Kicked Out

Review
By Booklist

Readers return to the world of Boy, Everywhere (2021) in Dassu’s stand-alone follow-up, which follows Ali, a Year Eight Pakistani British student, who teams up with his friends to organize a charity soccer match when their friend Aadam is threatened with deportation instead of asylum. When their newly rich friend’s mom starts dating a racist bully, Aadam’s situation becomes more precarious, and the boys have to figure out not only how to pull off this fundraiser, with the help of a local Premiership star, but also how to handle a community that is not welcoming to boys with brown skin. While the pacing sometimes feels a bit erratic, the tidy plot threads tying everything up and lots of reflection on how we let our past impact—or not impact—our future make this tale of boyhood friendship and caring for your community perfect for reluctant readers who want satisfying resolutions, a lot of playing with friends, and relatable characters who provide new insights into the lived experiences of immigrants and refugees.