King of Nothing

A high schooler grapples with conflicting ideologies on “how to be a man, a real man” in this empathetic novel by Lessore (Dropping Beats). Black 14-year-old Anton and his friends are at the top of the food chain at his South London school. Because of his father’s incarceration for physical assault charges five years ago, Anton’s classmates assume he’s tough, an assumption he perpetuates with help from his friends, with whom he routinely disrupts class, picks fights, and bullies other students. When, after one too many detentions, Anton’s mother enrolls him in a volunteer organization, Anton is paired with Matthew, the one classmate spared from Anton’s torment, and the only person who never cracked jokes about his dad. As the boys grow closer, though, Anton’s friends—claiming Matthew has made him soft—present an ultimatum: drop Matthew, or become the group’s next target. Anton’s father’s release from prison complicates things further. As he navigates sometimes heavy experiences informed by the pressure of toxic masculinity, Anton’s charismatic and comedic first-person narration details his reluctant friendship with Matthew, whose open vulnerability and willingness to connect with others models for Anton a previously unknown example of moving through the world. Ages 12–up. Agent: Becca Langton, Darley Anderson Children’s Book Agency. (Mar.)