Kick

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Whilst 'training' with his friends, his football crashes through a window of The Dragon's house, in trouble and with nowhere to go he follows one of the Dragon's brothers into the house where he is tasked with theft or finding his family out on the street and struggling to survive. Well, that is he trains when he isn't working in the factory making uppers for the shoes Kieran Wakefield wears. He's going to play for the greatest team on earth, rather than in the square behind the factory where he works.

However, I would encourage those unfamiliar children (as well as the familiar children) to pick up this book to read. We've been considering whether to put this into our Year 6 spine to support a topic on "Global Trade" and have made the decision that it's too good a book to miss.This first part of the novel could have been tightened up and then the tension would have continued through to the gripping finale. The read focuses on showcasing the life of Budi who works in a football show factory and dreams of playing football professionally professionally.

Buddi is a really optimistic character, so despite the hardships that he has in his day-to-day life and the emotional journey that this story follows, the general tone of this book is light-hearted and uplifting. How do you feel about exposing younger readers to difficult issues, such as the human rights abuses that many children in the world endure? The harsh divide between rich and poor is examined sensitively in this moving book about one child’s struggles that are, unfortunately, a fact of life for many. In fact, Budi knows that on Fridays he won't get anything to eat for dinner, until his father is paid next.Moreover, it was emotional, compelling and brilliantly portrayed the life of someone who has a life less fortunate than most of us, but without othering him, and while offering the reader an easy way to relate to him (particularly for younger readers- it is a fantastic book that will teach them about another culture while offering an easy way into the narrative). We learn more about the activities of the Dragon and in particular a plot to traffic people to the West that Budi becomes embroiled in. The book begins and we also meet his friend Rochy who is, like Budi, a massive fan of football and there is a lot of focus in here on their mutual dreams and their connection of friendship through this shared love of football.

Without spoiling, this inspirational book can be used to teach children that nothing is impossible even when it feels like it might be. A necessary lesson for everyone about the realities of football kit manufacturing and the discrepancy between the heroes that make the products and the heroes that get to wear them on the biggest stages around the globe. I gave it three out of five stars and I was very pleased about that because when I picked it up, I honestly thought it was going to get two stars so I'm glad I actually ended up enjoying it. Fearing the faint tremor of an earthquake and the crack in his ceiling surely getting bigger, with time ticking will Budi be able to make things right? Unluckily for Budi, he crosses paths with the Dragon one day when he accidentally kicks a ball through the window of the Dragon’s apartment.But within this bleak reality I could sense a story that needed to be told, a story of family and friendship and football. However, forgetting about the target audience and doing my job as a book reviewer, I would certainly say that the merits of this book are so much higher than that cover.