A New Knight

By Sam Kerr, Fiona Harris and Aki Fukuoka

Australian Matildas and World Cup superstar Sam Kerr teams up with Aki Fukuoka to bring young readers this fun and inspiring illustrated series about soccer, school, sport, friendship, dealing with bullies and following your dreams.
 
After a rough start, Sam Kerr settles into playing soccer for the Knights. But there’s so much to learn – new rules and positions and strategies … Lately, it seems like soccer is the only thing she can think about.

When she finds out she’ll have to wear a dress (gross) and dance in front of a hundred people at her cousin’s upcoming wedding (terrifying), Sam feels like she’s all but had enough. So why isn’t her best friend Indi supporting her? And why is school bully Chelsea suddenly a bit … nice?

Will Sam be able to mend her friendships – and score a few goals in the meantime – before it’s too late?
 
‘A fun book packed with cool illustrations. It follows themes of family and perseverance that will totes leave you feeling inspired!’ Total Girl on The Flip Out

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia
• Release date: Dec 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781761100895

Sam Kerr

Sam Kerr is the captain of the Australian women’s national soccer team – the Matildas – and a leading goal scorer for Chelsea in the English FA Women’s Super League. She burst onto the W-League scene as a fifteen-year-old playing with Perth Glory. In 2016, she played for the Matildas at the Olympics in Brazil, and she was the top goal scorer in the 2017 Tournament of Nations. Since joining Chelsea in 2019, Sam has positioned herself as one of the best female strikers in the world. She was named 2018 Young Australian of the Year. In 2021, Sam became the Matildas all-time top goal scorer at the Tokyo Olympics, and in 2023, helped the Matildas achieve their best-ever result at a Women’s World Cup. IG: @samanthakerr20; @samkerrfootball

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

EAST FREMANTLE

WEDNESDAY

8.35 am

‘Chelsea Flint has joined your soccer team?!’ Indi shrieks. She stops so suddenly that Dylan bumps straight into her.

‘Um, hello?’ he says, glaring at her.

But Indi keeps staring at me, eyes wide behind her blue-rimmed glasses.

It’s Wednesday morning and Indi, Dylan and I are walking to school together, like we do every day. Well, Dylan and Indi are walking. I’m gliding beside them on my skateboard. It’s a sunny day in East Fremantle but, with Chelsea now on our soccer team, it feels like a storm is coming.

Chelsea is East Fremantle Primary School’s biggest bully and, in the six years we’ve been at school, I’ve only ever stood up to her once. That happened last week, when I told her to ‘Blow it out her ear’ in front of the whole school. She won’t forget about what I said anytime soon. No one embarrasses Chelsea Flint and gets away with it.

When Chelsea rocked up to training yesterday and our coach, Ted, told us she was joining our team, Dylan and I laughed and joked about it. But when I woke up this morning, the terrible truth hit me like a tonne of bricks. It feels like a bad dream. Actually, it feels more like a nightmare. The kind where you wake up screaming, fall on the floor and scare the life out of your dog, who had been happily sleeping on your bed.

‘What a nightmare!’ Indi says now.

I stare at my best friend in amazement. Did she just read my mind? Actually, yeah, she probably did. Best friends can do that sometimes.

‘Maybe Chelsea will get bored and quit?’ Indi adds hopefully, starting to walk towards school again.

‘I don’t think so,’ Dylan says. ‘She was having fun last night, and she’s a good player, too.’

I almost skate straight into a tree.

‘You thought she was good?’

Dylan looks like he wants to hide behind the nearest bush. Not an easy thing to do when you’re a tall eleven-year-old.

‘I dunno… she wasn’t terrible,’ he shrugs.

Has Dylan lost his mind? Why is he sticking up for Chelsea Flint? If anyone has the right to bag her out, it’s Dylan. Chelsea is meaner to him than anyone else at school. Most people would think that a strapping, well-built boy wouldn’t be scared of a tiny, blonde girl with a big mouth, but they’d be wrong. Dylan is super shy and awkward. But he’s honest, too, so if he reckons Chelsea is a good player, it must be true.

This fact only makes me feel worse.

Indi puts her arm around me – an awkward thing to do when I’m rolling along on a skateboard.

‘It’ll be fine,’ she says reassuringly. ‘Chelsea can’t be mean to you at soccer. She’ll be on her best behaviour in front of her uncle.’

Oh yeah, I forgot to say. Ted, our coach, is Chelsea’s uncle. But I wouldn’t say she’d be on her best behaviour for him. She’s never on her best behaviour.

Urg. I’d finally started to feel good about playing with the Knights. I even kicked my first goal on Saturday.

Yep. Life was good. Then Chelsea Flint had to go and spoil everything!

CHAPTER TWO

EAST FREMANTLE PRIMARY SCHOOL

THURSDAY

9.23 am

‘Have you got gum?’ I ask.

Indi stops chewing and looks guilty. ‘No.’

‘You have!’ I nudge her. ‘I can smell it.’

Dylan looks up from the other side of the table. ‘Yeah, I can smell it, too.’

‘Shush!’ Indi hisses. ‘I don’t want Mr Morton to know.’

She looks towards the front of the classroom where our Grade Six teacher, Mr Morton, is helping Erica Beasley with her fractions worksheet. I’ll need his help with the ‘Adding Fractions’ section in a minute. Do I write the answer as a fraction or whole number? I have no clue.

Fractions can be VERY confusing.

Dylan’s done half his sheet and Indi has finished hers, so now she’s chewing gum and reading her book. Show-off.

I wish I could be more like my mates when it comes to schoolwork. Dylan doesn’t struggle at all, and Indi is SO good at maths and English and… well, every subject. But I have to focus really hard and, even then, it’s not easy. I hate asking them to help me, too, because it makes me feel like a dummy.

My brain hurts as I stare down at the worksheet again. I need a distraction.

‘Give me some chewy,’ I say to Indi.

‘This was my last one.’ Indi pulls the tiny ball of white chewy out of her mouth and holds it in her hand. ‘Want half of this?’

Dylan screws up his face and pretends to gag. ‘Sam, if you put that in your mouth, I’ll never speak to you again.’

‘Yeah-nah,’ I say, pulling a face and looking back at my work. ‘I’m good.’

‘Your loss,’ Indi whispers. ‘Hey, I start drama class tomorrow!’

‘Mmmhmm.’ I’m only half-listening because I’m still trying to work out what 15 times 14 over 40 equals.

‘I’m really nervous,’ she whispers.

‘You’ll be fine,’ I say, scowling at the worksheet.

Dylan frowns. ‘Tomorrow is movie night,’ he says. ‘Did you forget?’

‘No,’ Indi says. ‘Drama finishes at six thirty so I’ll come after that.’

Dylan grins excitedly.