Wild East

<p><b>Nominated for the 2025 Carnegie Medal for Writing and longlisted for the 2025 Branford Boase Award.</b><br><br><b><i>Heartfelt and up-to-the-minute...A reminder that even short lines can take you a long way – The Sunday Times.</i><br><br>The soaring debut YA verse-novel by Ashley Hickson-Lovence, perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds, Manjeet Mann, and Dean Atta.</b><br><br><b><i>Pen in one hand, on my wrist, a ticking clock</i><br><i>I''ve got to make this work, just need a little luck...</i></b><br><br>When fourteen-year-old Ronny’s life is struck by tragedy, his mum decides it’s finally time they move out of London.<br><br>In his new city, as a Black teenager in a mostly white school, Ronny feels like a complete outsider and struggles to balance keeping his head down with his ambition of becoming a rapper.<br><br>But when a local poet comes into class, Ronny discovers a world he’s never considered before. Rap is like spoken word, bars equal poetry – and maybe the combination of both could be the key to achieving his dreams?<br><br>This empowering verse novel announces the arrival of an exciting new talent in YA fiction –<b> Waterstones.com</b><br><br><b>Praise for <i>Wild East</i>:</b><br><br>A powerful story of resilience, friendship, discovery and growth <b>- Jeffrey Boakye, author <i>of Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer</i></b><br><br>An amazing tale of self-reflection, acceptance, and achieving your greatest aspirations -<b> screenrant.com</b><br><br>Welcomes all types of readers...Hickson-Lovence has crafted a superb piece<b> - DD Armstrong, author of <i>Ugly Dogs Don''t Cry</i><br><br>Readers say:</b><br><br>"Although a YA novel, this is a book I think everyone should read."<br><br>"Wild East is an outstanding piece of work."</p>