120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Come visit us this weekend!πŸš€ Auckland Bookstore β€’ Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

The Comeback Kid

By Airana Ngarewa
Series: Charlie Boy
0.0 (0 reviews)
Brief Description
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... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$1799
Elsewhere:
$1999
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

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 himselfβ€”a martial arts tournament 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.

Series: Charlie Boy

View all
  • New Release
    The Comeback Kid
    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...
    By Airana Ngarewa
    Paperback
    $1799
    Elsewhere:
    $1999
    In Stock
    Ships today

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781869717186

Publisher: Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 25 August 2026

Country: New Zealand

Imprint: Little Moa

Illustration: Integrated black and white images

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Weight: 300g

Pages: 192

Collections

Airana Ngarewa Best Sellers at Book Hero Children's Books Children's Fiction Children’s, Teenage and Educational In Stock Books In stock Children's Books In Stock Kid's Books New Release Books New Release Children's Books New Zealand and Australia Published New Zealand Children's Books New Zealand Published Series: Charlie Boy Young Adult

About the Author

Airana Ngarewa (Author)

Airana Ngarewa (Ngati Ruanui, Nga Rauru, Ngaruahine) was born and raised in Taranaki. He is a schoolteacher and a former professional cage fighter.

His debut novel The Bone Tree, published in 2023, was the number-one bestselling work of fiction in Aotearoa New Zealand for 11 weeks. His second book, Patea Boys, was published in 2024 and is uniquely designed to be read one way in English and the other in te Reo Maori.

Also by Airana Ngarewa

View all
  • The Last Living Cannibal
    Muru is not revenge. Muru is about balance. You put your hands on one of theirs and they had every right to take from you and yours whatever they meant to take, short of a life. Aotearoa in the 1940s, and the Maori men of Taranaki have refused to join the Maori battalion because of the severity of their land...
    By Airana Ngarewa
    Paperback
    $8800
    (1)
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • Pātea Boys
    From the bestselling author of The Bone Tree comes a lively and playful bilingual collection of stories about growing up in Patea. Interlinked and full of recurring characters, these stories are about growing up in small-town Aotearoaβ€”sneaking away during cross country, doing bombs while the lifeguard isn't looking, peeling spuds on the marae, crashing a car at age four, and...
    By Airana Ngarewa
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Bone Tree
    A story of two brothers, born and raised in the shadow of Taranaki Maunga, from major new literary talent and No. 1 bestselling author Airana Ngarewa. Kauri and Black's mum has been gone six months now. Their dad is barely holding on and the threat of child services taking Black looms large. Kauri won't let that happen, and so he...
    By Airana Ngarewa
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today

More from Children's Books

View all
  • New Release
    Gruffalo Granny
    The brand new Gruffalo picture book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, "Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay." Return to the deep dark wood with the first new Gruffalo story in over 20 years, and meet Gruffalo Granny as she visits the Gruffalo family. This fresh and exciting new Gruffalo adventure...
    By Julia Donaldson
    Hardback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Wahine
    New Release
    Wahine
    From a majestic mermaid to a clay woman, the creator of glaciers to the mother of gardening, discover powerful wahine and how their stories shaped the world around us. Wahine introduces readers to twelve purakau of brave, bold, and inspiring women of Aotearoa. A beautifully illustrated collection that will delight the whole whanau, from award-winning illustrator Isobel Joy Te Aho-White....
    By Isobel Joy Te Aho-White
    Hardback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Sweet As Looky Book
    New Release
    The Sweet As Looky Book
    Can you find all the chocolate fish? Is it possible for kiwi to fly? Can you spot the difference? See Aotearoa New Zealand through the eyes of award-winning artist Donovan Bixley in The Sweet As Looky Book. Use your finest skills to seek out pirates in the Bay of Islands and birds in Rakiura Stewart Island. Get in a car...
    By Donovan Bixley
    Hardback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Day of the Dinosaur Disaster
    Angry anacondas, blizzarding blobs, carnivorous cactuses ... what kind of twisted curse will Glam-Evil think up this time?!Only it's not just Glam-Evil's curse the gang needs to worry about; they've got a few other problems, too. Swooping Pteranodons, a hungry T-Rex, a missing mother, and ... is that ... an ASTEROID?!Join MILES AND JONES as they face their biggest challenge...
    By Sam Smith
    Paperback
    $1400
    Elsewhere:
    $1499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Neverfear
    A world of richly-imagined wonder Cressida Cowell It’s the Midsummer Feast on the Islet of Glimt and on this magical moonlit evening, the word on everyone’s lips is bandits. Reports of masked men burning villages are spreading throughout the Archipelago, but worse is still to come: Christopher and Anya are ambushed and one of the people they love most is...
    By Katherine Rundell
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Mari the Unwonderful Witch
    A charming, cosy and thought-provoking tale about a wonderfully unconventional little witch, by bestselling author of BUTTER, Asako Yuzuki. Perfect for fans of WICKED, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, and THE HATMAKERS series by Tamzin Merchant - and anyone who likes an enchanting adventure with just a hint of mischief. Mari the Unwonderful Witch introduces us to Mari, an eleven-year-old witch who...
    By Asako Yuzuki
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Animalia 40th Anniversary Edition
    A beautiful, foiled collector's edition to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Graeme Base's classic and bestselling Australian picture book, Animalia. Embark on a fantastical alphabetic adventure where each turn of the page unveils a rich tapestry of intricate illustrations tied to a unique letter of the alphabet. More than 5 million copies sold worldwide Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA)...
    By Graeme Base
    Hardback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Comeback Kid
    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...
    By Airana Ngarewa
    Paperback
    $1799
    Elsewhere:
    $1999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Millie from Milford
    New Release
    Millie from Milford
    Based on the true story of Ruth Shaw and her husband Lance looking after a baby seal that had been shot between the eyes. Millie from Milford lives in Milford Sound, the number one tourist destination in Aotearoa New Zealand. After Millie was checked by a vet, she was taken to Ruth and Lance's home to be looked after until...
    By Ruth Shaw
    Paperback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Case of the Tall Stranger: Violet and the Velvets 4
    New Release
    The Case of the Tall Stranger: Violet and the Velvets 4
    But disaster strikes when guitarist Jack breaks his wrist and can no longer play. On top of that, all their hard work fundraising has fallen short! When help comes from unexpected channels, the Velvets make it to the Big Apple just in time to compete against the best kid bands in the whole world, including their new rivals the Blazer...
    By Rachael King
    Paperback
    $1600
    Elsewhere:
    $1899
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Pocket Observology
    New Release
    Pocket Observology
    Pocket Observology is a practical field guide designed for those who love to explore and understand the natural world around them. Slip this guide out of your pocket to identify, measure, compare, or find clues to the things you encounter every day in nature. This pocket guide is a useful tool and a fun reminder of how to engage with...
    By Giselle Clarkson
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Minecraft Annual 2027
    New Release
    Minecraft Annual 2027
    The official Minecraft Annual 2027, full of updates, builds, activities, and more! Discover all there is to know about the past year of Minecraft in this exciting annual. Stuffed to the brim with updates, activities, step-by-step builds, and tips and tricks for the game, this book is a must-have for any minecrafter. This year’s annual includes: Mob guides on happy...
    By Mojang AB
    Hardback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

Children's Books lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all