Calling all footie fans! You could win a whole load of football books by doing a short bit of writing about the world cup. Here're all the details:

What do you need to do?

We want you to send us a short piece of CREATIVE and EXCITING writing which puts us in the shoes (or football boots) of someone at the World Cup. It doesn’t have to be a moment from this year and you don’t have to wait until the final. Pick an amazing or interesting World Cup moment (it can be on the pitch or off) and write it from the point of view of someone who was actually there ("in the first person" as it's called).

Who could that be?

We don’t mind – it can be anyone involved with the tournament! But here are a few ideas of who or what you might like to pretend to be: 
• A player 
• A manager 
• A referee 
• A journalist 
• A fan 
• A ball boy or girl 
• A commentator 
• A mascot 
• A football!

Need an idea?

We’ve picked a couple of exciting and unusual moments from the last tournament. Similarly exciting things will definitely happen this year – keep an eye out for events like these:

1. Remember at the 2014 World Cup when Germany beat the host country Brazil 7-1? That was a really shocking moment which no one expected. Could you write from the perspective of a Brazilian fan, watching their home team get knocked out spectacularly from the tournament THEY were hosting? Oooh the cheek of it! How would they be feeling in that moment?

2. During Colombia’s match against Brazil, James Rodríguez had a huge insect land on him! The insect was so big that it distracted everyone from watching the match. That was strange! Could you write your story from the viewpoint of the insect? Perhaps he was giving the Colombia striker some tips?

3. It’s not all about what happens on the pitch in the matches. What must it be like carrying your country’s flag at the opening ceremony? Think of all those people watching your every move – would you be nervous or excited?

 Any rules? 

• Write between 150 and 300 words 

• The deadline at GEMS is 16th July - entires to Mrs Collister

• Entries will be split into two categories for judging – ages 7-11 and 11-13. That’s it!

Good luck! Winners will be announced in issue 5 of Kickaround, which is out on 21st September. 

Top tips from a real-life author!

Author Tom Palmer is the brain behind some of the best football fiction for children out there: the Foul Play series, the Football Academy series and loads more. So, because he is brilliant at this stuff, here are four of his top tips about how you can write well.

1. Pretend you are involved. Try to imagine the anger, joy or tension of your character. Remember how you’ve felt in the past when you’ve had those feelings. Then write with that in mind.

2. Say it OUT LOUD first. Instead of staring at a blank page, start by trying to say what you want to write. Record it and use it to begin your writing.

3. Once you have written it, try to change FIVE THINGS to make it better. Nothing is perfect on the first draft. You need to spend as much time rewriting something as you did writing it the first time.

4. The most important tip - enjoy yourself!

If you want to read more from author Tom Palmer, he is writing a story with his characters from the DEFENDERS series that updates EVERY DAY, following what is happening in the World Cup! It’s free, and you (or your teacher) can download it here.