Description
Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2018 Nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2018 Longlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2018 In three years I will be able to vote and I will still have less power than I did at the moment that I saw that email, which was such a tiny thing but look what happened. Fifteen-year-old Alena never really knew her political activist mother, who died when she was a baby. She has grown up with her older half-brother Danny and his boyfriend Nick in the east end of London. Now the area is threatened by a bomber who has been leaving explosive devices in supermarkets. It is only a matter of time before a bomb goes off. Against this increasingly fearful backdrop, Alena seeks to discover more about her past, while Danny takes a job working for a controversial politician. As her family life implodes, and the threat to Londoners mounts, Alena starts getting into trouble. Then she does something truly rebellious. A searing, heartbreaking coming-of-age tale for fans of Lisa Williamson, Jenny Downham and Sarah Crossan.
Trade Review"A thought-provoking, richly layered YA novel about politics, love, grief and coming of age." -- Imogen Russell Williams * Guardian *
"Wonderfully individual and heartbreakingly real" -- starred review * Kirkus *
"A touching, truthful depiction of an unconventional family life... written before London’s current summer of discontent but captures the effect of a constant climate of unease on young people and the permanently anxious adults who care for them." -- Geraldine Brennan * Observer *
"A clever, thoughtful novel with a wonderfully realistic main character" -- Sarah Webb * Irish Independent *
"It’s refreshing to see a contemporary YA novel that focuses so much on family and politics and allows its heroine to escape the narrative without a boyfriend in tow" -- Claire Hennessy * Irish Times *
"A sparky and timely coming-of-age tale about politics, activism & morality" * Katherine Woodfine *
"Family tensions and uncertainty are contrasted against the current political situation in this excellent novel" -- Marilyn Brocklehurst * Guardian, The Best New Children's Books supplement *
"I loved it, so much so that as soon as I finished I started reading it again. Completely brilliant" -- Keren David, author of Salvage
"I couldn’t put Troublemakers down. It's a real page-turner, with utterly believable characters who are all trying to do their best. Barter is a fresh, exciting new voice, and I can’t wait to see what she does next." -- Susin Nielsen
"I think it's really brilliant and I absolutely loved it – the voice is terrific. I hope it's loved as much as Jenny Downham's Unbecoming." -- Aoife Walsh, author of Too Close To Home
"One of the most woke YA novels EVER and will quickly make you question your own political knowledge and outspokenness" * Maximum Pop! Books *
"Politics and the personal combine in a thoughtful, well-told and moving story" -- Andrea Reece * Lovereading4Kids *
