A STUDENT EDITION

It’s 1981, a year of riots and royal weddings. Amid tumult and change, nine-year-old Leon tries to find his place. He and his little brother Jake have gone to live with Maureen. They’ve lost one home, but have they found another?

Maureen feeds and looks after them. She has wild red hair and mutters swearwords under her breath when she thinks they can’t hear. She claims everything will be okay. But will they ever see their mother again? Who are the couple who secretly visit Jake? Between the street violence and the street parties, Leon must find a way to reunite his family . . .

This education edition includes teacher-designed guided reading questions. For more information, including interviews with author Kit de Waal and activities related to studying My Name is Leon, visit https://www.penguin.co.uk/lit-in-colour/teaching-resources

WINNER OF THE IRISH NOVEL PRIZE

‘Startlingly funny. Balances the gritty with the feel good’ Observer

Kit de Waal, born to an Irish mother and Caribbean father, was brought up among the Irish community of Birmingham in the 60's and 70's. Her debut novel My Name Is Leon was an international bestseller, shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and won the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award for 2017. Her second novel, The Trick to Time, was longlisted for the Women's Prize and her young adult novel Becoming Dinah is shortlisted for the Carnegie CLIP Award 2020. She also crowdfunded and edited an anthology of working class memoir, Common People, which was published in 2018. Kit was named the FutureBook Person of the Year in 2019.