Teacher’s Dead

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What to expect

'The playful, obstinate and courageously humorous tone of Zephaniah's writing shines through ... hilarious and later heartbreaking' Guardian

A teacher is dead, murdered by two of his students in front of the whole school.

Right in front of Jackson Jones.

But Mr Joseph was a good man – people liked him, respected him. How could those boys stab him and jog away like nothing had happened?

Unable to process what he has seen, Jackson begins his own investigation: everyone knows who did it, but as Jackson uncovers more about the boys, he becomes convinced that people need to understand why.

Brilliantly written and with a real ear for dialogue, fans of Angie Thomas and Malorie Blackman will love Benjamin Zephaniah's novels for young adult readers:

Refugee Boy
Face
Gangsta Rap
Teacher's Dead

Critics Review

  • Benjamin Zephaniah rides straight through everybody’s taboos, everybody’s prejudices, everybody’s niceties and gets straight to the heart of the matter … Strong, honest, democratic, accessible to all, Teacher’s Dead comes highly recommended

    The Bookbag's Jill Murphy on TEACHER'S DEAD
  • A brilliant first novel

    Guardian on FACE
  • A lively and positive account of a boy who is badly scarred in a joyriding crash, and how he comes to terms with it … incredibly well told

    Irish Times on FACE
  • An impressive debut, carefully researched … Zephaniah writes wonderfully natural dialogue with the same ease as he spins out rhyming couplets

    Herald on FACE
  • The playful, obstinate and courageously humorous tone of Zephaniah’s writing shines through … hilarious and later heartbreaking

    Alfred Hickling, Guardian on REFUGEE BOY
  • Sweet, funny, highly inventive

    Yorkshire Post on REFUGEE BOY

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