Book Title: Lily and the Rockets (available here)
Author: Rebecca Stevens
Publisher: Chicken House
Publication Date: May 2019
Most Suitable For: KS2
Reviewed By: Angela Kent (@FljsLibrary), Librarian
Reviewed for Booksfortopics:
I loved the premise of this book, so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read and review it. Taking us back to first world war London, Rebecca Stevens delivers a tale of war, family and friendships but above all an inspirational story of ladies' football.
The captivating story follows Lily Dodd, an ordinary 14-year-old – other than being taller than most 14-year-olds and dreaming of becoming a goalkeeper. Together with her best friend Amy May, the two girls devise a plan to lie about their age to obtain jobs in the munitions factory. After discovering the death of her favourite brother, Amy May decides instead to go to France to help the nurses. This aspect of the story really highlighted that it may not have just been the boys who lied about their age to help, but girls may have too.
At the factory Lily makes friends with Jess, one of the canary girls working in the danger building and the best football player Lily has ever met. After an accidental save, she joins the munition ladies football team – so she gets to practice and play her dream. As the male teams are fighting in the war, the ladies are able to join a league of other female teams and play for a large audience. As the war comes to an end and the men begin to return, what will Lily do when there are no longer jobs for the ladies at the munitions factory? Helped by her friend Billy, she decides to dress as a boy and try out for Tottenham Hotspur.
At the factory Lily makes friends with Jess, one of the canary girls working in the danger building and the best football player Lily has ever met. After an accidental save, she joins the munition ladies football team – so she gets to practice and play her dream. As the male teams are fighting in the war, the ladies are able to join a league of other female teams and play for a large audience. As the war comes to an end and the men begin to return, what will Lily do when there are no longer jobs for the ladies at the munitions factory? Helped by her friend Billy, she decides to dress as a boy and try out for Tottenham Hotspur.
The complicated issues of loss, love and friendship are emblazoned throughout the story, with the loss of Lily’s mother, her feelings of being betrayed by friends and the realisation that the person we need could be right in front of us the whole time. I thoroughly enjoyed this realistic portrayal of a young woman’s plight during the First World War, the danger of the chemicals that some women were exposed to, the empowerment of women during this time and the realisation, once the war is over, that life would never be the same again.
Based partially on the real life of Lily Parr, I’m sure that the footballers are representative of some of the experiences and disappointments of the girls who were allowed to play football during the war but continued to be banned from playing professionally after the war. This rule was not revoked until 1971 – making it illegal for any male club to employ or allow female players to practice on their grounds, so the resilience of those female players who continued to find ways of enjoying playing was commendable. I loved that Rebecca Stevens ends the book with the life of Lily Parr, stating that she has been the greatest female player so far.
I would highly recommend this book for KS2 and it provides a brilliant way to deepen interest in female roles during the war as well as wider issues around women’s rights.