SuitabookBelonging and friendship
Timmy has no friends, then people want to be friends after he performs successfully on the football field.
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Book details
Sally Gardner - Author
This is a short magical football story centred on loneliness, family support and social change. Its central tension comes from Timmy being treated differently before and after demonstrating an unusual ability.
Book Brief
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Sign in for personalised guidanceThis is a short magical football story centred on loneliness, family support and social change. Its central tension comes from Timmy being treated differently before and after demonstrating an unusual ability.
Timmy has no friends, then people want to be friends after he performs successfully on the football field.
Timmy is described as chubby, bullied at school and miserable, while May helps him and Gramps get into shape.
Gramps tells Timmy about a footballing great-uncle; May provides fitness help; Timmy discovers magical ability in his toes.
The treatment of Timmy’s body, school bullying and sudden social acceptance may deserve attention. The available outline does not show how the bullying is challenged or whether acceptance lasts.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: some draft conclusions still depend on unresolved evidence.
The boy with the lightning feet by Sally Gardner | Open Library
Limited information
Checked: 22 September 2026.
The Boy with the Lightning Feet - Sally Gardner - Google Books
Limited information
Checked: 22 September 2026.
Anything not established here remains open; it is not being treated as absent or safe.