King of Nothing
The hilarious and heartwarming Waterstones and Carnegie prize-winning teen comedy from Sunday Times bestseller!
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
WINNER OF THE WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE FOR OLDER READERS 2025
WINNER OF THE SHADOWERS' CHOICE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR WRITING 2025
WINNER OF THE JHALAK CHILDREN'S & YOUNG ADULT PRIZE 2025
SHORTLISTED FOR AMAZON BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024
From the award-winning author of Steady For This comes a hilarious and heartwarming new teen comedy!
'Confirms [Nathanael Lessore] as a major new name in writing for teenagers' - Observer
ANTON AND HIS FRIENDS ARE THE KINGS OF YEAR 9.
They're used to ruling the school and Anton wears the crown. The other kids run away when he's about but that's the way he wants it - he's got a reputation to live up to after all.
So when he gets into serious trouble at school, he doesn't really care, but his mum most definitely does. She decides it's time for Anton to make some new friends and join the Happy Campers, a local activity group. Anton would quite literally rather do anything else, especially when he finds out Matthew, the biggest loser in school, is also a member.
But after Matthew unexpectedly saves Anton's life, Anton figures maybe this kid is worth a shot. Teaching him some game is the least Anton can do to repay the debt.
As the boys strike up an unlikely friendship, Anton finds himself questioning everything he thought was important. Does he want ruling the school to be his crowning glory or should he set his sights on better things?
Perfect for teen readers of Alex Wheatle, Jason Reynolds and Patrice Lawrence.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A high schooler grapples with conflicting ideologies on "how to be a man, a real man" in this empathetic novel by Lessore (Dropping Beats). Black 14-year-old Anton and his friends are at the top of the food chain at his South London school. Because of his father's incarceration for physical assault charges five years ago, Anton's classmates assume he's tough, an assumption he perpetuates with help from his friends, with whom he routinely disrupts class, picks fights, and bullies other students. When, after one too many detentions, Anton's mother enrolls him in a volunteer organization, Anton is paired with Matthew, the one classmate spared from Anton's torment, and the only person who never cracked jokes about his dad. As the boys grow closer, though, Anton's friends—claiming Matthew has made him soft—present an ultimatum: drop Matthew, or become the group's next target. Anton's father's release from prison complicates things further. As he navigates sometimes heavy experiences informed by the pressure of toxic masculinity, Anton's charismatic and comedic first-person narration details his reluctant friendship with Matthew, whose open vulnerability and willingness to connect with others models for Anton a previously unknown example of moving through the world. Ages 12–up.
