29 Locks

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This book demonstrates the realities and continuous cycle of drugs and violence of childhood in poverty. When his mum is jailed for drugs offences, Donny is fostered outside London to the Hertfordshire countryside. Yet there are moments of humour too, as Donny and his new friends navigate countless dangers in an attempt to build a brighter future. I loved how much the author covered in this story, from poverty and crime to grooming, diversity, and racism — all of which are prevalent in today’s society. It all feels very original – I don’t think I have come across a YA novel that I could compare 29 Locks to, it’s so much Donny’s individual story.

Growing up in dire poverty in Hackney, East London, his life is shaped by casual violence, gang initiation, drug-dealing, and knife crime. Donny is a great narrator – his voice feels fresh and real and engaging, and he is another character, like Aoife in Iron Annie, that I refuse to believe does not exist in real life. Now 15 years old, he and Zoe, his posh girlfriend and aspiring model, make the journey back to London to reunite with Donny’s mother. Thanks so much for the opportunity to authenticate the North African Muslim experience in this wonderful book, and I am happy to be a part of it! When Donny is taken from London finally and to Hertfordshire, he feels out of his depth and is taunted by his classmates who judge him by both how he looks and where he comes from.

The different sections of Donny’s life keep the book fast-paced and attention-grabbing, while allowing for small moments of reflection which add depth and tenderness to the story. Donny is initially taken to a family who live across the otherside of London and despite loving for his Mum, he loves the simple comforts that most take for granted. Although this story was written using words and expressions from multicultural London, I found it an easy to follow read. Older, wiser and more confident, life is going well for the former gang member who’d escaped a brutal life of criminal exploitation. My debut novel, 29 Locks, was shortlisted for both the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize and Mslexia Children’s Novel Competition and was longlisted in the Berkshire Book Award 2022.

I give regular talks for schools, libraries and colleges (including World Book Day), as well as prisons.When Donny's posh new friend Zoe is offered a dubious modelling audition in London, the pair decide to 'borrow' a canal barge and navigate the 29 locks down to Kings Cross.

It was chosen by Suzi Feay, books editor of The Financial Times, as one of the ‘Best Books of 2021’ It is also on the longlist for the prestigious Branford Boase Award for outstanding first-time novelists. Hotjar sets this cookie to know whether a user is included in the data sampling defined by the site's pageview limit. Later in the book, Donny’s journey back to London to reunite with his mother has the fierce desperation of someone willing to do anything for those they love. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Donny is a great narrator – his voice feels so fresh and real and engaging that I refuse to believe he does not exist in real life.Miles revisits the much-loved protagonist of 29 Miles two years after his canal boat adventure as a fifteen-year-old. I am a child of a underprivileged family and could empathise with Donny on some levels and Nicola Garrard has excellently portrayed this in 29 Locks.