Football Books

Find out more about my books for children by clicking on the covers below, try a chapter at Free Reads, watch videos of me reading here or visit my Bookshop. Thank you.

NEW Kindle books

FREE to Kindle Unlimited Subscribers or just 99p.

Football Academy : Teamwork Buy here

Foul Play : The Danger Academy Buy here

Roy of the Rovers

Sixteen-year-old Roy Race always dreamed of playing up front for Rovers. Oozing with natural talent and possessing a powerful left foot, Roy may just be the answer to all of Melchester’s prayers.

More about Roy of the Rovers here

Keep in touch with how the series is progressing and email “Roy Reminder” to admin@tompalmer.co.uk .

Fiction 1 : Scouted available here
Fiction 2 : Teamwork available here
Fiction 3 : Playoffs available here
Fiction 4 : On Tour available here
Fiction 5 : Playoffs read Chapter 1 here
Fiction 6 : Rocky read Chapter 1 here

And there is an exciting new series of middle grade fiction introducing Roy’s sister Rocky.

More about Rocky here

Soccer Diaries

The Soccer Diaries is a brand new series starring Rocky Race, a British footballer looking to make it big in a US soccer school.

Roy of the Rover’s sister Rocky Race is not your average fourteen year old. She’s determined, ambitious and the best football player you’ve ever seen.

Rocky Race is living the dream: she’s won a scholarship to a prestigious high school in Los Angeles, where she gets to play soccer and train for going pro. She’s got an amazing best friend, and a supportive mum and brother back home in the UK. But living away from home isn’t easy, and fitting in with American kids in high school is scary and new. Not to mention she has to keep her grades up if she wants to stay on the pitch! Will Rocky survive high school?

“a brilliant read… the issue of prejudice and racism in football was handled very well and sensitively” Priscilla Mante

Published by: Rebellion Publishing

1 Rocky Takes LA BUY here
2 Rocky’s Big Move BUY here
3 Rocky Goes for Goal PRE-ORDER for Spring 2025 here

World Book Day 2025 – Very exciting news!

I have written a new Rocky story which has been selected as one of the books you can choose with your World Book Day 2025 vouchers.

In Rocky Takes the Lead – will Rocky be able to take the lead and show both her British and her American friends that they’re all united by football?

More about Rocky here

Football Academy series

The Puffin Football Academy books are about the boys in an under-twelve Premier League side:

More here.

Foul Play series

The Puffin Foul Play series feature a fourteen-year-old boy called Danny Harte who wants to solve football crimes:

Buy the collection here.

The Squad series

International espionage and football action combine when these teenage spies are sent to the world’s toughest trouble spots, going undercover with the England youth team. The world’s in danger and only The Squad can save us.

Buy the collection here

Wings

Wings is about four children at a football summer camp near an old airfield, who find themselves propelled back in time. If they can learn how to fly the great RAF planes – the Sopwith Camel, Spitfire and Typhoon, history will lead them on a flightpath home to the present.

Buy the trilogy here

Other Books

Click on the covers for more about these stories published by Barrington Stoke:

Buy them here

Shaking Hands with Michael Rooney

My first book for children was commissioned by Leeds Libraries. I called it originally Shaking Hands with Alan Smith. It was later published by Grassroots as Shaking Hands with Michael Rooney. Can you guess why and how the name changed?

Its out of print now, which is a shame as it has beautiful illustrations by artist James Innerdale. Its worth looking out for, especially as it has a good section on encouraging children to be football readers and writers.

Buy the book here

Football Literacy Resources

Download my free Football Academy quizzes, posters, packs from here.

Download my free Foul Play quizzes, posters, packs from here.

Football Reading Game

Read about my Football Reading Game author visits here.

Buy Books

Signed and dedicated copies of all my books are available personalised to order from my local independent children’s bookshop “The Thoughtful Spot” here.