Orangeboy: Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Older Children, winner of the YA Book Prize

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Marlon promised his mother that he would have nothing to do with drugs, but when he falls under Sonya’s spell, keeping that promise suddenly becomes a lot more difficult.

Orangeboy - ReadingZone Orangeboy - ReadingZone

WINNER OF THE WATERSTONES CHILDREN’S BOOK PRIZE FOR OLDER READERS, SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD AND THE YA BOOK PRIZE This is a book that explores the meaning of family, friendship and loyalty. And it does so with intelligence and sensitivity. Not cool enough, not clever enough, not street enough for anyone to notice me. I was the kid people looked straight through. Not any more. Not since Mr Orange.”

Aside from some scenes at the beginning of the novel, romance is mostly absent from the story and I enjoyed this hugely. It was refreshing to see another YA book (This Savage Song, I'm looking at you) with little romantic interaction and I'm a fan of novels that don't feel the need to include it at all. If a book foregoes romance to focus instead on strong friendships - which was exactly what Orangeboy did - and explores these friendships in detail, chances are I'm going to be 100% on board. One of the main friendships in Orangeboy could have easily become a romantic relationship, but I'm so glad it didn't because that could have undermined the friendship itself. When well-fed (0-30% Hunger), the Orange Boy will start producing some items at a specific rate, most commonly a pile of Poop. At 50% Happiness and beyond, it may produce the Chitin Chunk. At 80% Happiness and beyond, there is a 30% chance it will lay the Strange Egg, which can be deconstructed for materials or used to hatch another Orange Boy. Sixteen year old Marlon has made his Mum a promise – he’ll never follow his big brother, Andre, down the wrong path. But when a date ends in tragedy, Marlon finds himself hunted. Now he must become the person he never wanted to be to protect everyone he loves. But perhaps subconsciously I was waiting for a similar emotion as when I was reading the Noughts and Crosses series. Which had me hooked all through until the final book. I think that had I not seen M.B's quote on the front cover of the book I would of had a different experience reading it. So, as I said, I feel my subconscious was waiting for something deeper, more twists and turns.

I still saw her. Her hair was thick and blonde, and a curl

Blurb says: Not cool enough, not clever enough, not street enough for anyone to notice me. I was the kid people looked straight through.En helaas bleek dit boek inderdaad niet voor mij geschreven te zijn. Ik wil niet per definitie zeggen dat dit aan het boek ligt. Het boek is heel vlot en goed geschreven. De dialogen zijn realistisch en natuurlijk en ook de karakters zijn interessant en gelaagd genoeg. Het verhaal kent een vlot verteltempo en houdt je als lezer constant op het puntje van je stoel. Ik heb het boek in een uurtje of 3,5 uitgelezen en dat zegt in elk geval iets.