A former winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for Older Readers, Lawrence’s raw yet tender debut examines the vexed moral choices for a Black British teenager who always swore to stick to the right path. Lyrically written with an almost musical rhythm and brimming with compassion and insight, Orangeboy is a wise, engrossing read for both teens and adults alike.
Winner of the YA Book Prize
All that noise was fighting with the music and the music was fighting with itself. It was the usual crappy mashup, The Beatles mixed with Frank Sinatra mixed with Michael Jackson. But underneath was a bass beat, thump, thump, thump, like my heart.
Not cool enough, not clever enough, not street enough for anyone to notice me.
I was the kid people looked straight through. Not any more. Not since Mr Orange.
Sixteen-year-old Marlon has made his mum a promise - he'll never follow his big brother, Andre, down the wrong path. So far, it's been easy, but when a date ends in tragedy, Marlon finds himself hunted. They're after the mysterious Mr Orange, and they're going to use Marlon to get to him.
Marlon's out of choices - can he become the person he never wanted to be, to protect everyone he loves?
A young man has an impossible choice to make, in this powerful urban story that will challenge preconceptions and melt the hardest heart.
Orangeboy is the stunning debut from London-based author Patrice Lawrence who finds that music often seeps into her writing and shares her writing space with a cat called Stormageddon.
‘What a book! Such a gripping, gritty storyline, with such wonderful, believable characters. Loved it.’ — Tanya Landman
Read an exclusive interview for Waterstones with Patrice Lawrence where the author talks about life for children in care, her love of Hackney and how, when it comes to writers of colour, the publishing industry still has a long way to go.
Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2017 for Older Fiction
Winner of the Bookseller YA Book Prize 2017
Shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award 2016
Publisher: Hachette Children's Group
ISBN: 9781444927207
Number of pages: 448
Weight: 360 g
Dimensions: 198 x 130 x 34 mm
Promoted as a gritty coming-of-age drama urban thriller with a powerful message and an irresistable central character - The Voice
A contemporary urban thriller with a powerful family drama at its heart - The Bookseller
I liked the lack of judgement the author made and the fact this is ultimately an action packed story with a strong male protagonist - Bibliomaniac
Keeps the reader enthralled and wanting more - Nudge.com
One of those books I wish had been written when I was a teenager...simply brilliant - Medieval Jenga
What a book! Such a gripping, gritty storyline, with such wonderful, believable characters. Loved it - Tanya Landman, author
'I absolutely adored this story...it's a truthful and powerful story that is much needed in the UK YA scene - Charlie in a Book
Pacey crime thriller that feels unique, realistic and truthful - Book Trust
A gripping debut about gang culture and the consequences of making bad decisions - The Guardian
It is direct and punchy - The Guardian
The book travels at speed to a climax that is both sudden and shocking. This story of family ties, gang culture and the dangers of drugs is without a doubt one of the finest YA debuts I've read and Marlon Sunday is a character that you won't forget in a hurry. - The Crime Review
This powerful coming-of-age drama -- both violent and sensitive -- keeps the reader on the edge of their seat - Optima Magazine
Readers with strong stomachs can expect to be entirely hooked into a story that is well written, pacy and within its own terms horribly convincing - Books For Keeps
Patrice Lawrence's Orangeboy - an exploration of gang culture centred around Marlon, who follows in his older brother's footsteps when an innocent date ends in tragedy - won the 2017 YA book Prize. - Independent
A truly brilliant book. I galloped through it. Spoiler alert! The car incident and standoff at the end... edge of the seat stuff! - Malorie Blackman
Pitch-perfect teen voices and a bruising, thrilling pace. - Metro
Incredible book and experience. Thank you Patrice Lawrence for such a fresh and riveting piece of fiction. - Ben Bailey Smith (Doc Brown)
Orange Boy is a page turner. It gripped my heart from page one and didn't let go. Marlon goes on a date with the hottest girl in school and his world begins to tip. And it doesn't stop until everything in his life is upside down. Faced with almost impossible choices, Marlon has to grow up fast and work out exactly who he is at the same time as working out how to survive. This is a book that explores the meaning of family, friendship and loyalty. And it does so with intelligence and sensitivity.It's fast, clever, often funny and always truthful. Patrice Lawrence is a writer to watch. - Jenny Downham, author of 'Before I Die'
What a book! Such a gripping, gritty storyline, with such wonderful, believable characters. Loved it. - Tanya Landman, author of 'Buffalo Soldier'
This powerful urban story will challenge preconceptions and melt the hardest heart. - The Sun
a young adult thriller with a gritty edge, diverse characters and a drum-tight plot that will get even the most reluctant teenage reader hooked. - Good Housekeeping
A young adult thriller with a gritty edge, diverse characters and a drum-tight plot that will get even the most reluctant teenager hooked. - Good Housekeeping
Knuckle-in-the-mouth stuff... It's impossible not to gulp down this wonderful, intense story in one mouthful. - The Times
A fast-paced thriller, written with a keen ear for young voices, Orangeboy is an original and fresh perspective on the struggles facing London's teenagers. - Amnesty International UK
I really enjoyed 'Orangeboy' by Patrice Lawrence. The pace was fast and furious throughout, but there were also plenty of opportunities to get to know the two central characters Marlon and Tish, and to... More
I really liked this. Young Marlon is confused why a girl he is on a first date with gives him some pills then dies on the ghost ride. why him?
it seems a little dramatic but when he can't leave things alone...
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Marlon has spent his life trying not to follow in his brother's footsteps, but he is thrown into a world where it seems as though he has no choice. This is a gripping, unputdownable story, following Marlon's... More
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