On the Come Up
by Angie Thomas
Interest age: 12 to 18
Reading age: 12+
Published by Walker Books, 2019
About this book
This is the story of 16-year-old Bri, an aspiring rapper, daughter of a murdered father, living in a tough American neighbourhood. At school, she’s been defined as "trouble" and her mum (a former drug addict) is struggling to pay the bills after losing her job. Life is tough and when Bri records her first rap full of anger and guns, it goes viral for all the wrong reasons. How can Bri be a success as well as really true to herself, her friends and her family?
This is Angie Thomas’s second novel, coming hot on the heels of the multi-award-winning The Hate U Give. On the Come Up is a classic in the making, an inspiring coming-of-age story that gets right to the heart of what it means to overcome life’s obstacles and the struggle not to become what everyone expects you to be.
This is a really exciting, thought-provoking and brilliantly written story that will be enjoyed by teenagers from all backgrounds.
Note: There is strong language and some sexual references, though it is completely within context and appropriate for the nature of the book.
More books like this
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The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas
11 to 14 years
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Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy
by Angie Thomas
9 to 14 years
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Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveller
by Amelia Tait
11 to 14 years
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Boy vs Reality
by James Fox
9 to 14 years
Lists of recommended reads
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BookTrust Represents: Teen
BookTrust Represents is our programme created to promote children’s authors and illustrators of colour. Books play an important role as mirrors for children: these stories and characters will affect how they see themselves and the world around them, their motivation to read, and their aspirations to become authors and illustrators of the future. However, finding books that truly reflect the diversity of families in the UK is challenging. Over the past 11 years, fewer than 2% of all authors and/or illustrators of children's books published in the UK were British people of colour. As part of the project we have put together this booklist highlighting some of our favourite teen/ya books by authors and illustrators of colour.