The Legend of Sparkhill

Description

With one ball left of the World Cup final, England needed five runs to win. Mo stood in the middle of the pitch as Jos Buttler whispered in his ear: “If anyone can do it, it’s you.” Mo shook his head modestly and wandered back to the stumps. He tapped his bat twice on the ground and watched as Pat Cummins sprinted in: it was going to be a bouncer, he knew it would be a bouncer…

“Mo Akeel.” Mo snapped back to reality. “Are you listening?” Ah. School. He nodded his head at Miss Joseph and tried to look interested. He glanced at the board and narrowed his eyes. Trigonometry. On a Friday. Some teachers had a very weird sense of humour.

Thus starts the story of an ordinary Birmingham schoolkid in modern Britain. 12-year-old Mo Akeel lives for cricket. And he’s good at it. Along with his mates, his club manages to beat the odds and make the final, but practice clashes with prayer at the mosque on a Friday night. So Mo has to take drastic action to fulfil his destiny.

The story focuses on many of the themes prevalent in today’s society – religion, racism, bullying, equality and diversity. Told with real passion and skill, it will be an inspiration for a generation of young schoolchildren as they make their way in the world.