Book Review: Alfie Jones and a crisis of confidence by David Fuller

This is the sixth instalment from the Alfie Jones series which sees the central character dealing with issues related to football, his friends and school life.

Once again author David Fuller understands the pressures affecting youngsters growing up in a world which seems to be increasingly demanding day-by-day. In a football context Alfie and his friend Billy face the trauma of whether they will be kept on at their respective Academy’s and the implications this can have on young boys whose only dream at that age is to be a professional footballer.

Once boys and girls start to approach the teens, they have to deal with all that this period of change in their life brings, which as David Fuller explores in this book includes the ideas of uncertainty, trust and lack of confidence, about themselves, their friends and indeed their family.

As ever, the author has been able to take serious issues and provide a storyline which seeks to gives readers an idea of the emotional impact in a way they can understand, without being condescending.

What will be interesting to see, is how the teenage Alfie develops and how he copes with his life as the distractions and hormones that kick-in with adolescence, impact on his football, friends and family.