SuitabookAchievement and ambition
El Gato grows from a poor logger’s son into a World Cup-winning goalkeeper described as almost unbeatable.
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Book details
Mal Peet - Author
A football-centred mystery about talent, ambition and storytelling. El Gato’s rise from a logger’s family to international success is framed by an interview and the unsettling presence of the mysterious Keeper.
An extraordinary novel, winner of the Branford Boase Award and the Bronze Nestle Children's Book Prize.Paul Faustino, South America's top sports writer, sits opposite the man they call El Gato – the Cat – the world's greatest goalkeeper. On the table between them stands the World Cup... In the hours that follow, El Gato tells his incredible story – how he, a poor logger's son, learns to become a World Cup-winning goalkeeper so good he is almost unbeatable. And the most remarkable part of this story is the man who teaches him – the mysterious Keeper, who haunts a football pitch at the heart of the claustrophobic forest...
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Sign in for personalised guidanceA football-centred mystery about talent, ambition and storytelling. El Gato’s rise from a logger’s family to international success is framed by an interview and the unsettling presence of the mysterious Keeper.
El Gato grows from a poor logger’s son into a World Cup-winning goalkeeper described as almost unbeatable.
A mysterious figure known as the Keeper teaches El Gato on a football pitch in the forest.
Sports writer Paul Faustino listens as El Gato tells the story of his rise, with the World Cup on the table between them.
The story may merit a little attention if a reader dislikes eerie or unresolved elements, or if sporting competition feels emotionally intense.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: the current material supports only a cautious reading; another book-specific source is still needed.
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