I’m just in absolute awe of this debut. The story, the characters, everything falls into place in the most satisfying, devastating, real and wonderful way. There’s heart in every last sentence, wisdom, encouragement, emotion but most of all hope. Fantastic, would recommend for children and adults alike — maybe get the tissues ready though.

A truly exciting debut by a very gifted writer. I laughed and I cried - a powerful story about the developing world and the human spirit skilfully navigated with sensitivity, compassion and honesty. A compelling read for older children and adults alike.

A brilliant story told against the backdrop of the clothing industry in Indonesia. Young Budi dreams big in a world where there are no dreams - just the everyday nightmare of living below the poverty line. But there is plenty of hope here - and Budi has plenty of good influences to see him through a difficult problem...

The shame of 21st Century life was never better exposed than is this excellent and entertaining tale by my colleague Mitch Johnson. I recommend it to all.

Budi is 11 and trains with his friends to be a professional football player like his hero Kieran Wakefield who plays for Real Madrid. Well, that is he trains when he isn't working in the factory making uppers for the shoes Kieran Wakefield wears. Budi tries to work hard and fast to avoid the rotan the foreman swings. In his family is a strain of haemophilia that makes it hard to stop the blood flowing if he gets hurt. 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. Budi's best friend Rochy, went to school before his father died, now he works at the factory alongside Budi, his sisters seek out food and things to sell at the rubbish dump and his mother struggles to leave the room they manage to rent. Together they watch the matches on his cracked television late at night. 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? There aren't many books for children aged 9+ about the Indonesian islands and I found the Grandmothers' stories that mixed the old time and now nostalgic and interesting. Makes for an insightful read and may be a little violent for the more sensitive child as has a reference to backstreet girls and has a gunfight towards the end.