The Fear

By Author / Illustrator

Tom Palmer, Robin Boyden

Genre

Personal Growth

Age range(s)

Publisher

HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN

9780008695705

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

11-09-2025

Synopsis

Kian has to face his fears of footballing failure in order to support a friend in this action-packed sports story from bestselling and award-winning author Tom Palmer.

Kian's best mate Azeem is desperate for them both to join the local football team. He can't understand why Kian's reluctant as he's one of the best players on their estate. But a bad experience with a former coach has robbed Kian of all his confidence. He wants to support his friend, but he doesn't think he can face the pressure of being part of a team again. Can Kian overcome the Fear?

Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 7.

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Reviews

Ruth

Despite its short length, The Fear by Tom Palmer manages to convey a heartwarming story with a moral, a well rounded tale with a beginning, middle and end, and an empathic narrative based in the world of youth sport, in only 63 pages. Palmer’s body of work now has yet another excellent book added to the pile and I have yet another excellent recommendation for the students at secondary school.

This is a quick and easy read which still packs an emotional punch as we learn about the back story to the main character, Kian's, match-related anxiety. We are introduced to a number of key relationships which all contribute to his return to enjoying playing football: the strong foundation provided by his Mum; the solid friendship he shares with Azeem, his next-door neighbour and recent refugee from Afghanistan; the developing respect he has for the coach, Steve, on his new team, Pavilion Park FC.

Slowly, Kian is able to understand and unpick the trauma he received at the hands of his previous coach, Gavin from Parkside Villa, and recognise him for the bully he was. Using an uplifting mantra about team work, Steve is able to build Kian's confidence back up to the point he begins to enjoy playing football again, but will it be enough to cope when he runs into his old coach?

Tom Palmer has written another brilliant addition to the Barrington Stoke catalogue which offers all readers an accessible read but particularly those with visual disabilities through the use of their dyslexia friendly font and format. In addition, the monochrome illustrations by Robin Boyden enhance the narrative and create space for readers who are easily overwhelmed by pages filled with text. The front cover colour illustration is particularly eye-catching and the font used for the title cleverly reflects the story content. It will be a great forward facing book to display in the school library.

Highly recommended for older primary school children and key stage 3 readers at secondary school. Additionally, the concise length of this book will be especially helpful in encouraging reluctant readers to give this book a go, and the compelling plot will keep them hooked.

72 pages / Reviewed by Ruth Cornish, school librarian