To make the book better, I would keep all the plotline and keep all the themes but just make the STYLE of the book a bit more adult! I won't be spoiling anything but it does get very intense and very deeply emotional (some very nasty stuff happens! The poorly paid labourers, the uncomfortable working conditions, the tyrannical foreman with his rotan, the punishments, the blood, the sweat, the tears. The read focuses on showcasing the life of Budi who works in a football show factory and dreams of playing football professionally professionally. This debut comes out this month in September; it is a book primarily for teenagers (though this is fairly compatible with a certain type of adult reader!

This is a story about young boys trying to make a better life for themselves whilst the harsh realities of their situation are constantly trying to smother their dreams.As a reader, you are carried through the book by a real compassion for Budi and also the author’s humour, which acts as light-hearted relief in the story and doesn’t distract from the matter in hand. He and his friends work in a shoe factory where they are beaten if they fail to fill their daily quota. This is a story about big dreams, perseverance, tolerance and never letting anything bring you down.

The story draws you in and helps to increase empathy and understanding of child labor, and issues in the developing world. But within this bleak reality I could sense a story that needed to be told, a story of family and friendship and football. I found this book to be really eye-opening and could provide children with insight into what life might be like for children in other parts of the world. He’s going to be a star, instead of sweating over each football boot he makes, each stitch he sews, each box he packages. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes football as it is not only about football but also about how children working in a poorer country are treated.

The adjectives had me enthralled and at one point when the story was at it's peak, I felt as if I was really there. The writing style in this is, most of the time, quite plain: it is very compatible with children between the ages of 12-15 maybe and there is something in the writing style which reminded me a lot of how YA books are written, in general. He knows that one day he will get the opportunity to go the watch his heroes play, and possibly play alongside them. Overall I loved this book, the literary devices, characters and use of language were all great, but for me, there was just too much happening sometimes.

and it follows a boy named Budi in who lives in Indonesia with his parents and his paternal grandmother; the family are very poor and they cannot afford to send Budi to school so he works in a factory which makes football boots for professional players. He's going to be a star, instead of sweating over each football boot he makes, each stitch he sews, each box he packages. I rooted for Budi through the entire story, hoping that he would get his big break into the footballing world but the reality is that only a tiny percentage of dreamers get that opportunity. Budi sendiri sudah putus sekolah, karena dia harus membantu keluarganya mencari uang sebagai buruh jahit di pabrik sepatu.I think everyone should read this whether you like football or not, because it is such an important story, tackling real issues, but so full of heart and hope. The trouble with being a dreamer is that occasionally you’ll have nightmares – you’ve just got to make sure they don’t ever spook you enough to want to wake up. Overall, this was an enjoyable book with merit and once again, thank you to my wonderful librarian for sending me this book.

For readers 12+ the characters and writing style may feel quite immature on one level, but they will better understand some of the themes, which may well complement their secondary school syllabuses in a very accessible form. I think Johnson tries to cover it up with comparisons to football but as an adult reading this, I can see past it. Mengingat terjemahannya begitu mengalir, walaupun ada beberapa yang terkesan masih dipaksakan, terutama dalam dialog Budi dan teman-temannya. The first few chapters of this story focus on Budi's life as a factory worker living in a poor district of Jakarta.His grandmother often tells Budi stories in the evening and one of the stories features a boy who lives on an island with a very tall coconut tree. By doing so, the theme of football will grab the attention of many readers and gives a tangible way into the more complex strands of narrative.