provoking insight into how the racial tensions and abuse that are so prevalent in the stadium have a far-reaching and dreadful effect

In between the action-packed soccer games, the characters have other lives. Underlying issues such as friendship, ambition and self-esteem make this an engaging story likely to appeal to football-crazed boys of eight and over

So what makes these different to any other set of classics? In a moment of inspiration Random House had the bright idea of actually asking Key stage 2 children what extra ingredients they could add to make children want to read. And does it work? Well, put it this way...my 13-year-old daughter announced that she had to read a book over the summer holiday and, without any prompting, spotted The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas...and proceeded to read it! Now, if you knew my 13-year-old daughter, you would realise that this is quite remarkable. She reads texts, blogs and tags by the thousand - but this is the first book she has read since going to high school, so all hail Vintage Classics!

Great value, great fun

So what makes these different to any other set of classics? In a moment of inspiration Random House had the bright idea of actually asking Key stage 2 children what extra ingredients they could add to make children want to read. And does it work? Well, put it this way...my 13-year-old daughter announced that she had to read a book over the summer holiday and, without any prompting, spotted The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas...and proceeded to read it! Now, if you knew my 13-year-old daughter, you would realise that this is quite remarkable. She reads texts, blogs and tags by the thousand - but this is the first book she has read since going to high school, so all hail Vintage Classics!

There is plenty of excitement, a little danger, a quality of thinking, planning and fun which is delightful and stimulating