Over the Line

It’s the proudest moment of Jack’s life – his debut as a professional footballer. Now he has a chance to achieve his dream of playing for his country. But it’s 1914 and the world is at war. Talk of sportsmen’s cowardice leads to the formation of a Footballers’ Battalion and Jack has little choice but to join up. The promise of a Cup in Flanders offers a glimmer of hope, but Jack and his teammates will have to survive a waking nightmare if they are ever to play again.A stunning new edition of Tom Palmer’s bestselling novel based on the true story of WWI war hero and footballing legend Jack Cock.

Reviews of Over the Line

"It's a stroke of brilliance to pair football with wartime history … a lesson in empathy as much as history – and will certainly keep readers on the edge of their seats" BOOKTRUST; "A perfect class read to accompany any KS2 and KS3 topic on the period. It's also an engaging read for football fans of any age … deserves to sit alongside War Horse and Private Peaceful on any school bookshelf" HELENA PIELICHATY, AUTHOR; "A gripping story which draws on both the horrors of WWI and the power of football" MUMSNET; "Tom's best work to date and a must-read to help young people of today understand what it was like during the war" LEEDS SCHOOL LIBRARY SERVICE; "Powerful and evocative … The emphasis on football will entice readers who might not think at first that historical fiction is 'their thing'" LIBRARY MICE