The Comeback Kid

Paperback / ISBN-13: 9781869717186

Price: £7.99

ON SALE: 25th February 2027

Genre: Interest Age: From C 7 Years / Teenage)

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Charlie Boy might be just an ordinary kid, but he’s about to get into some EXTRA-ordinary trouble …
Get ready for this funny, fast-paced, friendship adventure with lots of kick.

Meet Charlie Boy: skinny, small, looks like a strand of spaghetti. He and his best friend, Rocky the Lower Hutt Chief, are good at getting into trouble together.

But when Charlie and Rocky get into a bit too much trouble, Charlie is sent to live with his dad in THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, and there’s not much to do in a small town … unless your dad happens to be a retired MMA fighter.

As Charlie learns the ins and outs of mixed-martial arts, he sees an opportunity to redeem himself – a martial arts tournament one that will declare the best fighter and the best fighting style, AND it has a prize of ONE MILLION DOLLARS.

Only it’s not easy to make a comeback, and there’s more to MMA than the fight. Charlie is about to find out just how far he’s willing to go to get to the top.

Bestselling author Airana Ngarewa’s children’s debut is full of action, friendship, and well-placed punches, with accompanying illustrations by Story Hemi-Morehouse.

Reviews

I loved it! The kids are just like me.
LOUIE, aged 9
An action packed page turner filled with aroha. Perfect for young people who like combat sports, and stories about characters who have to make tough choices.
DAVID RILEY, author of Freestyle: The Israel Adesanya Story
Charlie was so relatable. He has big feelings and a big heart - I could understand what that is like.
BAXTER, aged 11
Extremely inspiring to those sporty kids ... Yes, it is about fighting, but it is about doing it safely.
Louise Ward, Nine To Noon
I loved this book. The author kept the chapters short, and the words were fun to look at because printed in different shapes - this made it easier for me to read and enjoyable.
Jacob, aged 9, ADHD child
Fast-paced chapters rich in dialogue, and both urban and rural settings, it's going to be a great choice for a satisfying read.
CRISSI BLAIR, Children’s Librarian
I loved it! The kids are just like me.
Fast-paced chapters rich in dialogue, and both urban and rural settings, it's going to be a great choice for a satisfying read.
Charlie was so relatable. He has big feelings and a big heart - I could understand what that is like.
An action packed page turner filled with aroha. Perfect for young people who like combat sports, and stories about characters who have to make tough choices.
This was the first book in a long time my child kept wanting to read. I wasn't allowed to turn the light off at night-time.
SARAH, Teacher and mum of ADHD child
Extremely inspiring to those sporty kids ... Yes, it is about fighting, but it is about doing it safely.
Nine To Noon
I loved this book. The author kept the chapters short, and the words were fun to look at because printed in different shapes - this made it easier for me to read and enjoyable.
This was the first book in a long time my child kept wanting to read. I wasn't allowed to turn the light off at night-time.