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Face

By: Benjamin Zephaniah
Narrated by: Ben Bailey Smith
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Bloomsbury presents Face by Benjamin Zephaniah, read by Ben Bailey Smith.

'A brilliant first novel' Guardian

In the moving and compelling debut novel from Benjamin Zephaniah, a young man's life is completely changed when his face is badly scarred in a car accident.

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.

What happens next will change Martin's life and looks, and show him the true meaning of strength, courage, discrimination and friendship.

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©1999 Benjamin Zephaniah (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Coming of Age Growing Up & Facts of Life Literature & Fiction Vehicles & Transportation Discrimination Funny
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Critic reviews

A brilliant first novel
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
An impressive debut, carefully researched ... Zephaniah writes wonderfully natural dialogue with the same ease as he spins out rhyming couplets
The playful, obstinate and courageously humorous tone of Zephaniah's writing shines through ... hilarious and later heartbreaking
Sweet, funny, highly inventive
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
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
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
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
All stars
Most relevant
I read this originally as a child, again as a teen for high school and this is my first listen as an adult.

The story is incredibly powerful and having read/listened at different stages of my life I can appreciate the nuances of the story as I age.

Such a powerful story by Zephaniah

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Absolutely fantastic story line which mirroring true life events. very well narrated. Highly recommended!

Excellent 5*

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as a mentally ill teen, this book is a beautiful listen. it has really given me something to relate to even if my struggles aren't as outward and martins

I love this book

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A great story with a lot of hope and positivity in the face of great difficulty. It captured the teen experience really well and will be very educational to my students, who are growing up and maybe facing similar situations.

Inspirational story, can’t wait to teach this to my pupils.

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This is a great book for exploring identity and character analysis/ development. The performance by Ben Bailey Smith is fantastic, and really brings the characters to life. I am using this audio book alongside reading with my year 7 class, and it has really helped to speed the reading process, without having to miss key chapters which we would usually have to do.

Great for students!

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