Teacher's Dead Synopsis
For young people dealing with ideas in a post-truth world, Benjamin Zephaniah's story of violence, truth and the media is as powerful and pertinent as when it was first published.
A teacher is dead, murdered by two of his students in front of the whole school. Right in front of Jackson Jones. But Mr Joseph was a good man - people liked him, respected him. How could those boys stab him and jog away like nothing had happened? Unable to process what he has seen, Jackson begins his own investigation: everyone knows who did it, but as Jackson uncovers more about the boys, he becomes convinced that people need to understand why.
Brilliantly written and with a real ear for dialogue, fans of Angie Thomas and Malorie Blackman will love Benjamin Zephaniah's novels for young adult readers:
Refugee Boy
Face
Gangsta Rap
Teacher's Dead
About This Edition
ISBN: |
9781408895016 |
Publication date: |
11th January 2018 |
Author: |
Benjamin Zephaniah |
Publisher: |
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
Format: |
Paperback |
Pagination: |
224 pages |
Suitable For: |
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Other Genres: |
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Recommendations: |
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Benjamin Zephaniah Press Reviews
Praise for Teacher's Dead;
Benjamin Zephaniah rides straight through everybody's taboos, everybody's prejudices, everybody's niceties and gets straight to the heart of the matter ... Strong, honest, democratic, accessible to all, Teacher's Dead comes highly recommended The Bookbag's Jill Murphy
Praise for Face;
A brilliant first novel Guardian
A lively and positive account of a boy who is badly scarred in a joyriding crash, and how he comes to terms with it ... incredibly well told Irish Times
An impressive debut, carefully researched ... Zephaniah writes wonderfully natural dialogue with the same ease as he spins out rhyming couplets Herald
Praise for Refugee Boy;
The playful, obstinate and courageously humorous tone of Zephaniah's writing shines through ... hilarious and later heartbreaking Alfred Hickling, Guardian
Sweet, funny, highly inventive Yorkshire Post
Humour and innocence are both to the fore as is a sweetness of tone ... more street than poetic, and personal yet universal, Refugee Boy is well told by impassioned writer York Press
Praise for Gangsta Rap;
The authority with which the story is written leaves the reader no choice but to be drawn in - and indeed educated - into the world of gangsta rap, with all the appropriate vocabulary. Not for a long time have I read a book with such a 'pick me up again factor Independent on Sunday
A fairytale of hip-hop success ... teens will enjoy the thrilling music fantasy, while many will identify with the smart, talented boys who grow up quickly and rescue themselves Booklist
About Benjamin Zephaniah
Poet, novelist and playwright Benjamin Zephaniah (1958-2023) grew up in Jamaica and the Handsworth district of Birmingham, England, leaving school at 14. He moved to London in 1979 and published his first poetry collection, Pen Rhythm, in 1980.
Benjamin Zephaniah is an internationally renowned performance poet and acclaimed author of bestselling YA novels: Face, Gangsta Rap, Teacher's Dead, Refugee Boy and Terror Kid.
He was a Writer in Residence at the Africa Arts Collective in Liverpool and Creative Artist in Residence at Cambridge University, and was a candidate for the post of Professor of Poetry at Oxford University.
He was awarded an honorary doctorate in Arts and Humanities from the University of North London (1998), was made a Doctor of Letters by the University of Central England (1999).
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