By David Solomons (author) , Hazem Asif (illustrator)
"All the fun of a Solomons’ adventure combined with a thought-provoking examination of contemporary issues"
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June 2026 Book of the Month
David Solomons’ latest book opens: ‘It was a warm, cheerful day in May, and the trees were recording every word.’ Adults will immediately recognise that this echoes Orwell’s 1984 . This version has children as protagonists and a cleverly child-friendly oppressive ideology – extreme politeness, good manners and restraint – which is none the less scary, enforced with a cruelty and ruthlessness that Orwell would recognise too.
The protagonists are Alfie (almost 14) and Margot (12), son and daughter of Ministry scientists. Alfie’s a keep your head down, don’t make a fuss, make the best of things type, while Margot is the opposite, bold, a rebel, ready to kick against their repressive society. The third young person is Ivy Linwood. At first, Ivy appears to be a model M.Y.T.H. (Ministry Youth for Truth and Honour) citizen, only later do we discover that she is a secret agent working for the resistance.
With Margot arrested, Alfie is forced to take sides, working with Ivy to break his sister out, despite the danger. As fans of this author will expect, there are lots of laughs to be had, and some lovely sci-fi details, but there’s a real sense of the horror of a repressive society too and extremely tense and exciting plotlines. The climax is properly thrilling – very filmic. All the fun of a Solomons adventure with a thoughtful and thought-provoking theme too.
Be quiet. Be polite. Or be silenced.
Alfie and Margot Hawthorne have grown up under the Ministry of Manners, where politeness isn't a choice - it's the law. And one wrong word can change your life. He knows how to stay out of trouble, but she has never been one for quiet obedience.
When the Ministry takes Margot, everything changes. Inside the Manners Retreat, she fights to stay herself in a place built to erase her. Meanwhile, Alfie falls in with the Unsilenced - those who still dare to speak. But the Ministry has plans of its own. And if they succeed, rebellion won't just be punished. It'll be impossible.
A letter from the author:
Every country tells itself a story about who it is and what it values. Ours tends to involve queueing, tea and pretending everything is fine.
The Ministry of Manners began with a title – the kind that sounds faintly absurd until it doesn’t. From that joke, a world took shape: a Britain where politeness has become policy and good behaviour isn’t encouraged but enforced. It’ s recognisable, only tidier. More efficient. Less forgiving.
At the heart of it are two children, Alfie and Margot. Their parents work for the Ministry; their lives are comfortable, correct and watched. When Margot begins to ask questions, her brother wants to keep her safe – from trouble, from embarrassment, from herself. But truth has a way of untidying everything it touches.
What begins as a story about good manners becomes one about courage, loyalty and the quiet rebellion that begins inside a family. The kind that changes everything without meaning to.
Alfie and Margot bear my own children’s middle names, which feels fitting. As a parent, I think a lot about the diference between asking them to be good and asking them to obey. It’s a smaller gap than it looks. That’s where stories like this live.
I wanted to explore the line between order and control, and how easy it is to mistake one for the other. The tone may be dystopian but the impulse behind it isn’t grim. The world is absurd, even at its darkest, and humour – like decency – can be an act of defiance.
I hope readers will find something of themselves in Alfie and Margot: the instinct to ask why, and the fear of what the answer might cost.
With gratitude for your time and attention, and with the utmost propriety - David Solomons
David Solomon s is the award-winning author of the My Brother is a Superhero series. He spent much of his childhood playing with Star Wars Agures and trying to make toy lightsabers jump into his hand using only the power of the Force (and a rubber band). At the age of four and a half, he was dismayed to learn he needed glasses, protesting that James Bond didn't wear specs.
He now lives in Dorset with his two children, Luke and Lara.
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Be quiet. Be polite.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Ministry of Manners and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
The Ministry of Manners features in the following genres: Featured Books for 9+ readers, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Books of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Stories about Family and Friends, School Stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Speculative, dystopian and utopian fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
The Ministry of Manners was written by David Solomons and published by Piccadilly Press an imprint of Bonnier Books UK
The Ministry of Manners has 249 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
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