The Girl with the Red Boots

Name: The Girl with the Red Boots
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)

by Alex Wheatle

Interest age: 12 to 14
Reading age: 8+

Published by Hodder Children’s Books, 2025

Around the world

About this book

14-year-old Kadeen Best is on her way home from school in Old Harbour, Jamaica, when she and her friends hear a gunshot. Suddenly, a car races towards them, and Kadeen catches sight of the driver’s face – and a gun on the passenger seat.

Tragically, it’s her beloved older brother, Edson, who’s been killed. When it’s clear the shooter is connected to criminal gangs, Kadeen must go into hiding – in England, with her strict aunt.

As she contends with her grief, and a new home in Brixton, in the cold, Kadeen returns to playing football to bring joy back into her life. But will her sporting talent bring her unwanted attention from the killer’s international connections?

Alex Wheatle’s final novel before his untimely death is a brilliantly written, gripping read. Despite the themes of gun violence and grief, this is a positive story of taking back control of a life that’s been irrevocably changed.

Kadeen experiences many familiar situations, such as starting at a new school, making new friends, joining a football team, and staying in touch with divorced parents. Alex Wheatle captures contemporary teenage life perfectly, snappy dialogue included. This would be an excellent read for early secondary school students.

Note: there are a couple of swear words.

About the author

Born in 1963 to Jamaican parents, Wheatle grew up in Brixton, South London. At 16 he was a founder member of the Crucial Rocker sound system; his DJ name was Yardman Irie. He wrote lyrics about everyday Brixton life. By 1980 Wheatle was living in a social services hostel in Brixton, South London, and he participated in the 1981 Brixton riots and aftermath. While serving his resulting sentence he read authors such as Chester Himes, Richard Wright, C. L. R. James and John Steinbeck. He claims that a Rastafarian was his cellmate, and he was the one who encouraged Wheatle to start reading books and care about his education.

He received the London Arts Board New Writers Award in 1999 for his debut novel Brixton Rock, which was later adapted for the stage and performed at the Young Vic in July 2010. Wheatle turned to writing for teenagers in 2015 with Liccle Bit the first of his South Crongton series of books.

Watch our interview with Alex Wheatle

Win a set of signed books by Alex Wheatle