Fit

Award-winning author Steve Cole expertly captures one boy’s cringe-worthy attempt to pole vault his way to love in this witty and relatable super-short read for struggling teen readers.

Ryan hates running and jumping, and had a disastrous experience in the long jump back in Year 6, so why on earth would he decide to join the school athletics club? The answer, of course, is to impress a girl – Tala.

Unfortunately, Tala competes in the pole vault, which Ryan has never tried before. But he decides to give it a go – how hard can it be? You can probably guess the answer to that, but will sporting disaster also lead to failure in love …?

Particularly suitable for readers aged 11+ with a reading age of 6.

About the author

Steve Cole is an internationally bestselling author who has written over 150 books and sold over 3 million copies. He has written Doctor Who fiction, succeeded Charlie Higson as the Young Bond author and worked with Ben Fogle on his Mr Dog series. His powerful middle-grade cli-fi novellas for Barrington Stoke include Drowning in My Bedroom, which won the 2024 Dudley Children’s Book Award: Short & Sweet Category.