Shortlisted for this year’s Telegraph Children’s Sports Book of the Year, and co-authored with David Brayley, it has been a hit with readers. The first in a planned series of stories featuring schoolboy rugby player Jimmy Joseph, Chasing a Rugby Dream is loosely based on Hook’s own journey to rugby stardom. In the same way he used to spot a gap in opposition defences as a player, it appears he has also identified a gap in the market for rugby fiction.
He has previously described the creation of the book in detail – which you can read here – and underlined some of its positive themes: “We wanted to make it a nice story, but realistic too. Young children might look at international players on TV and think it’s a straight line to the top. The truth is that it takes a lot of hard work. You’ll have people saying you can’t do this or that, and you’ll get bumps in the road. But if you put in that hard work then you can get there and prove them wrong.”
Hook, who is now Ospreys Academy and skills coach and Swansea University attack coach, will be joined at the signing by Swansea author Brayley. “After all the issues around lockdown, it’s going to be a great opportunity to see and chat with fans about the book and rugby in general,” said Hook. “I’m really excited about it.”
Copies of Chasing a Rugby Dream: Book One can be purchased in-store, or online here.
