Today (18th June) marks the final day of first round matches at this year’s Men’s Euros - the games are properly underway! Whether your home country (or preferred team) are performing well or on the way down, we can all easily get swept up in football fever.

Here at Pegasus Publishers, we’ve got a few titles we’d like to share with you now - most of which can be shared with children too - which’ll hopefully keep the ball rolling and Euros hype at a stressful high between matches:

Rabbin Tales: Life Goals by Nathan Flynn

This supportive book is designed to help children through their lives in a myriad of ways: through challenges including bullying, race, gender and mental health. Authored by Nathan Flynn, himself a young adult, still trying to find his way through the world, and devised to offer a careful approach to the trials of childhood.

Meet Rabbin, a small female rabbit, who has the heart of a lion, and a group of friends who are set about changing the world and trying to find the peace for which we all strive. There are a number of tales told in this book, including a goal-scoring triumph.

Available here.

Pierre the Pill Bug Loves Soccer by Kevin Rhoads

He is small for his age, but he’s always loved soccer. Meet Pierre the Pill Bug - a mad sportsman, constantly playing anywhere there is a blade of grass. However, when it comes to the big game, Pierre can’t seem to score a goal.

From first time author Kevin Rhoads, himself a soccer mad sportsman, comes a tale of overcoming great challenges and large obstacles - something that many of the teams playing this summer will come up against themselves.

Pierre is the best player in practice, but in the big game, he freezes up. That is until he can finally get past his fear of Big Spider…

Available here.

I Am POUG by Kellan Lamberti

This is Poug, a non-gender-conforming individual who has always found fitting in difficult. Societal norms and pressures compress on them, forcing Poug to blaze a trail off on their own - facing life’s trials and tribulations head on. This is a story of acceptance, discovery, independence.

Kellan Lamberti herself is one of seven children, who grew up feeling lost and undefined in the embrace of her family. Her journey to develop and discover what made Kellan unique is mirrored in this triumphant book.

Available here.

Serious Foul Play by Gill Sherry

And here is a read for the adults: a tale of glamor, blackmail and adultery. The Kelly Family is one of wealth, with football manager Crawford finding great success throughout his career - but whose son has run away from a future in the sport.

There is Florentina, who aims to find the truth of her parents, daughter Abi who learns all too quickly about real life, and son Thomas, the football-opposed decedent, whose battles off-the-pitch are internal and challenge the very society that has so richly rewarded his family.

Gill Sherry’s first novel, released back in 2020, is a delectable slice of drama and romance, tinged with the gossipy ridicule and controversy that is printed in newspapers at each football tournament. If you like this book, make sure to catch A Serious Dilemma, the followup released in September 2023.

Available here.

And there we have it. A few titles to wet your appetite or keep the competition going as you wait for kickoff. Come on [insert favorite team here]!