Against All Odds

Defy expectations in this laugh-out-loud World Book Day teen comedy about chasing your dreams and refusing to be boxed in, from the multi-award-winning author of Steady For This and King of Nothing!

Noranto knows who he is. Or at least, he thinks he does.

Footballer. Hustler. One of the boys. He's got the playground game on lock and big plans for his mum's birthday this weekend. But poetry? That's just something he does quietly - in his head, on the bus, between goals.

Then his teacher spots his talent and urges him to enter a writing competition. Noranto laughs it off. The deadline's in three days and he's already got too much on. His mates agree - poetry doesn't win matches.

But the rhymes won't stop coming. And a voice inside him keeps asking: What if this is his shot?

As the weekend unfolds, Noranto is pulled between what's expected of him and who he really wants to be. Can he find the words - and the courage to share them - against all the odds?©2026 Nathanael Lessore (P)2026 Bonnier Books UK