Troublemakers

Catherine Barter

Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2018
Nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2018
Longlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2018

In three years I will be able to vote and I will still have less power than I did at the moment that I saw that email, which was such a tiny thing but look what happened.

Fifteen-year-old Alena never really knew her political activist mother, who died when she was a baby. She has grown up with her older half-brother Danny and his boyfriend Nick in the east end of London. Now the area is threatened by a bomber who has been leaving explosive devices in supermarkets. It is only a matter of time before a bomb goes off.
Against this increasingly fearful backdrop, Alena seeks to discover more about her past, while Danny takes a job working for a controversial politician. As her family life implodes, and the threat to Londoners mounts, Alena starts getting into trouble. Then she does something truly rebellious.

A searing, heartbreaking coming-of-age tale for fans of Lisa Williamson, Jenny Downham and Sarah Crossan.

Reviews

"A thought-provoking, richly layered YA novel about politics, love, grief and coming of age."
Imogen Russell Williams - Guardian

"Wonderfully individual and heartbreakingly real"
starred review - Kirkus

"A touching, truthful depiction of an unconventional family life... written before London’s current summer of discontent but captures the effect of a constant climate of unease on young people and the permanently anxious adults who care for them."
Geraldine Brennan - Observer

"A clever, thoughtful novel with a wonderfully realistic main character"
Sarah Webb - Irish Independent

"It’s refreshing to see a contemporary YA novel that focuses so much on family and politics and allows its heroine to escape the narrative without a boyfriend in tow"
Claire Hennessy - Irish Times

"A sparky and timely coming-of-age tale about politics, activism & morality"
Katherine Woodfine

"Family tensions and uncertainty are contrasted against the current political situation in this excellent novel"
Marilyn Brocklehurst - Guardian, The Best New Children's Books supplement

"I loved it, so much so that as soon as I finished I started reading it again. Completely brilliant"
Keren David, author of Salvage

"I couldn’t put Troublemakers down. It's a real page-turner, with utterly believable characters who are all trying to do their best. Barter is a fresh, exciting new voice, and I can’t wait to see what she does next."
Susin Nielsen

"I think it's really brilliant and I absolutely loved it – the voice is terrific. I hope it's loved as much as Jenny Downham's Unbecoming."
Aoife Walsh, author of Too Close To Home

"One of the most woke YA novels EVER and will quickly make you question your own political knowledge and outspokenness"
Maximum Pop! Books

"Politics and the personal combine in a thoughtful, well-told and moving story"
Andrea Reece - Lovereading4Kids