book cover

A Change Is Gonna Come

by Catherine Johnson and Irfan Master

Interest age: 12 to 15
Reading age: 12+

Published by Little Tiger, 2017

  • Coming-of-age
  • Fantasy
  • Historical
  • Love and romance
  • Poetry and rhyme
  • Dystopia

About this book

From the tale of a dystopian prison camp in Brighton to a Harry Potter fan trying to keep her compulsions a secret; from an historical circus member finding their place to friends growing apart and a grief-stricken young person discovering their heritage, A Change Is Gonna Come is a must-have anthology full of gripping entries.

Featuring poems and stories from 12 black, Asian and minority ethnic authors – including four previously unpublished writers – this absorbing book offers refreshing perspectives and thought-provoking questions about the meaning of change that will hit home with everyone.

One thing's for sure – it's never boring. Try to pace yourself and read just one of the stories, and you'll soon discover you've accidentally raced through the entire selection.

Luckily, thanks to the huge variety on offer and the tales' humour, emotional punches to the gut, and moments that force you to stop in your tracks, this collection definitely bears re-reading. It's a book to savour.

About the author

Catherine Johnson, of Jamaican-Welsh heritage, grew up in north London. She has written over 20 novels for young readers. Her most recent historical novels were nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Sawbones won the Young Quills Award for best historical fiction for 12+, and The Curious Tale of The Lady Caraboo was nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and the YA Book Prize.

She has also written for TV including Rough Crossings for BBC2 with Simon Schama and popular continuing drama Holby City on BBC1. Her film work includes the award-winning Bullet Boy (2004), and her radio play, Fresh Berries, was shortlisted for the Prix Italia.

Catherine has been a Writer in Residence at Holloway Prison, a Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at the London Institute and has mentored writers for the British Council. She lives in Hastings.

About the author

Irfan Master is the critically acclaimed author of Out of Heart, which was longlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal for Children and the UKLA Book Award 2018. His first novel, A Beautiful Lie, was shortlisted for the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize, the Branford Boase Award for debut authors and was featured on the USBBY Outstanding International Book Honour List. He has made numerous contributions to published anthologies including a short story for A Change Is Gonna Come (2017), an award-winning anthology of short stories and poetry for young adults written by authors from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. Of Gujarati heritage, Irfan is based in south-east London.

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