At school Chantelle is studying Great Expectations, but the expectations of all three friends depend not just on their own behaviour and efforts, but on others who hold lesser expectations of those without money or who are black. His arc was very interesting with him being cruelly exposed to how unfair life really is, and similarly to Chantelle I was hoping and praying he’d get off completely but yeah unfortunately not.

These three strong, yet vulnerable, young people from different walks of life were outstandingly characterised. Melvin Burgess, author of Junk 'One of the brightest up and coming stars of the YA world' Alex Wheatle, author of Crongton Knights WINNER OF THE YA BOOK PRIZE AND THE JHALAK CHILDREN'S AND YA PRIZE 2023. It’s also quite funny when there is just zero appearance of a heroic or even semi-good white person, from Jackson’s former crush, best friend from primary school to Chantel’s English teacher, literally how is it that everywhere you look there is a racist white stacked on a racist white. It resonates on what is happening now and gets you thinking on how the police deal with matters that are very close to home and what is currently in the news. There wasn’t a single fight he couldn’t win, and he had guaranteed that to Big Mama the first time he had signed her contract.Marc might have been my favourite POV, he was just a straight up legend who had realistic flaws, but u just had to root for him all the same. His family is well off, he has the privilege of growing up safe and unharmed from systematic racism until Shaq's stabbing opened his eyes to a new version of his world. I've been singing this song for years and along with this "vision" I've always thought his second verse about "lying in a burnt out basement" reminded me of "War of the Worlds" and hiding from the Martians. A young girl, Chantelle, with a younger sister, living with her gran who just wants her to make the best of her education and life, and with a heart so big, and a thirst to show herself for the intelligent young woman she is, despite being held back by so many. In any case this is a good 50's sci-fi flick and probably the first to use the "runaway to another planet" plot line.

As a teacher I found myself riled up by the character of Mrs Edwards, and it made me desperately sad that in so many ways society is still determined to place unnecessary barriers in the way of others. When three Black teenagers in Manchester find themselves the only helpers after a violent crime in brings them together in ways they didn't expect.

I always hope classy heroine Barbara Rush will scream in horror directly at the camera as she did later in It Came From Outer Space but no such luck in here. This year’s brilliant, varied shortlist is testament to that, and I could not be happier with the judges’ top choice. These are three very different teens, but they’ve all been exposed to their own trauma or struggles, they’re all at a key moment in their lives as they prepare for their GCSEs, and most importantly, they’ve all been affected by racism. I understand I can change my preference through my account settings or unsubscribe directly from any marketing communications at any time. In the days and weeks that follow, each of their lives are turned completely upside down and Chantelle, Jackson and Marc are left questioning the deep-rooted prejudice and racism that exists all around them.

Following a stabbing in the city centre, three young people, who would never have met or spoken to each other before, are pulled together in the aftermath. A powerful coming-of-age story about chance encounters, injustice and how the choices that we make can completely change our future. I was surprised to see that there was little hype to the book given that Danielle Jawando's debut book, "And The Stars Were Burning Brightly" created quite a buzz. An extraordinary novel about loss, understanding and the importance of speaking up when all you want to do is shut down.Set in Manchester, the novel revolves around the lives of three teenagers who begin a friendship after being witnesses to the murder of a 14 year old boy on the streets of the city they live in.

Make you tear up (if your heart is a tissue like mine 👀) and even maybe, open your eyes to the things you have been blinded from before.

The point is made right at the start that these are young people with heart and courage; after all, they are the only people who stop to offer help to the dying Shaq. Our resources are crucial for knowledge lovers everywhere—so if you find all these bits and bytes useful, please pitch in. This made me feel right at home, because I enjoy creative writing very much, and it was so amazing to get constructive criticism and feedback from a real author. Alabanza’s None of the Above and Jawando’s When Our Worlds Collided were announced as winners at a ceremony in London on Thursday.