Face

Product Information

The writing itself felt a bit flat and dragged on in places, and sometimes I had trouble picking it up. Also, Martin has to learn to deal with all the different reactions of ordinary people to his terrible injuries. Even once I’d been absorbed into the story line, I didn’t enjoy it much, although I did appreciate that the large print made it easy for me to power through it.

Stimulating activities in the book and a free downloadable scheme of work available to download on publication. I thought that they were interesting and unique characters and I would have loved to learn more about them. This book is amazing and i would recommend it to 12-15 year olds, it has comedy, romance and lots more. With this being my 3rd reading of 'Face' (reading the book twice, and the play once), I still love this book and the message it teaches the reader.I read this book as an adult and compulsorily, even though I would say it would be a great piece of reading for a teenager.

Face, a young adult book, by Benjamin Zephaniah unravels the story of a 15-year-old boy named Martin who chose mistake after mistake until he found a burden too heavy to replace. This was a powerful read, highlighting the subject of image and other people's reaction to disfigurement.

This is definitely an important book and the writing is quite simple so I'd recommend it to younger kids and adults as well. He lives in the 'new East End' where there is a difficult brew of white, Caribbean, African and Asian families.

While the sentiment of the story is nice enough (I really could not think of a more fitting word than 'nice'), the prose was a little stilted for me and there were some odd moments of characterisation that didn't endear me towards anyone in particular. The other characters are additionally well written - with their portrayals remaining relatable throughout, thanks to Zephaniah's realistic youth dialogue.This book will not only be enjoyed by teen readers for its entertaining story, but also for its statement about prejudice. I really like his writing style; he’s able to cover such complicated topics such as peer pressure, drugs, youth crime, racism, young relationships, preconceptions and a whole host of others, without it getting too heavy or bogged down.

The intriguing synopsis and amazing cover made this seem like it would be great, but I had so much trouble connecting with the characters. Overall Face is a very good book I would recommend to anyone who wants to read a moving story that’s stand up against social norms. I've always enjoyed and looked out for Benjamin Zephaniah's poetry so I knew I had to read his books too! It was both believable and sad when Martin's girlfriend no longer wanted anything to do with him and instead hooked up with some other guy, and the scene when he confronted her nearly brought tears to my eyes.

If you are looking for something grounded in reality which manages to perfectly balance issues around discrimination and prejudice towards appearance, race, culture, and personal interest, then this is a MUST read.