"Laugh-out-loud funny, warm, with emotional depth – this tremendous debut novel is not to be missed"
Winner of The Branford Boase Award 2024 | Shortlisted for the Children's & YA Jhalak Prize 2024 | May 2023 Debut of the Month
MC Growls (or Shaun to his mum) has his eyes set on fame and fortune, he’s going to win Raptology, establish himself as a top rapper and get the girl. There’s just one problem…he’s not very good. Cue lots of hilarity in this incredible debut novel.
When he accidently goes viral for all the wrong reasons, Growl’s is left a laugh stock. His dreams of stardom quickly fading. But a new friend and a lot of spirit might just launch the comeback of the year.
Not only is this laugh-out-loud funny, it’s also a uniquely warm and clever funny that is so rare to find. The writing style embraces the use of modern slang, and feels fresh, current, and alive. There are no obvious, yet stale jokes here, instead we delight in witty and inventive wordplay that makes every page an absolute pleasure. Yet it’s not all gags and laughs, behind the humour Lessore masterfully and honestly covers a range of difficult subjects, including young carers, poverty, bullying and mental health problems. This is done with the gentlest of touches, never shirking from the truth but never dwelling in the darkness either. Giving the novel an emotional depth and impressive balance.
MC Growls is the realest of teenage boy characters – warm, caring, a bit inept with girls and charmingly naïve. The perfect antidote to toxic masculinity and talk of “alpha males”. Likewise, the friends and family surrounding him leap from the page and feel very real. Just like in real life, the characters in Steady For This are all dealing with their own issues, often with care, humour and resilience.
This is a refreshing, modern triumph of a novel that I can’t recommend enough.
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Meet MC Growls, Wannabe Rapper and star of the show in this hilarious and heartwarming teen debut.
Yeah they call me Growls, I'm like a tiger on the prowl. King of jungles so you better take a bow. King of concrete so you better say it loud! Shaun (aka MC Growls) is ready to drop his best bars and smash the competition at Raptology. That way, he's convinced Tanisha, his crush, will finally give him a chance. But when a livestream practice goes epically wrong, Growls's dirty laundry is literally exposed. He's finally achieved his dreams of going viral - not in the good way.
Now Tanisha won't look at him, he's the joke of the school and there's no way he can show his face at the competition. Will he ever catch a break? Then a new girl on the block appears who might be just the friend Growls needs. Especially when she points out that Raptology could be the answer to his problems after all. . . STEP UP TO THE MIC!
It's MC Growls and he's ready for this. He's steady for this. It's comeback season and they call him comeback king for a reason. A hilarious debut from breakout star Nathanael Lessore, perfect for teen readers of Alex Wheatle and Jason Reynolds.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Steady For This and determined it is suitable for children aged 11-14 years old
Steady For This features in the following genres: Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Featured Books for 13+ readers, Funny, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Romance / Relationship Stories, School Stories, Star Books, Featured Books for 11+ readers
Steady For This is available in Paperback
Steady For This was written by Nathanael Lessore and published by Hot Key Books
Steady For This has 257 pages
£8.09
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