Tag: YA Contemporary

‘King of Nothing’ by Nathanael Lessore

Rebecca RouillardLeave a comment

An author’s second novel is always a tricky proposition, particularly when their debut has been widely celebrated and shortlisted for the Carnegie medal. But I am pleased to report that ‘King of Nothing’ is just as funny, heartwarming and authentic as ‘Steady for This’. 

Anton is not a particularly likeable character at first. He is a self-proclaimed ‘King’ of Year 9 and, together with his group of friends, he intimidates the rest of the pupils and staff of their school. Anton’s scary reputation is boosted by the fact that his Dad is in prison and he’ll do anything to maintain that reputation, apart from going up against his mum – particularly as she controls the wifi code. So when Anton gets into trouble at school, his Mum drafts him into her community project and a local group called the ‘Happy Campers’ which includes Matthew who has been relentlessly bullied by Anton and his friends. But after Matthew saves his life, they make a deal. If Matthew never talks to him in public, Anton will help Matthew win over his crush, Fernanda. 

But as Anton starts to spend more time with Matthew and less time with his other friends, he finds that he begins to like himself more and feel more hopeful about his future. But when his dad is released from prison, Anton’s loyalty is pulled in a different direction.

‘King of Nothing’ is a fantastic portrayal of the toxic masculinity culture so many teenage boys are exposed to these days through YouTubers like Andrew Tate, and it clearly explores Anton’s thought process as he becomes disillusioned with the ideas his dad and his friends are expressing – particularly with regards to women and relationships.

If it sounds a little worthy, the style is not like that at all. Anton’s interactions with Matthew are particularly hilarious, and the jokes make the book a lot more engaging than the gritty subject matter would suggest. 

By the end of the book Anton had thoroughly won me over – I almost liked him as much as the delightfully whimsical Matthew. Another captivating read from Nathanael Lessore – perfect for the tricky ‘teen’ age category. Loved it!

‘The Boy You Always Wanted’ by Michelle Quach

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Francine’s grandfather is dying but his final regret is that he has no male heir to continue the tradition of honouring the ancestors when he is dead. Francine doesn’t agree with his outdated ideas but she will do everything to make him happy, including asking Ollie, a family friend, for help – her first crush and the boy who broke her heart. 

Francine is a great character – she doesn’t really mind what people think about her, or say about her but she will do anything to help the people she cares about and her lack of social skills definitely seems coded as neurodivergent. Ollie’s perspective of Francine shows how he goes from being embarrassed to be seen with her, and incredulous at her ridiculous plan to offer him as substitute male heir, to admiring her self-confidence, her focus and her drive and being inspired to be a better person because of her. 

The romance aspect is charming but this book is also much more than this. It is also about families and in particular the clash between the older and younger generations of immigrant families (Chinese Vietnamese in this case) – about honouring different cultural beliefs while also having the courage to stand up for yourself in the face of outdated ideals. 

‘The Boy You Always Wanted’ is beautifully written with a cast of finely-drawn characters and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ll definitely be recommending this one in the library.

Thanks to Usborne for the ARC.

‘Just Like Everyone Else’ by Sarah Hagger-Holt

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Thirteen-year-old Aiden has four younger sisters, embarrassing parents and a noisy overcrowded house, and he just feels the need to escape sometimes. Fell running is Aiden’s passion, a passion he shares with his aunt who is planning on running the London Marathon.

When Aiden’s mum tells him that she is going to be a pregnancy surrogate for a gay couple, Justin and Atif, Aiden is mortified. He wishes his family would just be more like everyone else. And with Justin and Atif spending more time with the family, he is worried that someone will work out his biggest secret – that he thinks he might be gay too. 

‘Just Like Everyone Else’ is a wonderfully sensitive and authentic exploration of a young teenager coming to terms with his own identity. Sarah Hagger-Holt is brilliant at writing clear and sensible explanations of complicated situations and creating empathy for everyone involved, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen surrogacy represented in a teen book before. Aiden’s warm and supportive relationship with his best friend Jack is particularly well-drawn. 

A thoroughly engaging and informative read about friends, family and growing up. Loved it!

‘Quiet Storm’ by Kimberly Whittam

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When Storm starts Year 7 at Daisy Mill Academy, all her teachers expect her to be as confident and proactive as her older brother, Isaiah – the Head Boy. But Storm isn’t like Isaiah. Storm is quiet – she hates having to speak aloud in class in front of the other children and will do anything to avoid being the centre of attention. 

When Storm is selected for the school athletics team, she’s excited to have finally found something she is good at but she’s not sure she will have the courage to participate unless her best friend, Zarrish, goes with her. But Zarrish is distracted by a new girl at school, Melissa, who is determined to belittle Storm at every opportunity. Storm has to find her voice and learn to stand up for herself.

I was the quiet kid at school and dealt with the mind-numbing frustration of knowing exactly what I should’ve said, but not being able to get the words out in the moment. (And people endlessly asking that annoying question: “Why are you so quiet?”) So it was fantastic to see the ‘quiet one’ represented in this moving and empowering novel. 

I particularly appreciated the fact that even though Storm has to speak out, she is not suddenly miraculously cured of her shyness, her new friends accept her as she is and tell her that she needs to be proud of who she is.

I can tell that the author works in a secondary school, the school vibes are pitch perfect and her adult characters are as relatable and well-rounded as her children/teenagers. (I LOVE that Storm’s Mum has a roller-skating club!) I particularly enjoyed the empathetic portrayal of Ryan – the kid who always gets into trouble, but there are hidden circumstances behind his behaviour.

‘Quiet Storm’ is a wonderfully warm, relatable and engaging story that is bound to be a comfort and inspiration to other quiet children or anyone who is struggling to fit in during those early years of secondary school. This is also a perfect transition read that I would recommend for both upper KS2 as well as KS3.

‘Bad Influence’ by Tamsin Winter

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Thirteen-year-old Amelia Bright is incredibly intelligent and determined – she’s a star baseball player, an eloquent debater and a gifted cellist. But there’s one thing Amelia is not good at – popularity. It all started in Year 7 when a boy mocked her for her pale skin and called her ‘Maggot’ and the name stuck. When new boy, Evan, joins her baseball team he doesn’t know about her social status and it seems that he likes her. If Amelia can just prevent him from finding out about the ‘maggot’ thing, perhaps he will ask her to be his girlfriend and then all the popular kids will miraculously forget all the horrible things they used to say about her. 

But Amelia discovered something worse than being called a ‘Maggot’ when she makes a mistake and her picture gets shared online with the whole school. 

Tamsin Winter is brilliant at exploring the social pressures facing young teenagers and the issue of sexting and sharing nudes is increasingly affecting teens of all ages. This book is also an insightful look into the way that parents and teachers often don’t know how to react to this issue and can get it wrong. Sharing what has happened to her with adults is obviously the first and very important step, but Amelia also has to advocate for herself and come to terms with what has happened. 

‘Bad Influence’ is a humorous and empowering read about the realities of being a teenager in today’s world of social media – essential reading for young teens. Definitely one I’ll be recommending in the school library!