Kids book review : Alfie Jones and an Uncertain Future - David Fuller

Whenever the football comes on TV, my eyes immediately glaze over and I start losing the will to live, so I'm always amazed that David Fuller can have me on the edge of my seat, mentally cheering on the Kingsway Colts and totally caught up in the excitement of the match, every time I pick up one of his Alfie Jones stories.

In Alfie Jones and an Uncertain Future, the fourth book in the series, Alfie is in the doldrums because his team are at the very bottom of the league and almost certain to be relegated if they don't suddenly up their game for the final couple of matches. Even worse, the chances are the team will completely cease to exist because several of the players are thinking of cutting their losses and moving on to a bigger and better club if things don't look up next season. Alfie could do the same but the mysterious fortune teller Madam Zola once told him that he needed to stay with the Colts if his dream of being a professional footballer was to come true.

Football features heavily in the book but it's not the only theme, so even non-fans will enjoy the exciting tale. The story follows the highs and lows of being a tween, looking at friendships and annoying little sisters, with a school bully thrown into the mix for good measure - all things that young readers may be dealing with in their own lives.

As well as portraying team sports in a positive light and possibly encouraging more youngsters, including girls (the Colts have a token female player), to get involved in a healthy hobby, the story highlights some important values - never giving up, sticking by your friends rather than baling out when things get tough and giving your all even when it seems pointless. Oh, and there's a mystical fortune teller who puts in an appearance to add a dash of magic - what more could a young reader want? Umm, actually, I'll let you into a little secret - I really enjoyed it myself too and I'm 42 and I don't like football !!

Another nice surprise was seeing a quote from my review of one of the previous books in the series on the final page.

If you fancy reading my reviews of the other books in the series, you can find them here - Alfie Jones and a Change of Fortune, Alfie Jones and a Test of Character and Alfie Jones and the Missing Link.

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £5

• Paperback: 169 pages
• Publisher: RDF Publishing (8 Dec. 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0957033931
• ISBN-13: 978-0957033931
• Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13.2 x 1.6 cm

Disclosure : We received a copy of the book in order to write an honest review.