200,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿 

Black Friday Sale on Now! Save up to 25% off Books, Toys, Board Games, & Puzzles! ✨

Front Foot

By Tom Palmer
0.0 (0 reviews)
Brief Description
Navigating life in England, Azeem hopes to share his passion for cricket with his new friends in this action-packed sports story from award-winning author Tom Palmer. Azeem’s father dreams of one day seeing his son play cricket on an English cricket pitch wearing English cricket whites.... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$1999
Pre-order
Releases 4th February 2027 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Front Foot" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

Found a better price? Request a price match

Navigating life in England, Azeem hopes to share his passion for cricket with his new friends in this action-packed sports story from award-winning author Tom Palmer.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Navigating life in England, Azeem hopes to share his passion for cricket with his new friends in this action-packed sports story from award-winning author Tom Palmer.

Azeem’s father dreams of one day seeing his son play cricket on an English cricket pitch wearing English cricket whites. Getting to grips with his new life in the UK, Azeem can’t understand why the children on his estate would rather kick a ball than bowl one.

As he anxiously awaits news from his mum and sister, who are stuck in a refugee camp in Pakistan, Azeem distracts himself with teaching his new friends how to play cricket. He takes a chance by inviting some intimidating, older boys in the local park to play with them and soon enough, a team is formed.

But with worry for his family worsening, will Azeem be able to play on his Front Foot?

Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 7.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780008695712

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 September 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Barrington Stoke Ltd

Illustration: 16 b/w, illus

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Robin Boyden

Audience: Children, Teenage

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 5.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 140g

Pages: 80

Collections

Children's Books Children’s, Teenage and Educational Kids & YA Pre-orders Pre-order Books Pre-Order Children's Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Tom Palmer Young Adult

About the Author

Tom Palmer was a reluctant reader as a child and credits articles about football with getting him into reading. He is now the multi-award-winning author of many books for young readers, including the Young Quills Award winner After the War and FCBG Children's Book Award winners Armistice Runner and D-Day Dog. In 2019 Tom was awarded the National Literacy Trust's Ruth Rendell Award in recognition of his significant contribution to literacy work in the UK. Robin Boyden is the author-illustrator of Gerald Needs a Friend and the illustrator of numerous bestselling middle grade and non-fiction books for children, including the My Brother Is a Superhero series by David Solomons, Leah Williamson's The Wonder Team series, and the Dr Who Team TARDIS Diaries. He lives with his family in Cheltenham.

Also by Tom Palmer

View all
  • After the War
    Master storyteller Tom Palmer returns with a deeply moving and beautifully told novel of friendship and belonging, inspired by the incredible true story of the Windermere Boys. The best children’s fiction book I’ve yet read about the Holocaust – Tim Robertson, CEO Anne Frank Trust Summer 1945. The Second World War is finally over and Yossi, Leo, and Mordecai are...
    By Tom Palmer
    Paperback
    $1799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Angel of Grasmere
    Tarn grapples with the loss of her brother at Dunkirk as she faces the threat of Nazi invasion in the Cumbrian countryside in this gripping wartime tale from Tom Palmer. July 1940 – as Tarn struggles to come to terms with the loss of her beloved brother in the chaos of the British retreat at Dunkirk, she and her friends...
    By Tom Palmer
    Paperback
    $1999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Arctic Star
    Multi-award-winning author Tom Palmer returns with a thrilling naval adventure inspired by the incredible history of the Second World War Arctic convoys. Arctic Star is set in Winter 1943. Teenagers Frank, Joseph, and Stephen are Royal Navy recruits on their first mission at sea during the Second World War. Their ship is part of an Arctic Convoy sailing to Russia...
    By Tom Palmer
    Paperback
    $1799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Armistice Runner
    Tom Palmer celebrates the unsung athletic heroes of the Armistice in a powerful tale of the fell-running messengers on the front-line of war. Armistice Runner follows Lily, a young girl with a lot on her mind. She's struggling to compete in her fell-running races and, even more worrying, she's losing her gran to Alzheimer's. Amidst these challenges, Lily finds her...
    By Tom Palmer
    Paperback
    $1799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • D-Day Dog
    Master storyteller Tom Palmer returns with a touching celebration of the heroic paratroopers of WWII and their parachuting canine companions. Jack can't wait for the school trip to the D-Day landing beaches. It's his chance to learn more about the war heroes he has always admired – brave men like his dad, who is a reserve soldier. But when his...
    By Tom Palmer
    Paperback
    $1799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • On Sale
    28% off
    Resist
    Multi-award-winning author Tom Palmer shines a light on life under wartime occupation, in a beautifully told story inspired by the childhood of Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn. As the brutal Second World War stretches on with no end in sight, life for ordinary Dutch people in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands is fraught with peril and hardship. There is very little to eat,...
    By Tom Palmer
    Paperback
    $1300
    Usually:
    $1799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Football's Greatest Moments (Ultimate Football Heroes - The No.1 football series): Collect Them All!
    From the invention of the modern sport all the way to the present day, bestselling author and football expert Tom Palmer picks one hundred of the most thrilling and significant goals, games, and players from more than 150 years of the Beautiful Game. Featuring Pelé's World Cup, Maradona's Hand of God, John Barnes' Maracanã magic, and the Lionesses' European Championship...
    By Tom Palmer and Ultimate Football Heroes
    Paperback
    $1699
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Spitfire
    Football meets fantasy in this second title of Tom Palmer's action-packed Wings trilogy. Greg's fed up with playing in goal. He reckons things only happen to you there. The other players get to make them happen. The summer school isn't turning out how he'd hoped at all.The old airfield next to the school freaks Greg out … but when he...
    By Tom Palmer
    Paperback
    $1799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Ultimate Football Heroes Generations: Liverpool's Greatest Moments
    From the founding of the club in 1892 to present day, bestselling author and football expert Tom Palmer picks ONE HUNDRED of the most thrilling and significant goals, games, players and moments from more than 130 years of The Reds. Featuring the 2022 FA Cup win, the 2005 Miracle of Istanbul, Liverpool's first division title in 1947, the 2006 "Gerrard...
    By Tom Palmer
    Paperback
    $1699
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Rugby Academy
    Dive into the world of rugby in this action-packed, globe-trotting sports adventure from top-selling author Tom Palmer. Rugby Academy follows the journey of Borderlands First XV as they strive to become the best school rugby team in the world. While the boys focus on their matches, many of their parents are serving overseas in the armed forces, causing them concern...
    By Tom Palmer
    Paperback
    $1799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • War Dog
    War Dog tells the inspiring story of Judy, a dog who loves her crew, and they love her. She knows that she brings comfort to the men, making her job very important during these hard times. But when her soldiers are taken prisoner and she is separated from her beloved Frank, she must find the strength to keep going. She...
    By Tom Palmer
    Paperback
    $2199
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Typhoon
    Two sisters must put their differences aside in order to survive the ultimate challenge in the finale of Tom Palmer's action-packed Wings trilogy. It's the last day at football summer school. Jess is moving in for an easy shot on goal when the roar of a fighter jet nearly flattens her with shock. For Maddie, it's the final straw.Once the...
    By Tom Palmer
    Paperback
    $1999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Browse lists from our team

The Latest at Book Hero

View all

More from Children's Books

View all
  • On Sale
    12% off
    New Release
    Gruffalo Granny
    The brand new Gruffalo picture book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, "Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay." Return to the deep dark wood with the first new Gruffalo story in over 20 years, and meet Gruffalo Granny as she visits the Gruffalo family. This fresh and exciting new Gruffalo adventure...
    By Julia Donaldson
    Hardback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Sprinkle in Time: A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #15)
    New Release
    A Sprinkle in Time: A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #15)
    In the newest saga, our anti-hero, Grandpa, alters the fabric of time and space. Is his evil the necessary soil for Dog Man and friends to grow and bloom? Can we all step up to be the change? It's the saga of the century—Dog Man: A Sprinkle in Time!
    By Dav Pilkey
    Hardback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Free Gift
    Fight or Flight: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (21)
    When the going gets tough, what’s a wimpy kid to do? In Fight or Flight, Greg Heffley faces his biggest challenge yet as he becomes a target for the school bully. Luckily for Greg, his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, takes karate, so at least Greg’s got someone in his corner. But an unexpected twist makes Greg realize he’s facing an uphill...
    By Jeff Kinney
    Paperback
    $1699
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Detective Beans Colouring Club
    New Release
    Detective Beans Colouring Club
    Help Detective Beans solve the case of the missing colours! Join the Colouring Club now! Join the Detective Beans Colouring Club! Inside you'll find 40 removable colouring pages featuring scenes from all over Cat Town. Filled with all the characters you know and love from the Detective Beans graphic novels like Biscuits, Beans' mum, Mr Brickle, Bear, Detective Baby Bird...
    By Li Chen
    Paperback
    $1799
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Sixth Faction
    Beatrice Prior stands on the brink of a decision every person in her world must make: five factions, five futures, five lives. She has a plan: she's going to make the bravest choice, and leave Abnegation behind to join Dauntless, even though it means leaving her family behind. But when tragedy strikes at her Choosing Ceremony, everything changes—her world, her...
    By Veronica Roth
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Naturals: Dangerous Impulses Book 5
    The Naturals are BACK! No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Lynn Barnes delivers the highly anticipated new installment in her beloved Naturals Series. Cassie Hobbes joined the FBI's Naturals program at seventeen because she had an incredible ability to read people. Since then, Cassie, fellow profiler Dean, emotion‐reader Michael, lie‐detector Lia, and statistical genius Sloane have caught serial...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
    Paperback
    $2199
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    All of Us
    A new heart-wrenching, well-researched historical novel for middle-grade readers. 'The weirdest thing,' continues Tove, 'is that I don't feel any different to the rest of you.' 'That's because you're not!' snaps Birgitte. 'You're Danish.' 'So why do the Nazis hate me and not you?' When twelve-year-old Viggo and his friends Finn, Tove, Birgitte and Konrad start writing rude letters to...
    By Katrina Nannestad
    Hardback
    $2599
    Elsewhere:
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Star Path
    New Release
    The Star Path
    A young whale searches for the whale rider's heir and a teenager takes an epic voyage to Antarctica with a fleet of waka hourua to claim his lost inheritance, in this breathtaking return to the world of global hit The Whale Rider, over thirty years on. From the internationally acclaimed author of The Whale Rider comes a novel about the...
    By Witi Ihimaera Smiler
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Wahine
    New Release
    Wahine
    From a majestic mermaid to a clay woman, the creator of glaciers to the mother of gardening, discover powerful wahine and how their stories shaped the world around us. Wahine introduces readers to twelve purakau of brave, bold, and inspiring women of Aotearoa. A beautifully illustrated collection that will delight the whole whanau, from award-winning illustrator Isobel Joy Te Aho-White....
    By Isobel Joy Te Aho-White
    Hardback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Lottie Brooks’s Twelve Disasters of Christmas
    From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a new story collection from the world of Lottie Brooks! But this time... it's not about Lottie! From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a new story collection from the world of Lottie Brooks! And it's CHRISTMAS! In The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks we spent the holiday season with...
    By Katie Kirby
    Paperback
    $1799
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Matihe! Achoo! Matihe! Achoo!
    On Sale
    21% off
    New Release
    Matihe! Achoo!
    What happens when a grumpy tupua has to sneeze? Matihe! Achoo! is a bilingual story about the tupua Mataoho and his connection to the volcanoes of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. It comes with an action song to engage young readers! He pūrākau e pā ana ki a Mataoho me ngā puia o Takamaki Makaurau. He tupua pukukino a Mataoho e noho...
    By Qiane Matata-Sipu
    Paperback
    $1500
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Sweet As Looky Book
    New Release
    The Sweet As Looky Book
    Can you find all the chocolate fish? Is it possible for kiwi to fly? Can you spot the difference? See Aotearoa New Zealand through the eyes of award-winning artist Donovan Bixley in The Sweet As Looky Book. Use your finest skills to seek out pirates in the Bay of Islands and birds in Rakiura Stewart Island. Get in a car...
    By Donovan Bixley
    Hardback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 200,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.