Dyslexia Friendly
When the girls are banned from the five-a-side tournament, young Sikh footballer Bobby Bains rallies his teammates to make a stand in this uplifting tale of solidarity from Bali Rai.
Football-mad Bobby and his friend Maisie are excited to hear about a new five-a-side tournament – especially as it’s happening on Diwali, or Bandi Chhor Divas as Sikhs call it!
After getting their teams together, however, Maisie is told she’s not allowed to take part. Hers is the only girls’ side to have entered and they’re not allowed to play against the boys. How unfair is that?
Bobby can’t believe it, and he comes up with a plan to make a stand. But will he be able to convince anyone to join him?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.
Bobby Bains Ain’t Playing by Bali Rai
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Collins Publisher
Publication Date: 2026
Bali Rai was born in Leicester, where he grew up in a multicultural community dreaming of playing football for Liverpool FC, being Bob Marley or becoming a writer. He writes the books he would have enjoyed as a teenager and his book Rani and Sukh is a set-text for GCSE English. His novel, Killing Honour, won the North East Teenage Book Award, and was described as “utterly compelling” by The Bookseller.
