Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah

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Recommended by Michala Sullivan (@michala832)

Form and genre: novel

Length: 193 pages

Summary: Written from the point of view of Leonard, a boy who leaves Jamaica with him mom to reunite with his dad who has moved to England on the Windrush boat. They live in Manchester and his father is a bus driver. Lots to unpick about the prejudice faced by immigrants coming to Britain post 1945.

Age recommendation and challenging content: Some violence towards the dad and Leonard when he is grown up but nothing graphic at all. Depictions of racism. This has a reading age of 11+ so is a good choice as a quick read for Y7.

Notable reasons for recommending this book: Literary content – Zephaniah is an excellent writer. Cultural content and diversity – exploration of the history of the Windrush generation.