Ellyse Perry Books in Order

This series takes the real sports star Ellyse Perry and imagines her as a younger girl trying to manage school, friends and a lot of sport at once. The books are written for middle grade readers, and they lean into the fun, pressure and awkwardness of early high school. If that sounds busy, it is. That is also the point.

The story begins in Pocket Rocket, with Ellyse starting Year Seven and discovering that life is not as simple as just turning up and playing hard. There is more homework, more social drama and at least one teacher who thinks she is too small to belong on the cricket team. From there the series follows her through soccer in Magic Feet, touch footy in Winning Touch and the growing pressure of trying to do everything in Double Time.

Sport is at the centre of these books, but they are not only about match results. Clark makes room for all the stuff that sits around sport and often matters just as much to young readers, fitting in at a new school, staying close to friends, dealing with people who are dismissive, and figuring out how much you can reasonably ask of yourself. Ellyse loves to compete, but she also has to learn about balance. That is where the emotional pull comes from.

The tone is upbeat and energetic. There is a lot of movement, a lot of team talk, and plenty of scenes where Ellyse has to keep going after a setback. Because the books are based on Ellyse Perry's own experiences as a sporty girl, they feel grounded in the day-to-day details. She is not treated like a superhero who gets everything right. She is talented, yes, but she still gets hurt, overwhelmed, left out and frustrated.

One of the best things about the series is how matter-of-fact it is about girls in sport. These books do not pause to make that idea seem unusual. They just show a girl who wants to play cricket, soccer and touch footy, and who expects to be taken seriously. When people underestimate her, the books do not turn preachy. They simply let Ellyse answer back through effort, skill and stubbornness.

So while these are sports books, they also work as school stories. Readers who like teamwork, training and competition will find plenty to enjoy, but so will readers who just want a lively, easy-to-read series about a determined kid learning how to handle growing up. Ellyse keeps moving, even when life gets messy, and that is a big part of what makes these books so easy to like.