Kimberley Kickers: Krstel kicks to win by Hakea Hustler & Carl Merrison with Krstel Petrevski. Illus. by Samantha Campbell

Krstel kicks to win is part of an action-packed Aussie Rules illustrated series for age 8+ called Kimberley Kickers. It is the result of a wonderful collaboration between Carl Merrison (storyteller and Krstel's coach) and Hakea Hustler (experienced teacher in remote regions). This collaboration was the result of the shared belief that stories like Krstel kicks to win (which is based on the life of a real Australian Rules footballer from the Kimberley area - Krstel Petrevski) are inspirational and will be empowering for Aboriginal children from remote communities bringing about learning and change.  Recent multi-award winning collaborations between Merrison and Hustler include Black Cockatoo which was a CBCA (2019) Book of the Year Honour book and My Deadly boots. 

My Deadly boots was illustrated by Mparntwe (Alice Springs) book illustrator and graphic designer Samantha Campbell. Campbell has continued in the collaboration by illustrating the Kimberley Kickers series with her warm, soft black and white illustrations and brightly coloured book covers. The illustrations dovetail beautifully with the text making the storyline very retrievable and attractively presented. The text itself was typeset by the Harper Collins Design Studio using Rotis Sans Serif Std, a choice that ensures maximum legibilty for young and reluctant readers. Important words to be stressed are highlighted in larger, bold letters and double-line spacing helps with readability.  A lot of thought has gone into ensuring that this series is easy to read and visually attractive.

Krstel kicks to win is part of a project which has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council; its arts funding and advisory body. In the end papers there is a glossary of colloquial Aboriginal terms and footy words used in the book, a map of Australia highlighting Halls Creek, full page photos and bios of the authors, the illustrator and Krstel Petrevski and a page dedicated to highlighting the talent that has come from this one town - Halls Creek. An enticing glimpse of the next book in the series which highlights another Halls Creek born AFL footy player Ash Johnson (out in 2026) acts as a bookend.

Krstel kicks to win is based on the life of Krstel Petrevski.  This is the story of Krstel's dreams as a young girl to play with the AFLW and the determination and grit that she had to display in achieving this goal. Intertwined with football are times spent out on country, of finding bush food and camping in the bush, of floods and of school playtime and school camps, of mustering cattle and boarding school and motor bikes, of the draft, of family and friendship.

Krstel kicks to win is a warm and uplifting story (loosely based on real-life people, places and events) about one girl's determined effort to succeed to national level with football. It is full of adventure and action packed. Stories about relatable and successful local people inspire children to be proud and to emulate the examples set by their heroes/heroines. Footy is a passion for many Australians and therefore a popular topic to choose in order to encourage reading especially (in this case) for Aboriginal children.

School librarians and teachers are encouraged to recommend this series especially to reluctant readers who are into sport and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Themes: Aussie Rules football, The Kimberley's Outback station life, Girls in sport, Following dreams, Aboriginal communities.

Wendy Jeffrey