Needle

“A profoundly poignant YA story of an angry, hurt young teenager enmeshed in an inimical system, by an award-winning author” – The Guardian
“A brilliantly accomplished, heart-tripping, contemporary novella which will let the young people in your life know they have been heard” – Letterbox Library
“A complete page-turner that had me holding back the tears and wanting to dive into the book and make Charlene’s world better. A brilliantly told-heart aching insight into the care system, broken homes, family and knitting!” – Joseph Coelho, author
“Gripping, important and powerful. Made me weep with both anger and hope” – Sophie Anderson, author
“A true window into the life of another, Needle is a must-read … Patrice Lawrence’s writing hits readers like a shock wave” – Just Imagine
“One of the many strengths in this book is the intersectionality that it explores between being looked after in foster care, being black and racial disproportionality in the criminal justice system.” — Pen & Inc.
“Lawrence understands that a day-by-day, drip-by-drip destruction of what matters to a teenager is much more likely to lead to rage. Charlene never conforms to what systems (such as the care system, prison system and educational system) expect from her. She often does exactly the opposite of what they require. But she keeps her sense of self, and this makes Needle’s Charlene a hero worth reading about.” — The Conversation

Patrice Lawrence was born in Brighton and brought up in an Italian-Trinidadian household in Sussex. Her first novel, Orangeboy, won the Waterstones Book Prize for Older Children, the YA Book Prize, was shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award, and nominated for the Carnegie medal. Her second YA novel, Indigo Donut received rave reviews and was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize.

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