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Face cover art

Face

By: Benjamin Zephaniah
Narrated by: Ben Bailey Smith
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Summary

Bloomsbury presents Face by Benjamin Zephaniah, read by Ben Bailey Smith.

In the moving and compelling debut novel from Benjamin Zephaniah, a young man's life is completely changed when his face is badly scarred in a car accident.

Martin seems to have it all. He's cool, funny and he's the undisputed leader of the Gang of Three, who roam their East London estate during the holidays looking for fun. But one night after the Gang leave a late-night rap club, Martin accepts a ride from Pete, a Raider's Posse gang member. Too late, he realises that the car is stolen and that the police are after them.

What happens next will change Martin's life and looks and show him the true meaning of strength, courage, discrimination and friendship.

Brilliantly written and with a real ear for dialogue, fans of Angie Thomas and Malorie Blackman will love Benjamin Zephaniah's novels for young adult listeners:

  • Refugee Boy
  • Face
  • Gangsta Rap
  • Teacher's Dead
©1999 Benjamin Zephaniah (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic reviews

"A lively and positive account of a boy who is badly scarred in a joyriding crash and how he comes to terms with it...incredibly well told." (Irish Times)

"An impressive debut, carefully researched.... Zephaniah writes wonderfully natural dialogue with the same ease as he spins out rhyming couplets." (Herald)

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What listeners say about Face

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    5 out of 5 stars

Inspirational story, can’t wait to teach this to my pupils.

A great story with a lot of hope and positivity in the face of great difficulty. It captured the teen experience really well and will be very educational to my students, who are growing up and maybe facing similar situations.

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Great for students!

This is a great book for exploring identity and character analysis/ development. The performance by Ben Bailey Smith is fantastic, and really brings the characters to life. I am using this audio book alongside reading with my year 7 class, and it has really helped to speed the reading process, without having to miss key chapters which we would usually have to do.

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Such a powerful story by Zephaniah

I read this originally as a child, again as a teen for high school and this is my first listen as an adult.

The story is incredibly powerful and having read/listened at different stages of my life I can appreciate the nuances of the story as I age.

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Excellent 5*

Absolutely fantastic story line which mirroring true life events. very well narrated. Highly recommended!

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I love this book

as a mentally ill teen, this book is a beautiful listen. it has really given me something to relate to even if my struggles aren't as outward and martins

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1 person found this helpful