Out of His League

by Pat Flynn

  “I will,” Ozzie said to himself. “I bloody well will.”

  acknowledgments

  I had a lot of “first” readers for this book: Amanda Rofe, Paul Baker, Mark Massingham, Liz Flynn, Catherine Flynn, and Yvonne Hoerner. Their useful feedback ensures there’s a part of each one in this story.

  I’m sure many of you would know that Anthony Eaton has a special talent when it comes to writing. He’s also a brilliant editor. I can’t thank him enough for the work he put into Out of His League, and I feel privileged to be on the receiving end of his gift for words and stories.

  Leonie Tyle managed the project with her usual aplomb. She finds just the right balance of positivity and constructive criticism—her editing skills are much appreciated. She made sure Ozzie’s story wasn’t rushed, once again putting an author and a book’s best interests in front of making a quick buck.

  Thanks also to Felicity McKenzie for her clear and accurate copyediting.

  Most of my research for this book took place in the early 1990s, as a student at the University of Texas at Austin. However, reading Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger gave me an important insight into what football means to a small town in West Texas. I suggest you read the book before you see the movie. The Australian Guide to American Football by Tony Morgan helped me remember what all those positional names, plays, and numbers actually mean.

  I received an Arts Queensland grant for this book, for which I’m most grateful.

  Thanks to Karen Brooks and Queensland Creative Industries for showcasing the book in New York, and Emily Easton and the team at Walker Books for Young Readers for giving it a new name and a new life.

  Copyright © 2006 by Pat Flynn

  First published in Australia in 2006 by University of Queensland Press Published in the United States of America in 2008 by

  Electronic edition published in October 2011

  Walker Publishing Company, Inc.

  Distributed to the trade by Macmillan

  All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages

  “People Get Ready”: Curtis Mayfield,

  reproduced by permission of Warner/Chappell Music

  “We Shall Overcome”: Traditional

  “Waltzing Matilda”: lyrics by A. B. Paterson

  For information about permission to reproduce selections from

  this book, write to Permissions, Walker & Company,

  175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  available upon request

  e-ISBN: 978-0-8027-2814-2 (ebook)

  Visit Walker & Company’s Web site at www.walkeryoungreaders.com