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Eye-opening, moving look at the world of a young sweatshop worker and dreamer
Budi is like any young boy - he plays football with his friends whenever he can, watches matches, dreams about going to the matches of his favourite teams. But Budi is also a boy who makes football boots. He works in a Jakartan sweatshop, working long hours and for little pay.
His family barely manages to feed itself, their whole community is poverty-stricken, and the book shows us the conditions families like Budi's live in. It's quite shocking, though never graphic enough to upset primary-aged readers.
There is a story about Budi's family - his uncle, grandma and father that shows the underbelly of crime that takes root in any society - but for me the scenes I remember will be those in the factory as Budi sweats over his work, with a supervisor watching his every stitch, the boy knowing he could never afford to buy and wear a pair of the very things he is making for westerners.
This book would make an excellent discussion topic for classes, looking at children in other cultures, poverty, exploitation, and even natural disasters. The link to football as a way out of poverty, both literally and in helping someone to dream themselves to a better place, is well-used in Budi, who knows how hard life can be.
It's a positive read, and while it may not be a 'happy ever after' ending, it does end with hope and the prospect of better tomorrows.
For readers aged 9 and over.
This will capture the attention of football-mad readers
Budi is like any young boy - he plays football with his friends whenever he can, watches matches, dreams about going to the matches of his favourite teams. But Budi is also a boy who makes football boots. He works in a Jakartan sweatshop, working long hours and for little pay.
His family barely manages to feed itself, their whole community is poverty-stricken, and the book shows us the conditions families like Budi's live in. It's quite shocking, though never graphic enough to upset primary-aged readers.
There is a story about Budi's family - his uncle, grandma and father that shows the underbelly of crime that takes root in any society - but for me the scenes I remember will be those in the factory as Budi sweats over his work, with a supervisor watching his every stitch, the boy knowing he could never afford to buy and wear a pair of the very things he is making for westerners.
This book would make an excellent discussion topic for classes, looking at children in other cultures, poverty, exploitation, and even natural disasters. The link to football as a way out of poverty, both literally and in helping someone to dream themselves to a better place, is well-used in Budi, who knows how hard life can be.
It's a positive read, and while it may not be a 'happy ever after' ending, it does end with hope and the prospect of better tomorrows.
For readers aged 9 and over.
This will capture the attention of football-mad readers