urn:lcp:face0000zeph_m5p6:epub:09891573-7c04-4ecc-9f1c-a2e239d91467 Foldoutcount 0 Identifier face0000zeph_m5p6 Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t9g54d48g Invoice 1652 Isbn 074754154X This was such a powerful middle grade novel. It dealt with some heavy themes, doing them justice though not overcomplicating it for the target audience. I gave this novel a ★★★☆☆ (3/5 stars) on Goodreads. The book is set in a fairly ethnically-diverse area of London and—before his accident—Martin is relatively prejudiced towards the majority of people who are different to him. As a white male, Martin had not really come across any level of adversity in his life until he was scarred, but after he finds life more challenging. His friends begin to drift away from him, his girlfriend leaves him and, generally, people start treating him differently because of the way he looks with the burns.

So it is rather to Martin's surprise, that he finds himself having a great time at a rap club. Leaving the club later, Martin is offered a ride home by someone he knows vaguely from school. He doesn't know the car is stolen though, and it isn't a ride home, it's a ride to self-destruction. In the inevitable accident Martin suffers terrible burns to his face. If you are looking for something grounded in reality which manages to perfectly balance issues around discrimination and prejudice towards appearance, race, culture, and personal interest, then this is a MUST read.

EYFS / KS1 English Teaching Resources

The Life And Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah". BBC Sounds. 30 April 2018 . Retrieved 12 February 2023. Collins, Tony (2008) " University honour for Doug Eliis Archived 22 July 2012 at archive.today", Birmingham Mail, 11 July 2008

FACE by Benjamin Zephaniah (The Play) | Teaching Resources". www.tes.com . Retrieved 29 April 2021.

As an adult reading this I guessed exactly what was going to be the major plot twist in the book by just reading the blurb, but any young human reading this wouldn’t even begin to think that a car crash would be the cause of Martin’s eventual facial deformities. This book Face written by Benjamin Zephaniah was published in 2004 by Bloomsbury USA, and this year has been given a new cover (as pictured below).I was sent this book from Bloomsbury publishing, so a huge thank you to them for making this post possible. Rodger, James (2 May 2018). "Benjamin Zephaniah admits to hitting ex-girlfriend". BirminghamLive . Retrieved 28 April 2021. Face by Benjamin Zephaniah was kindly sent to me by Bloomsbury Publishing in exchange for an honest review. I received the new cover of this book which will be released in March 2018. This post is NOT sponsored. Heyo Bookaholics!

In May 2011, Zephaniah accepted a year-long position as poet-in-residence at Keats House in Hampstead, London, his first residency role for more than ten years. Accepting the role, he commented: "I don't do residencies, but Keats is different. He's a one-off, and he has always been one of my favourite poets." [16] [17] Honorary Patrons". Vegansociety.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011 . Retrieved 10 May 2011. Martin seems to have it all. He’s cool, funny, and he’s the undisputed leader of the Gang of Three, who roam their East London estate during the holidays looking for fun. But one night after the Gang leave a late night rap club, Martin accepts a ride from Pete, a Raider’s Posse gang member. Too late, he realises that the car is stolen, and that the police are after them. It perfectly executes a change in character for Martin, who you go from having a distaste to, to supporting every step of his lifechanging journey. The pacing is excellent as well, with events naturally following on from one another - whilst never lingering on certain situations for too long. Constantly remaining engaging and new with each chapter. It’s just a little too shaky in places, and whilst there aren’t any overt mistakes in terms of grammar and punctuation, I did occasionally find myself being jerked out of the story when somebody behaved strangely or said something unusual. You could tell it was purely for the sake of advancing the moral. And then there was the part where Zephaniah said it was a Friday, and in the following scene it was “the next day” and still Friday, somehow.

Jamaica: Benjamin Zephaniah calls on Jamaicans everywhere to stand up against homophobia". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 3 September 2012 . Retrieved 12 October 2012. This book was set in England – or somewhere in an English town which had alot of distinct slang terms. With this being my 3rd reading of 'Face' (reading the book twice, and the play once), I still love this book and the message it teaches the reader. In May 2018, in an interview of BBC Radio Five Live, Zephaniah admitted that he had been violent to a former partner, confessing to having hit her. [59] During the admission, he said: Benjamin Zephaniah – Put the Number in Your Phone". Newham Monitoring Project. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012 . Retrieved 14 March 2012.