Steady For This: the laugh-out-loud and unforgettable teen novel!

I adored this book and gave it straight to my 12-year-old son to read after I finished. He loved it just as much as I did. It was funny but also touching, exploring a lot of the sorts of challenges that young people go through -from family financial problems to illness or disability in the family. Growls is such a lovable character you feel every embarrassment and success along with him.

This book is about a teenage boy called DJ Growls who loves rapping, but when his friend/Shanks doesn’t come into school after a social media disaster he doesn’t know what to do.Later Growls goes on to win a rapping show to win money as he is about to become homeless. My favourite character in this book was Shanks as he always sticks up for his friend, even though he just raps to spend time with his bestie.I would recommend this book to people who love music as the duo are constantly dropping new beats about everything from in school to at the park. Three words to describe the story would be fun, musical and exciting .

I really liked this book because it was really touching heart felt and it shows up we should never give up on our dreams

Brilliant Authentic voice. Had me laughing at the same time as dealing sensitively with themes of poverty and child carers. Heartfelt and courageous.

This is a fiction, or maybe a real book as this could happen to someone. Book is about Shaun aka MC Growls, who is a streamer, and he was quite a successful life streamer until his mum showed his dirty laundry, and then he’s a joke and everyone’s laughing at him. I would really recommend this book it’s really nice I would say it’s more of a boy stand for girls and I would say it’s for age 9 and above. N

Set in contemporary London, this follows Shaun (aka MC Growls), an inner-city kid desperate to win a local rap contest. But when a livestream goes wrong, he finds himself the school joke and it affects his best friend's mental health. To cap things off, the council is threatening his family with eviction. The prize money from the rap contest may be the only way to save them, but can he step back up to the mic? This is a positive representation of a modern teen. Shaun is a good kid at heart. He cares about his friends and his family and wants to do the right thing, even if that does sometimes go awry. There's a generous dose of humour in it and it would be good for younger teen readers. The dialogue is mostly written in Shaun's very 'street', 'gangsta' kind of slang. I did sometimes struggle with this at times, but I'm also not the target audience. I suspect teenagers would find it easier.

Laugh out loud funny, it has already been passed around our staffroom and caused a lot of smiles. Not one for public transport - although again, it did start some conversations! The book is pure joy from start to finish and the author is clearly in his element as he plays with language and demonstrates just how fun words can be. Growlz is a hero you can really invest in and no matter how hopeless he is, you really do want to see him triumph. Relationships are subtly drawn and realistic, and I thought the mental health storyline involving Shanks was sensitively handled and well navigated. The book deals with many serious issues but teenage joy and zest for life sits at the heart of it all. It's a celebration of friendship, family, love, creativity and owning who you are - even when you make mistakes. This was a delight to read - it's been a long time since a book made me laugh this hard and I can't wait to see what the author writes next!