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Winning by Elaine Forrestal

Forrestal's cheerful new novel centres around a group of primary school kids who are totally hooked on running.

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Published 3 January, 2002

Forrestal's cheerful new novel centres around a group of primary school kids who are totally hooked on running. While others are playing football or sitting around, Pearce and Yosef, with their friends Frankie, Denton, Adam, Tess and Emily, race each other from the trees to the fence, bouncing against the wire and infuriating Mr Crowe the school gardener. Of course, problems arise. Why is Pearce so single-minded about winning? What would happen to their friendship if Yosef beat him? Things get even more interesting when they discover a burglar on the school grounds. As usual with Elaine Forrestal, this book delves gently into areas of concern for young readers-peer group pressure, friendship, ambition and tension between school and home lives. Yet it is handled so gently that we are left with the impression of great deeds achieved and great friendships cemented. Forrestal is the author of award-winning Someone Like Me and Grafitti on the Fence.

Gail Mahon is a researcher, teacher and ex-bookseller.

C. 2002 Thorpe-Bowker and contributors

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