Glenn Maxwell series by Patrick Loughlin

Ill. by James Hart. Random House Australia, 2014.
Lucky break. ISBN 9780857986078
Academy All-stars. ISBN 9780857986092
Young Will Allbright is a pretty handy player who loves his game and has, like many youngsters, a drive to succeed at it. After his coach nominates him to participate in an upcoming T20 training camp, Will realises that it is not just the love of the game that will get him through - though, that's an important part - but dedication, commitment and hard work. It helps, of course, when your cricketing hero Glenn Maxwell, is going to be one of your mentors. At the camp, the pressure is on to be one of the chosen selected kids to enter the T20 Youth Academy program and Will discovers in himself inner reserves to enable this.
When Will survives the onslaught of 'Killer' MacKinnon's demonic speed bowling and several other contretemps, he is accepted into the Academy's program.
This doesn't mean the end of his nerves and anxieties though - far from it! He faces even more when the training program is underway including having to compete with his best mate, Shavil, for the opening batsman's spot.
This series is very accessible to those readers who may not be our most accomplished readers and is also highly engaging. One of the standouts for me is that our talented girl players are not ignored - in fact, they give the boys a run (sorry!) for their money!
There are two more episodes already on the release lists and my prediction is that these books will be devoured by both boys and girls who aspire to wearing the baggy green for our great country.
You simply can't go wrong in getting these onto your library shelves and while we are in the tail end (sorry, again) of the year, you just know your kids are going to come back in January, rehashing every match they have watched. See these fly off the shelves then!
Sue Warren