Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2011. Highly Commended for the Teenage Book Prize 2010. An edgy and contemporary thriller about the life changing dangers of knife crime – and that’s just for the witness. When Ty tells the police what he has seen, his life is changed forever. His enemies are ruthless and will stop at nothing to prevent Ty from testifying. Given a new look, new names and a new past, Ty and his mother make a fresh start. But forgetting Ty and remembering to be Joe is hard. Ty tells his story of familiar teenage experiences – school friendships, bullying, falling in love – against a terrifying background in which letting out the secret could mean the end. How Joe survives and grows and, in particular, how he befriends the lonely Claire whose self-harming is an equally important secret, is touching.
This is definitely a novel for 14+ and not younger.
Now there's a sequel to When I Was Joe. Click here to find out more.
Titles shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2011:
When Ty witnesses the knife murder of another boy he identifies some very dangerous people and the police put him and his mother into hiding in a witness protection scheme. While they are packing, a petrol bomb is thrown through the front door of their flat, highlighting the extreme danger they face. Over the coming months, Ty becomes Joe, is given a new look and starts at a new school. To his surprise, he finds he is attracting the attention of the girls in his class, and the boys find his need to conceal his real identity cool - being Joe is not so bad. His ability as a runner is spotted and he starts training under a college student, a wheelchair user who is a Paralympics contender, but this special treatment attracts resentment. Somehow Joe keeps drawing attention to himself despite his efforts to remain anonymous. Then his beloved grandmother back in London is badly injured in an attack designed to flush Ty out of hiding and demonstrates the relentless determination to silence him. This wonderfully gripping and intelligent novel movingly depicts Ty/Joe's confusing sense of identity in extreme danger - a remarkable debut from a great new writing talent.
'Better than Muchamore and Shan one young fan is quoted as saying of this debut thriller.' The Bookseller
'Honest and well-crafted'. Financial Times
'The plot twists are captivating but it is the human drama that makes this book so haunting.' The Jewish Chronicle
'David has an easy, readable style and has created a nicely sympathetic character in Ty.' Sunday Express
Author
About Keren David
Keren David worked as a news reporter and feature writer before publishing her compelling debut YA novel, When I Was Joe, while taking a course in Writing for Children at City University. Keren now teaches the City University course and is an editor for The Jewish Chronicle . Her novels have won and been nominated for numerous awards including the Carnegie Medal and the Branford Boase award. Keren lives in North London
