- Chapter Books
- Ages 9–12
- Contemporary
Kick
A gripping, big-hearted football story about a boy in a Jakarta sweatshop who dreams of glory while stitching the boots the rest of the world plays in. A page-turner that quietly opens children's eyes to global injustice.
- Best for9–12
- FormatChapter
- Length294 pp
- Read aloud~4 hr10 min
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
Tone
- Exciting
- Thought provoking
- Suspenseful
- Warm
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Budi lives in Jakarta and spends his days stitching football boots in a factory, dreaming of one day playing for the greatest team on earth instead of sweating over the shoes other people will wear. He idolises the stars whose games he watches on a battered TV, and football is the bright thread running through a hard life. But one unlucky kick sends a ball through a window and shatters everything, leaving Budi owing a debt to the Dragon, the most dangerous man in the city. Mitch Johnson's Branford Boase Award-winning debut is a fast, tense, genuinely thrilling story that never lets its message get in the way of the adventure. Endorsed by Amnesty International for its portrayal of children's rights, it turns the reader's love of the beautiful game into a way of seeing the hidden lives behind it, without ever preaching. Warm, funny in places and full of heart, it is superb for confident 9-12 readers and a rich stimulus for class discussion.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
A best fit for confident readers of about 9-12 reading independently, and a strong class read-aloud from 8-11. The subject matter, poverty and exploitation, gives it real emotional weight, so it suits children ready for a story with substance.
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- Best fit · 9–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 9–12
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
None
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reluctant readers
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: poverty or hardship, violence.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
2 / 5 · Mild
Best for
- Football fans
- Social justice
- Class reads
- Reluctant readers
Avoid if
- Wants light cosy only
- Sensitive to hardship
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Budi's love of football is instantly recognisable, and the story races along as one bad kick tips him into real danger. Kids root for an underdog who is brave, funny and up against a genuinely frightening enemy in the Dragon.
- Proving yourself
- The underdog winning
- Surviving danger
Why parents love it
Mitch Johnson wraps a serious subject, the hidden labour behind the things we buy, inside a genuinely exciting adventure. It sparks conversation about fairness and privilege without lecturing, and it hooks readers who think they don't like 'issue' books.
- Conversation starter
- Great writing
- Educational for adult too
About the author
Mitch Johnson.
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