What do you think?
Specky Magee #2
Specky Magee and the Great Footy Contest
Specky comes face to face with a tough, talented player by the name of Derek 'Screamer' Johnson. He was responsible for having Specky sent off during a game last season. The two boys become bitter rivals and when a popular TV show runs a nationwide football contest Specky is relieved when everyone except Screamer decides to enter. But why is Screamer such a bully on the field? And why is he sucking up to Specky's team-mates?
- GenresChildrens
Audio CD
First published January 1, 2003
About the author
Felice Arena
128 books26 followersMuch-loved Australian children’s author Felice Arena is the creator of many best-selling and award-winning children's books for all ages. Some of these include the acclaimed middle-grade historical novels The Boy and the Spy, Fearless Frederic, A Great Escape, and The Unstoppable Flying Flanagan – the bestselling Specky Magee series, the junior series' Sporty Kids and The Besties, and the joyous read-aloud picture books Pasta! and Cheese! Felice's latest novel, Hunt for the Nighthawks, is a thrilling middle-grade adventure that blends mystery, history, and the supernatural.
www.felicearena.com Instagram.com/felicearenabooks
www.felicearena.com Instagram.com/felicearenabooks
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 3, 2015
This review is by my son James (eight years old):
My book review is about “Specky Magee”. Specky Magee is a boy who loves Aussie Rules and plays for his school team, the Booyang High Lions. Simon “Specky” Magee is happy with his life at school until he is faced with a boy called Derek “Screamer” Johnson who is a mean bully. Specky and Screamer have gone up against each other in last year’s grand final. They both got sent off because they were fighting and drew blood. So you can imagine what it would be like when they go to school together (bad, if you couldn’t work it out). I like it that in this book there is suspense when the authors do not say who gets which position until the next chapter. So this book definitely has good qualities so you should definitely read this book.
My book review is about “Specky Magee”. Specky Magee is a boy who loves Aussie Rules and plays for his school team, the Booyang High Lions. Simon “Specky” Magee is happy with his life at school until he is faced with a boy called Derek “Screamer” Johnson who is a mean bully. Specky and Screamer have gone up against each other in last year’s grand final. They both got sent off because they were fighting and drew blood. So you can imagine what it would be like when they go to school together (bad, if you couldn’t work it out). I like it that in this book there is suspense when the authors do not say who gets which position until the next chapter. So this book definitely has good qualities so you should definitely read this book.
July 31, 2007
It is a good book fun to read i really got into it.
August 26, 2009
such a great book
good about all the footy
good about all the footy
April 15, 2010
Good story if you love football.
Read
August 26, 2009such a good book!!!!
should read it guys
should read it guys
November 25, 2018
Back when I was in my final year of my teaching degree, I did some work for a local high school in my area. One of the classes was reading this book as part of their English class. I remember getting through roughly half of the book before my time with the school ended but in that time, I knew I never wanted to read it ever again.
Let me put my cards on the table. I've never been a big sports buff. But if a story is engaging and interesting then I can get on board with it, regardless of the subject matter. But this book isn't bad because it's a book about sport. It's a bad book because it's poorly written.
The main thrust of the plot is this: Specky Magee is your average Aussie schoolkid who's a member of his local footy team. He has a big Footy contest coming up (as per the title, thats some serious creativity right there) along with a nasty rival and a potential love interest.
Specky is exactly the type of character I hate. He's not so much a character as he is an empty vessel for the reader to inject themselves into, so they can live out their private fantasies. Everybody loves him, those who hate him are meany meanheads who poop on his dreams, the love interest loves footy just as much as he does, he ends up on a flight sitting next to a big name footy star. It all smacks of such lazy writing because God forbid we create a character that actually has their own ambitions, goals, hopes and dreams. That we write a character with some actually flaws! It also doesn't help that the other characters are mostly just bland archetypes that smack of equally lazy writing. The rival hates Specky for no apparent reason - unless it popped up later in the story, but honestly I was so little invested I stopped caring way before then - and the love interest's only distinguishing feature is that she loves footy too.
You could make the argument that this is a story for kids. It shouldn't be overly complex and dense so as not to scare readers off. But really, is that an attitude to have? That you treat kids as toddlers who can't read complex things? Please, I read the works of Tim Winton, Gillian Rubenstein, Paul Jennings and Morris Gleitzman. That argument doesn't work on me.
I get that this could appeal to younger sportier kids and perhaps I wouldn't be the audience for this sort of drek. But even still, if this is what sporty kids go for in literature, I don't see the appeal. The characters are barely there, the plot is milquetoast, the conflicts are lazily written and the writing itself is simplistic to the point of insulting.
Give this a miss, and look for better literature.
Let me put my cards on the table. I've never been a big sports buff. But if a story is engaging and interesting then I can get on board with it, regardless of the subject matter. But this book isn't bad because it's a book about sport. It's a bad book because it's poorly written.
The main thrust of the plot is this: Specky Magee is your average Aussie schoolkid who's a member of his local footy team. He has a big Footy contest coming up (as per the title, thats some serious creativity right there) along with a nasty rival and a potential love interest.
Specky is exactly the type of character I hate. He's not so much a character as he is an empty vessel for the reader to inject themselves into, so they can live out their private fantasies. Everybody loves him, those who hate him are meany meanheads who poop on his dreams, the love interest loves footy just as much as he does, he ends up on a flight sitting next to a big name footy star. It all smacks of such lazy writing because God forbid we create a character that actually has their own ambitions, goals, hopes and dreams. That we write a character with some actually flaws! It also doesn't help that the other characters are mostly just bland archetypes that smack of equally lazy writing. The rival hates Specky for no apparent reason - unless it popped up later in the story, but honestly I was so little invested I stopped caring way before then - and the love interest's only distinguishing feature is that she loves footy too.
You could make the argument that this is a story for kids. It shouldn't be overly complex and dense so as not to scare readers off. But really, is that an attitude to have? That you treat kids as toddlers who can't read complex things? Please, I read the works of Tim Winton, Gillian Rubenstein, Paul Jennings and Morris Gleitzman. That argument doesn't work on me.
I get that this could appeal to younger sportier kids and perhaps I wouldn't be the audience for this sort of drek. But even still, if this is what sporty kids go for in literature, I don't see the appeal. The characters are barely there, the plot is milquetoast, the conflicts are lazily written and the writing itself is simplistic to the point of insulting.
Give this a miss, and look for better literature.
November 10, 2018
Specky Magee is simply the greatest ever player in the history of the known universe, a star, a champion etc etc. It does get a bit boring with how good this bloke dies, and the whole bad guy bully thing was very over the top, but it was an Ok story and very readable. But go on Speck drop the mark and kick it out on the full like a normal person you muppet!
February 8, 2021
It will help me with my reading skills
September 22, 2011
After the first Specky Magee, i was looking forward to reading this book, it was a great sequel to the first book, specky has his issues again this book, he goes to the northern territory for just four days and in just four days his biggest enimie, who got him sent of in the last years grandfinal when playing againts eachother, became a student at his school Boonalong High and didnt just join thier footy team, the lions, but also stole his postion at full forward.
I am looking forward to reading the third book.
I am looking forward to reading the third book.
November 2, 2015
Some days I find it weird that I'm enjoying the Specky Magee books as much as I am because I'm not interested in Aussie Rules football! This is the second in the Specky Magee series that my son is getting me to read.
This is a great sequel to the first book. I really enjoyed the way they looked at different issues including being a good sport on the footy team and bullying.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
This is a great sequel to the first book. I really enjoyed the way they looked at different issues including being a good sport on the footy team and bullying.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
February 26, 2012
Specky Magee is one of the only aussie rules books but it's still a great book with a little bit of detail (I wish it had more though). Even if you don't really like aussie rules it's still a great book. all up it's a great book and wish they made more, with more detail.
June 30, 2011
read it last year and loved because i'm a footballer myself.
July 9, 2013
(No comment)
June 24, 2015
It was good!
August 29, 2014
pretty good.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews