New Windmills: Face (New Windmills) - Hardcover

Benjamin Zephaniah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0435125397 ISBN 13: 9780435125394

Publisher: Heinemann Educ., 2001

Synopsis

Everything is going Martin's way. The holidays have started, he's got a gorgeous girlfriend and he's the coolest dancer around. But his world is turned upside down by a crash in a stolen car. Martin now has to come to terms with more than just his facial injuries.

About this title

About the Author

Benjamin Zephaniah is probably one of the most high-profile international authors writing today, with an enormous breadth of appeal, equally popular with both adults and children. Most well-known for his performance poetry with a political edge for adults and ground-breaking performance poetry for children, Benjamin also has his own rap/reggae band, and has appeared on Desert Island Discs. He is in constant demand internationally to perform his work: he is (he thinks) Nelson Mandela's favourite poet, and is the only Rastafarian poet to be short-listed for the Chairs of Poetry for both Oxford and Cambridge University. Benjamin lives in East Ham, London.

From Publishers Weekly

Zephaniah (Refugee Boy) paints a sympathetic portrait of Martin Turner, a burn victim, who changes as much on the inside as on the outside after a car accident leaves his face severely disfigured. The author uses bold lines to describe how the once fun-loving wise-cracker confronts the fact that his life can never be the same. Even more disturbing than the stares and cruel taunts, perhaps, are his friends' obvious discomfort and overly solicitous behavior ("He hated being pitied and he hated being given special treatment. He learnt how to look into the eyes of others and measure their sincerity"). Martin also resents those (like the priest at the community center) who refer to him as "disabled"; however, he develops the confidence and poise to correct such misapprehensions. Newfound friends who are able to look beyond his scars encourage him to rise to challenges and develop his talent for dancing and gymnastics. Although the plot is somewhat formulaic and although Zephaniah discusses many of Martin's struggles rather than offering specific examples, Martin himself is believable enough to be appealing. Kids will tune in to this book's clear message about appearances. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Heinemann Educ.
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0435125397
• ISBN 13: 9780435125394
• Binding: Board book