LoveReading4Kids Says
June 2023 Debut of the Month
This hugely enjoyable fiction debut by the award-winning author of Musical Truth, the ground-breaking look at black history through popular music, is similarly infused with music.
Set in the 90’s but packed with instantly recognisable and relatable family, friendship, and school dynamics, this is the story of the fast talking, well-meaning, irrepressible Kofi and his sometimes misguided money-making schemes. Exploiting his best mate Kelvin’s excellent memory skills, they create and sell Paper Jam, a fanzine of ragga and rap song lyrics.
Everyone at school is obsessed with the music but nobody knows the words and so Paper Jam is a big success. But another ingenious scheme to make money by cheating arcade games, gets them involved with Leroy and his gang and almost lands his Uncle Delroy in jail. Kofi’s optimism is shaken by seeing prejudice in action and he has to learn what it means to be a true friend and what matters more than money. Kofi has a loving, nurturing family to help him find a way through his problems and Leroy’s bullying also turns out to be the catalyst for discovering Kelvin’s rapping talent and for transforming the playground cussing battles into rap circles that celebrate creativity and community, not cruelty.
The razor sharp and witty dialogue and the frequent hilarious scenes make this a truly engaging read with an authenticity and warmth that will undoubtedly have readers keen to follow more of Kofi’s escapades.
Joy Court
Find This Book In
| Suitable For: |
|
| Other Genres: |
|
| Recommendations: |
|
Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer Synopsis
Kofi had an idea . . . one big lightning bolt of an idea that hit him like electricity. And all it needed was Kelvin's incredible memory for words.
Kofi is used to stuff going wrong, he's usually in detention or about to be. But when he finds out his best friend Kelvin has a photographic memory, he comes up with a genius money-making scheme.
The whole school is obsessed with music, no one can ever make out the words, so the boys hit the jackpot selling a new fanzine full of song lyrics: PAPER JAM.
It's not long before one of the teacher's tells Kofi: 'You could be a real leader at this school, you know that?' and . . . suddenly it's turning out to be the best summer ever!
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780571367344 |
| Publication date: |
1st June 2023 |
| Author: |
Jeffrey Boakye |
| Publisher: |
Faber & Faber |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
256 pages |
| Suitable For: |
|
| Other Genres: |
|
| Recommendations: |
|
Hello.
First things first, let me just say that Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer is everything I loved about stories when I was growing up, and everything I love about stories now. It’s adventure, friendship, joy, laughter. Peril, excitement, shock and danger. New friends and lessons learned. It’s family and school and exploring the big wide world through fresh new eyes.
It’s also a love letter to how I grew up, in the 1990s, on an estate in South London, in a world that was full of fun and excitement, and those long, long summers. But Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer is a few other things that I never saw, or I should say never read, when I was growing up. It’s the very real world I lived in: a world of estates, flats and high streets, urban landscapes ready to explore. A world that’s far from grey and gritty. Vibrant and magical. Because that’s the thing: any world can be magical to a young mind. Kofi’s world is no exception.
By setting the story in the early 1990s, I’ve crafted a world that is both instantly recognisable and strangely alien, depending on which side of the generational fence you happen to be on. It’s an analogue world of terrestrial television, staticky radio, cassette tapes and VHS, arcade games, big coins and landline telephones; no mobiles, no internet. I want young readers to lose themselves in another era and to grow with Kofi, his friends and his family. Music is a huge part of this. The world of music that young Kofi enters is one that keeps opening doors of discovery, unlocking skills and insights that our hero, alongside his best friend Kelvin, didn’t even know they had. Readers will feel the same way, connecting with music, lyrics, culture and creativity with all the excitement of a child walking through those doors for the very first time. It’s exhilarating.
This is a book that will connect with the Kofis of the world - the irrepressible extroverts - as well as the Kelvins – the quiet ones. It’s for the readers and the talkers alike. And the cast of supporting characters are equally exciting to meet: big sister Gloria and her confident best friend Shanice, big brother Emmanuel, Mum, Dad, all the friends at school and of course, Delroy, a favourite uncle with a gleam in his eye and a playful smile. It might not be my place to say it but hey, whatever: this is a special book.
Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer is magical realism without fairies and spells, in a recent slice of history that feels like a different world. It’s an ode to school days and a glimpse at the kind of behaviour your teachers warned you about. It’s black joy in a world where black communities are centred, not marginalised, not traumatised. It’s a family that lives and loves. And, for Kofi, it’s the adventure of a lifetime. Thank you for reading this far and please, be sure to pick up a copy when it arrives. You’ve got a few new friends to meet, and they’re going to take you on more than a few wondrous journeys.
In the words of young Kofi himself: Trust me.
Jeffrey Boakye
