StoryBox Hub is teaming up with the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) once again for the 2026 National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) – alongside a very special guest who’ll bring this year’s story to life.

We’re thrilled to announce our 2026 NSS reader is none other than the brilliant Elise Kellond Knight, former midfielder with the Matildas and international football superstar! Elise enjoyed an incredible career that spanned multiple FIFA Women’s World Cups, FIFA World Cup All Stars Team Selections, and two Olympic Games, taking to the field over 100 times before retiring from international football in 2024. She is now a consultant and football commentator, and remains one of the most respected figures in Australian women’s sport today. We’re delighted to welcome Elise to the Hub, reading Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller, written by Adam Jackson and Adrian Lloyd and illustrated by Jake A. Minton.

Elise couldn’t have been a more qualified choice for the gripping underdog tale of Luna finding her inner strength, since the book might have been plucked from the pages of the Matildas own story! As Elise said,

“This book reminds me of every game I’ve played – you’re always the underdog! But in particular, there was one game at the 2019 World Cup where we needed to beat Brazil to go through to the next round. And it’s called the ‘Miracle of Montpellier’. The Matildas were losing two-nil at half time – and we actually came back and won that game three-two. So I think I can really relate to Luna Roo in this story and what we felt in that game.”

Our team were so excited to work with Elise. Our Senior Producer, Shona Van Lieshout, said that “as soon as Luna Roo was announced, we knew we wanted someone special to read it, and finding a Matildas player was the perfect fit.” And having previously filmed at AAMI Park with Matildas past goalkeeper Lydia Williams reading her own book, Goal!, it was the perfect location to return to, that also happened to be one of Elise’s favourite spots in Melbourne.

But filming days don’t always go to plan – especially in Melbourne, where our unpredictable weather often makes an appearance! Severe thunderstorm and heavy rain slowed Elise’s shoot a little, but with the fantastic support of the AAMI Park team, who switched on the stadium lights and helped set up the football nets between showers, the story of rookie captain Luna Roo leading FC Outback in a thrilling face-off against Bush United eventually made it into the can.

National Simultaneous Storytime is Australia’s biggest collective reading event, with over 2.2 million participants joining from more than 16,600 locations across the country in 2025. Last year’s NSS story, The Truck Cat, was one of our most-watched stories on the Hub – a wonderful endorsement of our SBH mission of bringing people together through the  joy of shared reading.

Stay tuned for more NSS news and behind-the-scenes peeks coming soon. And don’t forget to register to participate and join StoryBox Hub and Elise as we cheer for Luna Roo!