What does the history of sport look like if we start with the children? And what happens to the story of childhood when we enter it through the arena of sport?

In Child Stars, acclaimed writer and historian Gudmund Skjeldal uncovers a forgotten part of Norwegian history. The one where children balanced, performed and competed in the cities of the nineteenth century, long before organised youth sports existed. Through vivid storytelling and careful scholarship, he explores how play has never been just innocent fun, and how the modern idea of childhood was shaped by work, discipline and the desire to be useful.

Combining the precision of a historian with the reflection of an essayist, Skjeldal asks: do children really benefit from being organised ever earlier? And what happens to play when it becomes performance?

Engaging, thought-provoking and beautifully written, Child Stars sheds new light on how childhood, sport and society have shaped one another both then and now.