Tom’s most recent book, Over the Line, is a powerful historical novel about one footballer’s experience in the First World War.

Tom will be playing his popular Football Reading Game – half football reading quiz, half penalty shoot out – which makes reading fun and relevant to all children.

Age: 7 to 11

Did you know that the player who scored England’s first international goal after World War One was a survivor of the trenches?

Did you know that footballers who didn’t join the army were called cowards and mocked and abused?

Did you know that men fought and died side by side with their friends in the footballers’ battalion – and even that they played football behind the front lines?

Tom Palmer is the award winning author of three Puffin series for children: Football Academy, Foul Play and The Squad as well as the rugby story, Scrum.