I thought that “Fintan’s Fifteen” was certainly a very clever book, packed with jokes, quirks and one very cute dog. I found this book extremely funny and liked how the author created and personalised all his characters – my favourite was iPaddy! The book mainly follows Rusty, who arrived in Ireland two years ago from Brazil and soon fell in love with hurling. The trouble was that he literally joined the worst team in the world, the Ballybreen Terriers. Despite this, he has high hopes and a good laugh with his team, but the situation is desperate. They have gone through more than six coaches and have only a few people left on their team. Then, their biggest (and only) supporter, Katie, says that the team used to be great because the mysterious Fintan was with them, but for no reason, he left.
When Katie and Rusty go to Fintan’s house to talk to him, he is at first reluctant to rejoin the team, but soon gives in. Soon the team are racking up the points and they move closer and closer to the final. The book is also written from the viewpoint of the team mascot (a dog called Ollie) and of the coach of the opposition, Seáneen Brannigan. Through the coach’s eyes, we uncover his frankly evil plot. Can anyone stop him? Can the Ballybreen Terriers become a success again? You’ll have to read it to find out! The illustrations are made up of cartoons and comic strips and Alan Nolan is an experienced and talented illustrator, full of imagination and creativity. The illustrations really add to the story!
I would highly recommend this book as I really enjoyed it.
Leon is a 5th class student in St Peter’s Primary School, Bray. He reads everything in sight, but has a preference for sci-fi and drama!
“Fintan’s Fifteen” by Alan Nolan is available to purchase from the O’Brien Press Website
