10% off all books and free delivery over £40
Buy from our bookstore and 25% of the cover price will be given to a school of your choice to buy more books. *15% of eBooks.

On the Come Up

"Hip-hop, hope and black girl magic"

View All Editions (4)

The selected edition of this book is not available to buy right now.
Add To Wishlist
Write A Review Read An Extract

LoveReading4Kids Says

LoveReading4Kids Says

Winner of the Books for Older Readers category of the Children's Book Award 2020 | Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2020 | February 2019 Book of the Month |

Under-your-skin powerful novel about a talented young black woman who refuses to be silenced.

Bri is a smart hip-hop writer from rough, tough Garden Heights, the same housing project that provided the setting for Thomas’s remarkable debut, The Hate U Give. Her underground rap legend dad was murdered twelve years ago, leading to her (now clean) mom seeking solace in drugs. Bri’s dad’s legacy means she has a hell of a lot of baggage when she performs at a big open mic event. While she chokes the first round after being goaded by her opponent in a scene that will have you desperately urging her on, Bri’s powerful lyrics and performance mark her out as something special. But as her hip-hop reputation is on the rise, so other aspects of her life take a downturn. There’s serious money trouble at home, and at school she’s unjustly suspended, the latter of which leads to her writing the track that further rockets her reputation, “On the Come Up”. But this brings further struggle. There’s the racism of black women being labeled “aggressive” for merely expressing their views. There’s a painful falling out with “tight since womb days” friend Malik. And there’s a cruel conflict between self-preservation (shutting up and putting up to avoid being wrongly locked up, or worse) in a racist society, and the heightened need to speak out precisely because of this situation.

Impeccably plotted, with a multiple storylines woven to a pulse-pounding conclusion, this is an astoundingly affecting novel that shines a light on the struggles of young black women, and celebrates freedom of speech and making noise about who you are, as seen through unforgettable Bri, a 100% authentic character whom readers will root for, cry for, yell out loud for, and grin for joy with.

Joanne Owen

Star Books

Find This Book In

Suitable For:
Other Genres:
Recommendations:

About

Press Reviews

Author

Collections Featuring This Book

Book Awards Featuring This Book

You Might Also Like...

YA readers

Babushka

Natasha Devon

Paperback

In Stock

£8.09 £8.99

YA readers

The Edelweiss Pirates

Dirk Reinhardt

Paperback

In Stock

£8.99 £9.99

YA readers

Angie Thomas Collector's Boxed Set

Angie Thomas

Paperback

In Stock

£14.38 £15.98

YA readers

The Poet X

Elizabeth Acevedo

Paperback

In Stock

£8.09 £8.99