This is the 7th book in the Eoin Madden series. Eoin is rugby mad and goes to Castlerock College. He has been called up to the senior cup team where he`s the youngest ever player and finds himself a bit out of his depth but meets a friend who helps him find his feet. Along with his rugby, Eoin and his friends discover a series of crimes in the national stadium, the AVIVA.
I really enjoyed learning about George Hall Stack’s life. George was the first ever person to captain the Ireland rugby team in 1875. That appearance ended up being his first and last appearance for Ireland. Eoin’s grandad, Dixie Madden, was given a box with George’s cap and jersey from when he captained Ireland. I learned a lot from this box he received like old rules, for example if you didn’t convert a try you didn’t get any points.
George Hall Stack died suddenly, at the age of 26. I also found myself wondering what would happen to Eoin in the senior rugby team and it made me want to read on to find out if his rugby future would lie with the seniors. In the end when he did get his chance to play, I was very happy and even happier when he grasped the opportunity and played really well.
I think that this book was very enjoyable. The mix of mystery, sport, excitement and history made it a very good read. I would rate this book 9/10. It left me wanting to always read on further and I never knew what would happen next. This was a brilliant book.
By Gearóid, Aged 10, Co. Wexford
“Rugby Rookie” by Gerard Siggins, published by O’Brien Press, is on sale now for €9.99 (P/B).
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher, O’Brien Press, free of charge to Seomra Ranga for the purposes of this review.
