Kick is the game-changing bestselling debut that invited readers to dream big.

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



Mitch Johnson studied English Literature with Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. Mitch now works as a bookseller at Waterstones, Norwich, and writes in his spare time. Kick, Mitch's debut novel, won the 2018 Branford Boase Award, as well as garnering shortlistings for numerous regional awards including the Sheffield Children's Book Award and the Teach Primary Book Awards. Mitch loves reading and, like Budi, is a big football fan (although his chances of turning professional are considerably slimmer).