A Crongton Story: Crongton Knights

Description

Winner of the Guardian Children Fiction’s Prize 2016
Shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2017

WELCOME TO CRONGTON, WHERE YOUR LOYALTY AND WITS WILL BE TESTED …

Living on the South Crongton council estate has its worries – and life for McKay has been even tougher since his mum died.

His dad has been working all hours to keep the bailiffs from their door.

His brother is always out riding the streets at night, tempting trouble.

And now, having strayed off his turf on a ‘heroic’ (if misguided) mission to help out a girl, McKay finds himself facing a friend’s crazy ex-boyfriend, some power-tripping hood-rats and a notoriously violent gangster with a vendetta which hits too close to home.

Poor McKay. He never asked for trouble . . . But during one madcap night of adventure and danger, he will find out who his true friends are, what it means to stick with your family and that, sometimes, the lessons learned the hard way are the ones you’ll never forget.

‘… powerful writing by an author with great talent and great heart.’ David Almond

Alex Wheatle is the author of several acclaimed novels, many of them inspired by experiences from his childhood. He was born in Brixton to Jamaican parents, and spent most of his childhood in a Surrey children’s home. Following a short stint in prison following the Brixton uprising of 1981, he wrote poems and lyrics and became known as the Brixtonbard. Alex has been shortlisted for numerous awards including the Carnegie Medal and the YA Book Prize. He won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award and was awarded an MBE for services to literature in 2008.[This] will soon be on school reading lists and examination syllabuses everywhere, as it has “classic” singing from every page … A joyous shout of youthful exuberance … Wheatle’s Twain-like command of patois never falters … Enriching and life-affirming … A total gem for any age.—IndependentI love this book. It’s elegant, authentic and humane. It hums with the beat of real life and the language sings from the page. This is mature, powerful writing by an author with great talent and great heart.—David Almond, Guardian Children's Fiction Prize judgeBrilliant, tough, heartbreaking read.—Tanya Landman, author of Buffalo Soldier, Carnegie medal winnerA fast-paced, funny ride.—MetroHopeful, warm and, above all, funny—Guardian, Picks of the Year 2016Wheatle’s writing is poetic, rhythmic and unique, remaking the English language with tremendous verve. Though Crongton is his invention, it resonates with many urban situations, not only in Britain but around the world. Crongton Knights is a major novel from a major voice in British children’s literature.—SF SaidWritten in an energetic, rhythmic vernacular, Alex Wheatle’s award-winning Liccle Bit and Crongton Knights were funny, profane, well-observed accounts of life on an urban estate—Sunday Times

Additional information

Series	Crongton
Imprint	Hachette Children's
Format	General Trade
ISBN-13	09781444974782
ISBN-10	1444974785
Author	Alex Wheatle
Audience	Teenage
BISAC	YAF058030, YAF058020
Subjects	YAF058030, YAF058020