Inspiring Young Readers

posted on 24 May 2026

Keeping Possession by Eve Ainsworth

A new book from Eve Ainsworth is always welcome here at The Letterpress Project. Her latest for Barrington Stoke is Keeping Possession, the fourth instalment in the popular Lightmoor Lionesses series.

The title of this book and the series as a whole should provide you with enough information to know that we’re back in the land of women’s football. If you are familiar with Eve Ainsworth’s work, you will know that she uses the growing popularity of women’s football to explore the range of issues that are encountered by teenage girls. In this case it’s the anxieties associated with friendship and how that can often clash with personal aspirations.

Eboni has been something of a star player with the Trentford Tigers and was part of a group of players that she also socialised with at school – they were all friends. But her skills have been poached by the Lightmoor Lionesses and now her previous buddies are giving her the cold shoulder.

Some of her despair about this is alleviated by the emergence of an unexpected new friend, Olivia. And the two of them really hit it off and they spend a lot of time getting to know each other but Olivia presses Eboni to dedicate all her free time to being with her. But this becomes a problem when it turns out Olivia has no interest in football and can’t understand the importance it has for Eboni – or the demands it makes on her time.

Eventually, a falling out of sorts is inevitable as Eboni seems to face her ultimate dilemma: to give up on her footballing aspirations or potentially lose her new friend.

Clearly, I’m not going to tell you how all this plays out because you’ll want to find that out for yourselves. Suffice it to say that there is a way through if everyone is prepared to show a bit of flexibility and empathy.

The book ends after the story has ended with three or four pages of advice and hints about friendships – how to make them, keep them and enjoy them.

A word too for Luna Valentine who provided the excellent illustrations that are scattered through the text.

Available now and you will be able to get a copy from your local independent bookshop – who will be happy to order it for you if they don’t have it on their shelves.

 

Terry Potter

May 2026