Keeping Possession_SAMPLE by Collins

To the children at Broadfield Primary Academy –keep shining bright and dreaming big

Published by Barrington Stoke

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 Robroyston Gate, Glasgow, G33 1JN

www.barringtonstoke.co.uk

HarperCollinsPublishers

Macken House, 39/40 Mayor Street Upper, Dublin 1, DO1 C9W8, Ireland

First published in 2026

The moral right of Eve Ainsworth and Luna Valentine to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988

ISBN 978-0-00-874471-7 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in whole or in any part in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher and copyright owners

Without limiting the exclusive rights of any author, contributor or the publisher of this publication, any unauthorised use of this publication to train generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is expressly prohibited. HarperCollins also exercise their rights under Article 4(3) of the Digital Single Market Directive 2019/790 and expressly reserve this publication from the text and data mining exception

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Printed and bound in India by Replika Press Pvt. Ltd.

Chapter 1 Making a mark

The Lightmoor Lionesses were playing a match at home to the Ridgely Reds. Eboni was in her favourite position – central defence. The team were winning 1–0 with only a few minutes to go until the final whistle. They had been the stronger team since the start of the game and were unlucky not to have scored more goals. However, the Reds had suddenly gone on the attack in the last few minutes.

Eboni felt her entire body tense as she marked her opponent – a very tall and fast striker. Both of them were sprinting towards the Lionesses goal.

The ball was played high in the air by one of the Reds midfielders. The player Eboni was marking jumped up to head it, but Eboni got there first. Eboni may have been a few centimetres shorter, but the power in her legs helped her reach it. Eboni cleared the ball away from the goal, and it sailed across the sideline for a throw‑in.

Eboni took a breath. This had to be the Reds’ last chance to score, and the Lionesses didn’t want to give away a win now. She heard their coach, Mr Allen, shouting instructions from the sideline. Behind her, their goalkeeper Amelia yelled, “Watch your marker! Don’t lose them! Keep tight! ”

The ball was played into the box. Eboni’s opponent reached it first and brought it neatly

down in front of them. Eboni needed to make the tackle from a difficult position, and fast, before her opponent took a shot. If she judged this wrong, it would be a penalty.

There was no time to worry. Eboni’s foot found the ball and sent it spinning away in the opposite direction. Dani quickly ran to meet it and kicked it out of danger.

The final whistle blew. The Lionesses cheered.

A 1–0 victory!

Amelia rushed towards Eboni and clapped her on the back. “Well done!” Amelia said. “I felt sure she was going to score there. You saved the goal.”

Eboni felt herself swell with pride. Amelia hadn’t liked her much when she’d first joined the Lionesses, especially when she thought Eboni might be taking her position. However,

now that Amelia was training to be in goal, she seemed much happier and was much friendlier. Amelia had been playing in goal today for the injured Gwen.

When the team gathered round, Mr Allen gave some feedback, praising those that had played well.

“Eboni,” he said at the end, “you’ve really found your place on the team. Your marking was perfect. You kept a tight defence.”

Eboni beamed as the girls roared their agreement.

Brooke nudged Eboni gently. “We’re lucky to have you,” she said. “We’ve got some hard cup matches coming up.”

Amelia nodded to agree. “You’re so fast in defence and sharp too.”

Eboni laughed. “I’m just glad to be here really,” she said. “I love being part of this team.”

Joining the Lionesses had been the best decision Eboni had ever made, but it hadn’t been easy.

Unlike most of the Lionesses, Eboni lived in the neighbouring village. For a long time, she had played for a rival team, the Trentford Tigers. It had been good for a while. Eboni felt established in central defence, and most of her friends from school were on the team, including her best friend Abi. But then Eboni had been approached to play for the Lionesses. They were the best team in the area, and Eboni knew this would be an amazing opportunity for her. Sadly, her friends in her village didn’t think the same way.

Eboni walked to the bus stop after the game against the Reds and thought about how her decision had affected her friendships. The girls at school ignored her and gave her dirty looks now. They said she was a traitor. Abi refused to talk to her. Eboni had tried to reason with

her, but Abi wasn’t interested. As far as she was concerned, their friendship was over.

The late‑afternoon sun warmed Eboni’s face as she waited for her bus. The thing was, she loved how she felt when she played for the Lionesses. She was part of something important. And she was happy – she really was. She just wished it hadn’t made things so much harder at school.