Budi's going to be a star. He's going to play football, instead of sweating over each football boot he makes. But one unlucky kick brings his world crashing down. Now he owes the Dragon, the most dangerous man in Jakarta. Soon it’s not just Budi's dreams at stake, but his life. A story about dreaming big and not letting anything stand in your way.

Kick is the game-changing bestselling football adventure about chasing your dreams.

Winner of the Brandford Boase Award
Nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal
Shortlisted for over 20 regional book awards

All he can see is the football, waiting for one final kick.
It's now or never.

Budi wants to be a footballer. But instead of wearing the boots, he makes them in a factory and dreams of a better life.

Then one day when he's playing football in the street, an unlucky kick brings his world crashing down. Ordered to steal a pair of boots from the factory, Budi's dreams are on the line, and if he's caught his life will be as well.

A story about dreaming big and never letting anything stand in your way.

Praise for Mitch Johnson:

"A fantastically original debut that champions hope, dogged optimism in the face of adversity, and friendship." MG Leonard, author of Adventures on Trains

"A must-read." Tom Palmer, author of Football Academy

"To grow up with stories like these is the beginning of finding another world, lying at our feet." Khalid Abdalla, star of The Kite Runner

Details

ISBN13: 9781474928151
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 304
Edition:
Publication Date: 23 Oct 2017
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 19.7(H)x13.4(L)x2(W)250
Weight (gm): 250

Author Biography

After graduating from the University of East Anglia with an award-winning first class degree in English Literature with Creative Writing, Mitch completed Kick, his debut novel for middle grade readers. He was inspired to write it while working in a sports shop where he discovered a discarded, crumpled drinks sachet left in a shoebox between a brand-new pair of football boots. Mitch now works as a bookseller at Waterstones, Norwich, and writes in his spare time.

Reviews

A dazzling story of family, fate and football and one game-changing friendship. * Peter Bunzl, author of The Cogheart Adventures *
A fantastically original debut that champions hope, dogged optimism in the face of adversity, and friendship * M. G. Leonard, author of Beetle Boy *
skillfully written and perfectly paced. Mitch Johnston has produced a fantastically original debut that champions hope, dogged optimism in the face of adversity, and friendship. * M.G. Leonard, author of Beetle Boy *
A fast-paced, compelling read about so much more than the beautiful game. It's about the cost of friendship, about having to make agonisingly difficult choices and about keeping hope alive while life delivers some hard blows * Toppsta reader review *
A must-read for fans of Mal Peet. * Tom Palmer, author of Football Academy *