By Benjamin Zephaniah (author)
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October 2014 Book of the Month Perceptive, provocative and deeply moving, Benjamin Zephaniah tells a hard hitting story about how dangerous making one simple wrong choice can be. Rico loves computers and he is brilliant at fixing and developing them. And at hacking into sites which are meant to be fully protected.
Rico also believes in protest – silent, dignified protest in which you stand up to be counted but never engage in anything violent or illegal. Rico hates trouble and does everything he can to avoid it. But Rico makes one terrible mistake when he is persuaded by a stranger to do an apparently harmless job.
How can Rico prove his innocence when everything is twisted against him? Benjamin Zephaniah is wise on how easily the honesty and naivety of the young can be exploited and misused.
A Piece of Passion from Emma Matthewson, Editor-at-Large Benjamin Zephaniah's Terror Kid took quite a long time to evolve. Benjamin's original idea was about a teenager taking over the world, but as Benjamin and I discussed the book, it evolved into Terror Kid - the story of a teenage boy who is good at heart, but is also angered by the injustice he sees around him. This anger allows him to be manipulated by an unscrupulous man with a hidden agenda called, ironically Speech.
When Benjamin was talking about the idea for Terror Kid, it was the fact that the main character, Rico could so easily be somebody you know that really interested me - although this could be said for all of Benjamin's books! Benjamin writes about the real world, and his characters face such true-to-life yet painful dilemmas - you really identify with the characters, so much so that you have to finish the book to see what will happen to them.
I hope that Terror Kid will make everybody who reads it want to revisit their own views on both the nature of crime and the story behind the headlines you see in the papers; and to think about why rather than how crime is committed. As I say, I hope it does. With events that we see happening around us every day it seems to be increasingly important.
Rico knows trouble. He knows the look of it and the sound of it. He also knows to stay away from it as best he can. Because if there's one thing his Romany background has taught him, it's that he will always be a suspect.
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Despite his efforts to stay on the right side of the law, Rico is angry and frustrated at the injustices he sees happening at home and around the world. He wants to do something - but what? When he is approached by Speech, a mysterious man who shares Rico's hacktivist interests, Rico is given the perfect opportunity to speak out. After all, what harm can a peaceful cyber protest do...?
A powerful novel about justice, trust and idealism gone wrong that will make you look again at your definition of a terrorist. Labour Research
A powerful, accessible and revelatory novel with its finger firmly on the pulse of contemporary social and political issues. Liverpool Echo
Dr Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah Benjamin Zephaniah was born in Birmingham and then spent some of his early years in Jamaica. He came to London when he was 22 and his first book of poetry for adults was published soon after. He appeared regularly on radio and TV including a Desert Island Discs appearance, literary festivals, and has also taken part in plays and films. He was most well-known for his performance poetry with a political edge for both children and adults and gritty teenage fiction. His collections Talking Turkey, Wicked World and Funky Chickens broke new ground in children's poetry. He is the only Rastafarian poet to be short-listed for the Chairs of Poetry for both Oxford and Cambridge University and has been listed in The Times' list of 50 greatest postwar writers.
He has sixteen honorary doctorates and the Eailing Hospital in west London has named a wing after him in recognition of his work.
Benjamin was passionate about issues that were both global and local, and his work focused on themes such as human rights and protecting the environment. He was widely considered to be among the first poets to address the climate crisis.
Benjamin died on December 7 th 2023 at the age of 65.
Photo credit Adrian Pope
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Rico knows trouble. He knows the look of it and the sound of it.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Terror Kid and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
Terror Kid features in the following genres: Featured Books for 13+ readers, Featured Books for Young Adults, Recommendations, Thrillers, Politics, Law, Philosophy & Ethics, PSHE: Multiculturalism, Diversity and Inclusion, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Adventure Stories, Work / Industry, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE)
Paperback. £8.09, down from the £8.99 cover price. In Stock.
Terror Kid was written by Benjamin Zephaniah and published by Hot Key Books an imprint of Bonnier Books UK
Terror Kid has 199 pages
£8.09, reduced from £8.99. In Stock.
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