Abena Eyeson on Running My Own Race and empowering contemporary novels for kids

We’re thrilled to welcome Abena Eyeson, author of Running My Own Race, to the blog this week. Her inspiring middle grade debut, which we've shared with our Cockatoo subscribers this month, follows Kofi, a boy with big dreams of becoming a professional athlete, who finds himself caught between his mother’s high academic expectations, his community’s hopes, and his own determination to chase what he loves most—running. With warmth, honesty, and heart, Abena explores themes of identity, resilience, and the courage it takes to carve out your own path. In this conversation, she shares the spark that led to Kofi’s story, the lessons at the heart of the novel, and her hopes for young readers who will see themselves in Kofi’s journey.

What inspired you to write Running My Own Race?

The idea for this story came to me unexpectedly in the middle of the first lockdown for Covid. On that particular day, as my kids were having a break from homeschooling outside in the garden, I decided to do some laundry. As I came down the stairs with a basket of dirty laundry, the phrase “Kofi loves running” popped into my head. The idea gave me a jolt of excitement.  I hurried to type it down on my laptop but as I was rushing, I made a typo and typed “Kofi lives running”.  I could suddenly picture his family and his relationship with them.  I could see the challenges he had to overcome.  I knew I wanted to write his story.    

I believe in people making the most of their talent, regardless of what it is. But often kids are encouraged to only see certain careers as being worth pursuing. In this story, I wanted to explore Kofi dealing with the difficulties he faces as he pursues his dream of becoming a professional sprinter and not giving up, even though things get hard.   I hope this story is entertaining but also makes the reader think. 

Are the story or characters inspired by real people or events?

No, they are not based on real people or events.  I tend not to use real people in my writing because I like creating characters.

What would you say is the most important thing Kofi learns?

He learns to speak up and stand his ground and be a bit less of a people pleaser.  In doing that, he gains confidence and believes more in himself.

What would you like young readers to take away from the book?

I hope this book will encourage children to believe in their dreams and have the courage to pursue them in spite of the obstacles in their way.  The freedom to be your authentic self is something that all children should have, and I hope Kofi’s story will help Black British children know that their dreams are just as important and worth fighting for.

I want my book to also encourage empathy, affirmation and a sense of commonality. 

Can you tell us anything about what the future holds for Kofi, his family and friends?

Beyond this novel, the future of Kofi, his family and friends is yet unwritten.  The new novel that I am writing is centred around a new character, who I hope readers will also find engaging.

Do you have a favourite place to write?

I mostly write at home, sometimes in the study which is full of my family’s books, but often I work in my dining room as it’s bigger and more comfortable.

Why did you choose to write books for this age group?

My children inspired me to start creating stories.  Most of the books they were reading at primary school didn’t have characters that looked like them in it. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to see if I could create fiction for children that had Black main characters and found that I really enjoyed doing it. That’s when the dream to become a published author was born.

Which other books for kids with real world settings that explore similar themes would you recommend our subscribers read next?

For readers who enjoy Running My Own Race, I’d recommend  Ghost by Jason Reynolds and Quiet Storm by Kimberly Whittam, which are both empowering contemporary novels for young readers.

Copies of our Running My Own Race pack, including a copy of the book and loads of fun activities to go with it, are now available for individual purchase. Grab a copy while stocks last!

This post includes affiliate links to our bookshop.org page, meaning we receive a small percentage of the sale should you purchase through them. Additionally, a percentage from all sales on the platform goes directly to local UK bookshops which is an initiative we're delighted to support!