King of Nothing
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Mar 10, 2026
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A hilarious and heartwarming young YA comedy about an unlikely connection between two very different teen boys as they grapple with crushes, toxic friendships, and the true meaning of masculinity.
Anton Charles and his friends are the kings of the school, and they rule with an iron fist, intimidating classmates and maintaining a reputation built on fear.
But at home, Mum reigns supreme, and after one too many detentions, she cuts off Anton’s internet and decides it’s time for a serious change. She signs him up for the Happy Campers, a local activity group, and Anton’s worst nightmare becomes a reality: Matthew, the school’s biggest dork, is in it too.
Anton can’t imagine anything worse than spending weekends sewing and singing campfire songs with Matthew and his band of geeks—how will he ever keep his reputation intact if anyone finds out? But after Matthew unexpectedly saves Anton’s life, everything changes.
As the boys strike up an unlikely friendship, Anton finds himself questioning everything he thought was true. Maybe there’s more to life than what his friends think of him? Maybe it’s time to rethink what being a "man" really means?
And maybe there are some things more important than being king.
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.
