


Turns out, no one can be trusted that there’s more than one cat in this hideous game. The mounting tension is powerfully palpable, as is the embedded racism Devon and Chiamaka are subjected to - it runs deeper and wider than they (or readers) can possibly anticipate. While there are shocks aplenty (of the rare, ingeniously interwoven variety), the story is compellingly complex, with finely considered character exposition, and no simplified, clear-cut dichotomies drawn between who we can trust, and who should be top of our suspect list. And so a cruel cat-and-mouse game unfolds - two mice trapped in a destructive nightmare and a malicious cat motivated by racism, with homophobia weaponised too. Devon (Von to his proud, hardworking Ma) can’t wear his hair in twists or cornrows here, and Chiamaka, of Nigerian and Italian heritage, feels compelled to hide her natural hair, and has adopted a “kill or be killed” stance - to achieve the success she’s set on, Chiamaka knows she’ll have to be tougher than tough.ĭevon and Chiamaka are sent reeling when an anonymous texter, Aces, starts revealing their deepest, darkest secrets, and it doesn’t take much to realise why they’re being targeted - the colour of their skin. It has an all-white student population, except for our two principle characters - musician and scholarship student Devon, and privileged aspiring Yale alumnus Chiamaka. The action centres around an elite high school in the white part of town. An incisively subversive, edge-of-your-seat thriller that takes the genre to jaw-droppingly unexpected extremes as it exposes horrific, deep-rooted institutionalised racism. Announcing the Children's and Young Adult Jhalak Prize Shortlistįaridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s Ace of Spades is an explosively exceptional debut.Empathy Day steps up a gear as it returns for its seventh year – at a time of great need.20+ Brilliant Books Featuring Unforgettable Deaf or Hard of Hearing Characters for Deaf Awareness Week.Celebrate King Charles III and his Coronation with these Majestic Children's Books.New imprint, Pineapple Lane, launches with seven Ukrainian picture books.Sally Anne Garland and The Art of the Every Day.Fit for a King and May Day Madness! Topical themes to inspire aspiring young writers.The year’s outstanding debut authors for children: shortlist for the 2023 Branford Boase Award announced.Anxiety & Wellbeing - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health.Jacqueline Wilson - our Guest Editor of the Month.Branford Boase 2023 – what the judges had to say about the shortlist.Read Hour returns for its third year in the UK with Moomin Characters.In its 20th year, the shortlist for CLiPPA (CLPE Children’s Poetry Award) reflects the wealth of talent in children’s poetry.13 Children's Books Featuring Poverty and Homelessness.
