The new book from James Steptowe, author Raid of the Ratskull Rodents (May 2019)
Chase for the Championship
A football story for girls and boys
Sarah Saunders, striker for Lingerfield F.C., and Yonis Ganim, goalkeeper for SLS United, are locked in a tight battle for their under-eleven championship title.
Only 1 point separates their teams at the midway point in the season.
However, as the chase for the championship heats up, both Sarah and Yonis realise there are much more important things in life than just football...
Target Audience
If you're aged 7+ and love football or sport themed stories then this is a book you won't want to miss. Chase for the Championship is unique among books of its kind due to it having both a girl and boy main character whose sides of the story are told throughout the book.
It's a book that is perfect for reluctant or struggling readers due to the way it has been written and formatted, but one with an exciting and engaging story that will hook even the ablest readers.
About the author
James Steptowe is a teacher as well as an author. With over five years teaching experience in a range of Primary Schools he knows firsthand what engages and excites young readers. In May 2019 he released his debut book Raid of the Ratskull Rodents and toured local bookshops and schools promoting a love of reading.
Chase for the Championship is his second book and he was inspired to write it when teaching in North Yorkshire with a year 5/6 class full of girls and boys who were big football and sports fans.
James currently lives in Italy where his wife (who is Italian) and he welcomed their daughter in March 2020.
Steptowe, James: - "James Steptowe is a children's author and a primary school teacher originally from Essex, now living in Italy where he and his wife (who is Italian) just moved to welcome their first daughter. Having taught in schools in Essex, London and Yorkshire for over five years, James knows what engages young readers. James decided to take the plunge into writing during the summer of 2018 and what came out of it was his, debut children's book - Raid of the Ratskull Rodents. At University, James studied English Literature and also did a year abroad living and studying in Helsinki, Finland. After that, he completed his teacher training and has taught in classes across the KS2 age-range. James loves teaching and so it was no surprise that his venture into writing was born out of both his passion for education and his love of writing. James wants to write books for young readers, both reluctant and able, and uses all his creativity, and experience as a teacher, to write stories which he knows young readers will enjoy, and as a professional, ones which he would happily recommend in his classroom. James has a growing online presence with nearly five hundred twitter followers, over ninety Instagram followers and a Facebook page with over one hundred followers. He has a fantastic website, designed by his wife (who, luckily for James, works for a digital agency that designs websites) and also has a growing mailing list. His first book, Raid of the Ratskull Rodents, also has several five-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and James has already received emails from young readers who have loved his debut effort. When James isn't writing or reading, you'll find him hiking in the mountains, reading a good book or cuddled up at home with his wife, new-born daughter and young kitten. He's fluent in Italian, loves tropical fish and is a fully-fledged Southend United fan (for his sins). He's bursting with ideas for other children's books - he just needs to find the time to write them."
