Northern Soul

By Author / Illustrator

Phil Earle

Genre

Romance & Relationships

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Barrington Stoke Ltd

ISBN

9781800902039

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

04-01-2024

Synopsis

From award-winning author Phil Earle comes the hilariously agonising account of one teenage boy's disastrous attempts to win the heart of the cool new girl at school.

Marv's fourteen and his life is simple. There's football. And his best mate, Jimmy. Perfect. Nothing else matters until a new girl at school called Carly crashes into his life. For Marv, it's love at first sight, his emotions flipped upside down, as he knows a girl like Carly will never notice him. He needs help - lots of it - but when it miraculously arrives in the shape of a musical idol from the past, the path to Carly's heart proves anything but easy... First love is unforgettable, and poor Marv is about to learn this the hard way - him, and his northern soul ...

Download Extract

Reviews

Northern Soul by Phil Earle is a fantastic addition to the range of dyslexia-friendly books published by Barrington Stoke. This novel perfectly describes those heady, confusing, all-encompassing feelings of first love so well. It is both poignant and an authentic story.

Marv is 14 years old and before Carly, the new girl, starts in his class, his life revolved mainly around his friendship with Jimmy and football. However, with his emotions in turmoil once Carly is on the scene, Marv turns to his father's love of music and manifests help from Otis, the permanently hungry 'King of Soul' to assist him with that crucial first move.

This story is bittersweet and will resonate with tweens and teens as they too negotiate the tricky world of relationships. It is written with relatable characters and based in the familiar settings of both home and school. It will become a great recommendation within our secondary school and is suitable for all age students. Because it is so authentically written, this a page-turning book which captures the reader's attention as they root for Marv and his burgeoning romance. Highly recommended.

104 pages / Reviewed by Ruth Cornish, school librarian