Frankie’s New York Adventure by Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard isn’t your average sort of footballer. For a start he’s written a series of children’s books called Frankie’s Magic Football. And for another thing he’s just been named as a National Literacy Trust ambassador, with the idea that he will help to motivate disadvantaged children to read.
Manchester City player Lampard started writing his Frankie’s Magic Football books after his two daughters asked him for stories about football. Their request prompted him to create a set of characters and adventures and the books were snapped up by Little. Brown. The ninth story, Frankie’s New York Adventure, is out next month (February 5).
“Frankie’s Magic Football reminds me of the stories that I used to like to read,” Lampard says. “Frankie’s friends also remind me of the mates that I used to kick a football about with when I was young, as well as some of the players I’ve met during my career.”
I’ve just been sent a copy of Frankie’s New York Adventure and while it’s not wildly original it’s just the ticket for football-mad children aged five and up.
This time round Frankie takes his magic football out of his bag and in a trice he and his pals find themselves in New York – or more to the point, inside the Statue of Liberty. Before they know it they’re trying to help an American boy desperate to try out for the Yankees’ junior baseball team and speeding through the streets of Manhattan in a cab driven by an old man called George Washington.
The action is fast-paced, the language simple and punchy and young soccer fans will no doubt love the Frankie’s Magic Football game cards at the back of the book. If it gets reluctant young readers hooked on reading, what’s not to like?
Frankie’s New York Adventure by Frank Lampard (Little, Brown, £4.99)