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Running My Own Race

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Book Synopsis

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?

Our Review Panel says...

Kofi’s mum wants him to be ‘somebody’ – she has come to believe that because he’s black, he needs the best education to compete in the real world, and so she makes him do the exams to win a scholarship to a prestigious private school.

Kofi is successful and wins the scholarship, and his mum is overjoyed – in fact, the whole community is proud of him and keeps telling him so. Others keep telling him how fortunate he is, but the problem is he doesn’t feel very lucky – he didn’t want this, and now he just feels pressure from all around. The one good thing about his new school is the athletics club – the coach has spotted his potential, and he has a good chance of competing in the London Schools’ Championships. But Kofi’s mum doesn’t approve of him running (she wants him to focus on his studies), and the school bully will do anything to ruin his chances because he doesn’t want Kofi to outshine him. Kofi’s best friend says that he needs to start standing up for himself, but that’s easier said than done.

Running My Own Race is a book about learning to find your path and having the courage to speak up for what you want. With themes of sports, resilience and prejudice, the book is best suited to lower KS3 or mature KS2 readers. It is an engaging yet easy read from start to finish and will inspire young readers to stand up for what they want and to follow their dreams.