Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2011. Highly Commended for the Teenage Book Prize 2010. An edgy and contemporary thriller about the life changing dangers of knife crime – and that’s just for the witness. When Ty tells the police what he has seen, his life is changed forever. His enemies are ruthless and will stop at nothing to prevent Ty from testifying.
Given a new look, new names and a new past, Ty and his mother make a fresh start. But forgetting Ty and remembering to be Joe is hard. Ty tells his story of familiar teenage experiences – school friendships, bullying, falling in love – against a terrifying background in which letting out the secret could mean the end.
How Joe survives and grows and, in particular, how he befriends the lonely Claire whose self-harming is an equally important secret, is touching.
This is definitely a novel for 14+ and not younger.
Now there's a sequel to When I Was Joe. Click here to find out more.
Titles shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2011:
When Ty witnesses the knife murder of another boy he identifies some very dangerous people and the police put him and his mother into hiding in a witness protection scheme. While they are packing, a petrol bomb is thrown through the front door of their flat, highlighting the extreme danger they face. Over the coming months, Ty becomes Joe, is given a new look and starts at a new school. To his surprise, he finds he is attracting the attention of the girls in his class, and the boys find his need to conceal his real identity cool - being Joe is not so bad. His ability as a runner is spotted and he starts training under a college student, a wheelchair user who is a Paralympics contender, but this special treatment attracts resentment. Somehow Joe keeps drawing attention to himself despite his efforts to remain anonymous. Then his beloved grandmother back in London is badly injured in an attack designed to flush Ty out of hiding and demonstrates the relentless determination to silence him.This wonderfully gripping and intelligent novel movingly depicts Ty/Joe's confusing sense of identity in extreme danger - a remarkable debut from a great new writing talent.
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When Ty witnesses the knife murder of another boy he identifies some very dangerous people and the police put him and his mother into hiding in a witness protection scheme. While they are packing, a petrol bomb is thrown through the front door of their flat, highlighting the extreme danger they face.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed When I Was Joe and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-14 years old
When I Was Joe features in the following genres: Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Recommended Children's eBooks, Featured Books for 13+ readers
Ebook, Paperback. Not Available.
When I Was Joe was written by Keren David and published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books
When I Was Joe has 364 pages