Running My Own Race
As seen:
By Abena Eyeson
avg rating
4 reviews
Kofi’s mum is determined he’s going to be ‘somebody’. But when Kofi is given a place at a prestigious private school because of his athletic ability, everything changes. Kofi dreams of being a professional athlete – but he soon finds following your heart isn’t an easy road.
Under pressure from his mum to make the most of his academic opportunity, his best friend who doesn’t want him to change, his community to make them proud, and a rival who will do anything to make sure Kofi doesn’t outshine him – Kofi isn’t sure where to turn.
Can Kofi find a way to follow his own path?
TweetReviews
A fantastic read for UKS2. It would be a great book to read out loud as there are lots of themes to discuss - fitting in, bullying, following your dreams.
Highly recommended
Running My Own Race by Abena Eyeson is an inspiring story about a young boy finding confidence and self-belief through running. It explores themes of resilience, identity, and determination, showing how challenges can be overcome with perseverance and support. The book highlights the importance of staying true to yourself and pushing forward, no matter what obstacles appear.
What a fantastic book from a debut author. A wonderful middle grade that tackles racism and bullying as part of a story full of believable events and well written characters
📚 Running My Own Race 📚
By @lookingup_ab
Published by @nosycrow 2025
This is an incredible coming of age story. Ideal for those children transitioning from Y6-Y7.
Kofi has earnt a scholarship to his local private school; something that just doesn't happen to children in his area. But when Kobi arrives in September, things just don't go to plan. He is the only black child at school, everyone avoids him and a bully starts to pick on him.
Kofi experiences isolation, loneliness, racism and bullying in his new school. Whilst contending with all of this, he also has to hide his love for athletics from his mum. Kofi knows that his mum would be disappointed if he put his energy into running rather than academics.
Will Kofi learn to adapt to his new surroundings? Will Kofi stand up for himself and defeat the bully? Will he get his mum to understand his dream?
I'm always extremely skeptical of a story with sport as a key focus as they can become formulaic and you predict the ending way to quickly. But this book is so far beyond all of that! The story throws up really interesting questions about the class system that is still rife in the UK and how the representation at private schools is virtually non-existent. Racism is tackled head on here and the author has not shied away from giving the brutal reality faced by many young black people in the UK.
The family dynamic is fascinating. Kofi's mum clearly wants the best for him, but watching her come to understand his love of athletics is beautiful.
I shed a few tears at the end of this story! Definitely one to read this summer and to share with your Y6 classes in particular.
#readingrockssubscription #runningmyownrace #booksforyear5 #booksforyear6 #sportbooksforkids #sportsthemedstoriesforkids
