A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of reading JG Nolan’s debut novel, JUMP! This was a beautiful story about perseverance, dedication and believing in oneself. When I found out that there was now a sequel, I couldn’t wait to get a copy. Continue reading to find out more and to read my latest children's book review.
AUTHOR BIO (taken from ‘About the Author’ on JG Nolan’s Amazon page.)
JG Nolan was born and raised in a sleepy village in Shropshire and loved writing stories and playing football as a child.
He has been a teacher for many years, working mainly with children who have had difficult beginnings in life. He strongly believes in positive thinking and feels most things are achievable if you put your mind to it.
When his football-mad son, Robbie, was much younger, he kept breaking bones and was told by the doctors that he should never play football again. It was during one of his many lengthy visits to Robbie in the local children’s hospital that the idea for 'Jump!' drifted into JG Nolan’s mind.
JG Nolan began to read the exploits of famous, maverick footballers from the past to inspire his son and give him hope. Whilst doing this, he became more and more drawn to the tales of famous Celtic legends from the 1920s, whose names are still chanted in Parkhead to this day. It soon became clear to him- his first book would have to be set in Scotland.
JG Nolan’s research led him to discover the iconic, ethereal Cathkin Park.
After meeting Scottish actor Simon Weir, who has helped preserve the park for many years, the pieces of the jigsaw fell into place and 'Jump!' was born.
When JG Nolan’s son started on his long road to recovery and fitness, his determination to succeed reached the ears of famous local footballer Joe Hart, then at Manchester City. Joe very kindly sent Robbie some signed goalkeeper gloves to cheer him up during treatment. Robbie would eventually follow in Joe’s footsteps and attend the same secondary school in their home town, Shrewsbury. Years later, after Joe had transferred to Celtic, he was thrilled to be asked to read 'Jump!' and offered to write the foreword. A truly serendipitous chain of events!
Carina Roberts is an award-winning artist and illustrator who loves creating characters and telling stories. Carina spent her childhood drawing, reading and befriending animals – it was in these first few years that her dream to be an illustrator was born. She’s been running with it ever since!
She specialises in creating books, particularly for young readers – a lot of her inspiration comes from the wilds of Wales where she lives. She adores fiction and nonfiction alike – after working on illustrations for the National Trust in 2020 she is especially keen that her work encourages more people to go on an adventure.
BOOK BLURB
Jamie Campbell is a talented young footballer whose sporting journey takes an unexpected twist when a family tragedy shatters her dreams on the pitch.
In the depths of despair, Jamie finds solace and strength in her loyal friend, Robbie Blair.
Together, they embark on an epic journey of self-discovery, during which Jamie must confront her fears, unlock the past and unearth her true potential.
But will she find all the answers, and ultimately… is she enough?
MY REVIEW
It’s good to be reunited with the characters Jamie Campbell and Robbie Blair. This time, we follow Jamie through a difficult time, trying to piece together her life after the sudden death of her mother.
I found the story to be moving and emotional, and I especially found the additional story about Amy MacGregor interesting. Amy, a nurse during the First World War, meets an injured soldier and the two form a unique friendship – both having a shared passion for football. Up until this point, I didn’t know anything about women’s football during that time. This was a piece of forgotten history and probably for many others too. Researching, I discovered names such as Lily St Clair, who scored the first recorded goal in the history of women’s football in 1881. Lily Parr, who played for Dick, Kerr Ladies of Preston – the most successful team at that time. By 1921, this team had over one and a quarter million spectators. The team, and many others, raised a lot of money for charity. Sadly, all this came to an abrupt end when the FA banned women’s football in 1921. I shall be digging deeper into researching the history of Women’s football. Thank you, JG Nolan, for enlightening me about the subject 👍🏼
Chapter 33, The Battle, definitely made me stop and think. It’s a moving piece of writing and gave the whole book an added depth. The fact that young men in WW1 faced such horror is awful yet something we should never forget.
The two stories, Jamie’s story, set in the present day, and Amy’s, set during the First World War, tie together nicely. For me, it made the book more interesting. It is a fascinating read that really feeds the imagination. Many will also relate to Jamie's emotional struggles and how she tackles these with help from her dear friend, Robbie.
The illustrations by Carina Roberts are beautiful and perfectly capture the scenes as they unfold.
As JUMP was a joy to read, JUMP2 was even better. Thank you, @LiterallyPR, @jgnolan3 and @sergarcreative, for my copy in exchange for an honest review. I hope you write more in the series!
Literally PR -
Twitter/X - @literallypr
Instagram - literallypr
JG Nolan
Instagram - @jgnolan3 and @sergarcreative
WORK-IN-PROGRESS
Some of you may already know that I’ve published four children’s books. They’re all feel-good adventures staring dogs. Why dogs? Because they really are a human’s best friend. They bring joy, companionship, love, comfort and an abundance of happy memories. Yet, although I enjoy writing dog fiction and always will, the book I’m working on now is completely different. I’d call it an exciting, challenging and enjoyable learning curve.
I’m working on a Young Adult Supernatural Thriller. Nearly all my life, I’ve been fascinated with the ‘unknown’. Ghosts. Superstition. Folk Tales. Ghouls. Demons. Angels. Is there life after death? What happens when we leave ‘here’? No one knows until it’s their turn to move-on and by then, there’s no turning back. We’ll never really know for sure. I’ve devoured books, magazines, TV series and films on the subject. I often wonder why it’s taken me so long to actually to work on a supernatural story! Well, now I am and believe me, it will have the reader lying awake at night listening out for anything that goes bump in the night!
At the moment, I’m at the research stage and busy plotting the main story and weaving the subplots in between. It’s a tougher project than my children’s dog fiction, but it’s a subject I’m passionate about, so research is an absolute joy, and my imagination is in overdrive!
As I said, I’ve never written a story like this before, and the framework needs much more work and my full concentration. But it’s all coming together nicely, and hopefully (fingers crossed!), it’ll be out next year in time for Halloween. I might add some illustrations here and there, I still haven’t made my mind up about that!! But each day, the story gets closer to being ready for you to read and hopefully enjoy (if you like being scared and creeped out, that is!!)
Happy reading!
Comments