'Playful, obstinate and courageously humorous ... hilarious and later heartbreaking' Guardian 'Sweet, funny, highly inventive' Yorkshire Post The personal, funny and poignant tale of a young refugee, from acclaimed storyteller Benjamin Zephaniah Acclaimed performance poet and novelist Benjamin Zephaniah's honest, wry and poignant story of a young refugee left in London is of even more power and pertinence today than when it was first published. Life is not safe for Alem. His father is Ethopian, his mother Eritrean. Their countries are at war, and Alem is welcome in neither place. So Alem is excited to spend a holiday in London with his father - until he wakes up to find him gone. What seems like a betrayal is in fact an act of love, but now Alem is alone in a strange country, and he must forge his own path... ____________________ Brilliantly written and with a real ear for dialogue, fans of Angie Thomas and Malorie Blackman will love Benjamin Zephaniah's novels for young adult readers: Refugee Boy Face Gangsta Rap Teacher's Dead

The personal, funny and poignant tale of a young refugee, from acclaimed storyteller Benjamin Zephaniah

About the Author
A high-profile international author with an enormous breadth of appeal, Benjamin Zephaniah was perhaps best known for his performance poetry with a political edge for adults and ground-breaking performance poetry for children. Alongside his poetry he created novels and plays, wrote and performed music and had a recurring role as preacher Jeremiah Jesus in the BBC series Peaky Blinders. In his novels for young people, which include Face, Refugee Boy, Gangsta Rap and Teacher's Dead, Zephaniah tackled vital themes that resonate as much today as they did upon their first publication.

Reviews
The playful, obstinate and courageously humorous tone of Zephaniah's writing shines through ... hilarious and later heartbreaking * Alfred Hickling, Guardian on REFUGEE BOY *
Sweet, funny, highly inventive * Yorkshire Post on REFUGEE BOY *
Humour and innocence are both to the fore as is a sweetness of tone ... more street than poetic, and personal yet universal, Refugee Boy is well told by impassioned writer * York Press on REFUGEE BOY *
A brilliant first novel * Guardian on FACE *
A lively and positive account of a boy who is badly scarred in a joyriding crash, and how he comes to terms with it ... incredibly well told * Irish Times on FACE *
An impressive debut, carefully researched ... Zephaniah writes wonderfully natural dialogue with the same ease as he spins out rhyming couplets * Herald on FACE *
The authority with which the story is written leaves the reader no choice but to be drawn in - and indeed educated - into the world of gangsta rap, with all the appropriate vocabulary. Not for a long time have I read a book with such a 'pick me up again' factor * Independent on Sunday on GANGSTA RAP *
A fairytale of hip-hop success ... teens will enjoy the thrilling music fantasy, while many will identify with the smart, talented boys who grow up quickly and rescue themselves * Booklist on GANGSTA RAP *
Benjamin Zephaniah rides straight through everybody's taboos, everybody's prejudices, everybody's niceties and gets straight to the heart of the matter ... Strong, honest, democratic, accessible to all, Teacher's Dead comes highly recommended * The Bookbag's Jill Murphy on TEACHER'S DEAD *



Book Information
ISBN 9781408894996
Author Benjamin Zephaniah
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Bloomsbury Childrens Books
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 216g