Book of the Week: Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah

This week’s Book of the Week is ‘Windrush Child’ by writer and poet Benjamin Zephaniah.

This book is the newest title in Scholastic’s Voices series, which features diverse characters across different historical periods.

The story follows Leonard, a 10-year-old boy who sails with his mum to England, from Jamaica, on HMT Empire Windrush, before moving to start a new life in Manchester.

The culture shock Leonard experiences is sensitively described; the racist bullying he endures is blunt and shocking to a modern reader.

Timely and topical, the story also follows a grown up Leonard into the present day, where he struggles to prove his right to be in the UK.

Aimed at 9+, this book offers a beautifully-written, thoroughly-researched story which helps explain some difficult subjects in a child-friendly manner and offers a great starting point for discussion.

For more about this book, check out its listing on LoveReading4Kids and enjoy an interview with Benjamin via Booktrust, where he discusses writing the book, his influences and his dyslexia.

Mrs Hunt,

Librarian