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• King of Nothing Hot Key Books (London, England), 2024
• Dropping Beats Little, Brown, and Company (New York, NY), 2025

1. King of nothing LCCN 2024060293 Type of material Book Personal name Lessore, Nathanael, author. Main title King of nothing / Nathanael Lessore. Edition First U.S. edition. Published/Produced New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2026. Projected pub date 2603 Description pages cm ISBN 9780316588560 (trade paperback) 9780316588577 (hardcover) (ebook) Item not available at the Library. Why not? 2. Dropping beats LCCN 2024006360 Type of material Book Personal name Lessore, Nathanael, author. Main title Dropping beats / Nathanael Lessore. Edition First U.S. Edition. Published/Produced New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2025. Description 278 pages ; 21 cm ISBN 9780316576987 (paperback) 9780316581516 (hardcover) (ebook) CALL NUMBER PZ7.1.L473215 Dr 2025 Copy 1 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms

• Steady for This - 2023 Hot Key Books, London, England

• Fantastic Fiction -

  Nathanael Lessore

  Awards: Boase (2024) see all

  New and upcoming books
  March 2025

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  Solving Crimes Is NOT My Superpower
  (...Is NOT My Superpower, book 1)April 2025

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  What Happens Online
  October 2025

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  Time Travel Is NOT My Superpower
  (...Is NOT My Superpower, book 2)
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  ...Is NOT My Superpower
  1. Solving Crimes Is NOT My Superpower (2025)
  2. Time Travel Is NOT My Superpower (2025)
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  Novels
  Steady For This (2023)
  King of Nothing (2024)
  Dropping Beats (2025)
  What Happens Online (2025)

• ReadingZone - https://www.readingzone.com/news/nathanael-lessore-branford-boase-winner-on-the-challenges-facing-working-class-writers/

  Nathanael Lessore, Branford Boase winner, on the challenges facing working class writers
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  Posted on Tuesday, July 16, 2024
  Category: Book Blog

  Nathanael Lessore, Branford Boase winner, on the challenges facing working class writers
  Author Nathanael Lessore, who has just won the Branford Boase Award 2024 for his debut novel, Steady for This, tells ReadingZone about his joy at winning an award 'for the team' - and how his working class background meant he almost didn't get to write his award-winning book.

  Being a full-time writer is a dream that author Nathanael Lessore never considered could actually become a reality, despite completing a successful course in creative writing and having a passion and talent for telling stories. He's from Peckham, "a tall, racially ambiguous brown guy from a working class background", and his path into writing has been an uncertain one.

  Publishing inaccessible

  After leaving school, Nathanael found himself working at MacDonalds for several years, first in Paris and then in Deptford, before he switched to a call centre which he felt offered more career options. He was in charge of a support line for customers in Ireland; with the many free hours this offered, he started to write things that would entertain himself and the people around him, and that gave him the impetus to study creative writing at the University of East London.

  While there, however, an editor visited. "She talked about publishing and said 'if you're not white and in your 20s and a woman, and posh, forget about publishing because that's what it looks like'." This was around 2015, before the landscape started shifting a little in terms of diversity, and while it might not have been the editor's intended message, Nathanael says, "I don't have any of those attributes, so I kind of ruled publishing out. She made my mind up for me."

  He also ruled out being a writer. "I thought, having a music degree doesn't make you Rihanna, and having a writing degree doesn't make you the next John Grisham, does it?" Instead of writing, he turned to marketing, working his way up from marketing at an engineering company making plug sockets, to a medical company where he was marketing manager. "I really thought I'd finally made it," he chuckles.

  Writing a first 'raw draft'

  The itch to write was still there, though, and following a Netflix binge during a two-week break in lockdown (his manager refused to furlough staff; Nathanael cheekily got two weeks off after claiming he'd been near someone with Covid), his debut novel, Steady for This, poured out of him. "I just wanted to see if I could write something, finish something. I ended up with a really raw draft that I was never going to look at again - but because a family member said they liked it, I thought I'd send it to an agent." He pauses. "I mean, he was probably just being kind and there am I sending it off to agents!"

  He sent the draft to five agents and had one expression of interest, from Clare Wallace of Darley Andersen. "Clare really liked the narrative voice, but not much else. Yeah, she hated everything else," he laughs. After further edits, Nathanael signed with Wallace but it wasn't until his book went to auction that he "started to see the world in new colours".

  "I remember taking a lunch break to take Clare's call and just sitting on the on the floor, staring into space for three hours. I thought, if I just sell one book, I'm one book up; someone who isn't a family member will have bought my book."

  Opening pathways for diverse writers

  Nathanael believes there are things that might have opened a pathway to publishing at an earlier age for him. "When I was at school, if I had had a single author event, with an author who not just looked like me, but who was also vaguely from the same world as me, I might have thought that being an author was a possibility," he says. "I think what I'd say to publishers if they want to change things is, send out as many diverse authors to as many diverse regions as possible."

  Nathanael has been busy himself visiting schools in deprived areas, and hopes he might be helping to change some students' narratives. "I always start my events asking, 'how many of you think you could be a writer'? There are never any hands, but by the end of the event, when I ask that question again, I get a smattering of raised hands."

  He also thinks writing opportunities for schools in less affluent areas could help to open things up. "When I was at school I wrote rap lyrics on my phone because I wanted to be a rapper" (his Steady for This character MC Growls is, he says, largely drawn from his own school days in Peckham), but writing rap lyrics "is no different from writing poetry". "At school, you get sneered at for writing poetry, and cheered for writing rap. If there was some kind of writing competition for students like me, then you're opening things up a little."

  And even though he has achieved his dream of writing fulltime, Nathanael feels that growing up on an estate in Peckham, as much as he loved it, has left him ill prepared for life as an author. "My life is spent in on the sofa, in my pyjamas, writing. I'm a bit good at writing, but I'm not good at being an author. Being interviewed makes me nervous; I'm nervous and sweaty every time I do a school visit, even though they go well - I have groupies waiting for me at the school gates! The librarians are so happy to see me, and they give me snacks and drinks. But it's so daunting when you're new to all this." So how much support and event training is given to new authors is an area that publishers might want to revisit, given how much is now expected of authors in 'hand selling' their books directly to their audiences.

  Changing attitudes to reading

  The best response Nathanael gets during his events has been from teenage working class boys, he says. "I'm often warned to watch out for the tricky ones, but I never have a single tricky student during my events." What does he talk to them about, to help change attitudes? "I tell them to read as much as possible because you need a head start in life, especially if you're not white. But even if you are white - if you dress in a certain way or sound a certain way - then life is going to be a bit of a struggle. The students know this, they know that they might be taken less seriously because of how they look and sound."

  While publishing is making inroads in terms of diversity, Nathanael says, "I really feel, one hundred percent, that 'diversity' seems to be almost exclusively racial." He wants to see writing and publishing open up to those like him; people from working class backgrounds. Those who are changing things on the ground are, he says, the school librarians. "I do get hope for these students when I meet the librarians; they really care about them. Teachers do too, but they are exhausted and focused on discipline. But librarians are the motivators, they're the ones who get books into students' hands and who keep trying to get them reading. They're on the front line."

  As for the publishing world, he says, "There's a lot of talk about change which is encouraging; publishing seems to be overwhelmingly white and a bit posh, but there are smatterings of diversity and that gives me hope." Conversations are happening and no one is "dropping the ball"; he feels that it all sounds promising.

  Making different stories available

  It's also important for him that stories about lives like his are told - but through a different kind of lens. "Life on the estate where I grew up wasn't what people made it out to be. When we moved there, people told me to be careful but I played football, rode around on my bike. We were just kids hanging out and there's a community feel to estates like that; everyone has your back.

  "There are a lot a gritty novels about living on an estate, but my teenage years were just fun. I had my group of friends at school and we hung out, roasting each other, making jokes, hanging around at Peckham WHSmith because they sold cheap cans of coke." Being at an all-boys school somewhat hampered any attempts at romance, though. "None of us knew how to talk to anyone who wasn't from a rough boys' school."

  This is what he wanted to reflect in Steady for this: the fun and sense of community, the humour among friends, the angst about finding a girlfriend - all the things that he and his friends experienced as teenagers. That he has done this so successfully is reflected in the number of award shortlists that Steady for This has appeared in recently, including the Carnegies, Jhalak Prize and UKLA Book Awards, as well as the Branford Boase Award for debut writers and their editors.

  Winning Branford Boase 'for the team'

  Like these earlier industry awards, Nathanael hadn't come across the Branford Boase Award until he was shortlisted for it. When he learned what it was for, and that he had won, he was thrilled. "I've always maintained, from the beginning of my writing journey, that it takes 20 people to write a book. If you look at the team behind Steady for This, there's my agent, my brothers and cousins who read the drafts and gave me pointers, my agent Clare Wallace, and my editors Ella Whiddett and Ruth Bennett who know the characters and the universe so thoroughly, and who did so much to get the book to the best place it could be.

  "The Branford Boase Award reminds us that, without those people, without my brother giggling while scrolling through the book on his phone, this book would never have been made. So it's an award that celebrates everyone, and that's the thing that means the world to me; that it is celebrated as a collective."

  Nathanael's second novel for teenagers, King of Nothing, has followed Steady for This - both published by Hot Key Books - and he is now writing a middle grade novel about superheroes, a small town, and levitating squirrels! Another funny novel for teenagers might follow but it will be very different from his earlier books, he says.

  Whatever he writes, laughter is important to him; it has always been part of his world. "I grew up in a family of eight, and my siblings are all very close in age. It was chaotic - lots of fallings out but lots of fun too, especially at meal times," he explains. "My family are so sharp with each other and being in that kind of environment definitely helps when it comes to writing things that are funny. So if I can make my grumpy brother laugh, like he did with Steady for This, then I know I'm on the right track with my next book."

• The Novl - https://www.thenovl.com/novl/dear-reader-love-author-nathanael-lessore/

  Dear Reader, Love Author: Nathanael Lessore
  By Savannah Kennelly
  Dear Reader,

  I wasn’t really supposed to be a writer. Dropping Beats happened kind of accidentally. I was told during my Creative Writing degree, that people in publishing don’t look or sound me. I didn’t take it personally, but I did take it as fact. I thought there’s no point pursuing this career if it’s not realistic, so I went into marketing instead.

  But just like my bumbling main character, I somehow ended up exactly where I needed to be to make this book happen. We have a lot in common, me and my protagonist. Growls doesn’t let the heaviness weigh him down, even if it is a subconscious trait. I, myself, when I lived in Paris, earned the nickname “Tête en L’aire,” which means “head in the clouds.” We also stumble into opportunities rather than grabbing them by the scruff of the neck.

  During the Covid lockdowns, I was living alone. Human contact was scarce and rare. The screaming neighbours above my apartment were my only reminder that I was still on this planet. I was bored out my nut. I remember reenacting scenes from Tangled to pass the time. I also made origami sunglasses and spent several hours practicing my signature with my left hand.

  After I’d completed Netflix, including all the terrible romantic comedies (all of them), I decided to see if I could still write. I’d not written a creative word since university, unless you count putting a smiley face next to my favourite items on my grocery list.

  I fell in love with writing again. All the silly conversations, the world building, the fun scenarios— I was having a ball. My only motivation was to finish a project. The origami sunglasses proved that I had it in me. Once I finished the manuscript, my plan was to whack it online, see if it there was a self-publishing website I could upload to, and then I would never think about it again.

  But I couldn’t do it.

  What if?

  What if it was good enough to see the light of day?

  One night, I decided to send it to a few agents. If they said no, then I’d have my answer. I got two no-replies, two rejections, and a maybe. The “maybe” came with the condition that I rewrite the entire thing for a slightly younger audience. So I did. Because of course I did. And three weeks later, I got the news that Dropping Beats was going to be published.

  I was still living in Peckham at the time. Shout out Top Boy season 2. I was a kid from the hood, and now an adult living in and writing about that same hood. I was out in the street when I got the news my book was being published. When my agent told me, I sat in the gutter for three hours.

  And now I get to share the story of Growls with you. I get to share the epic lows of his mum interrupting his livestream holding up a pair of his poop-stained underwear. I get to share the love he has for his friends, the epic wedding scene, the big rap competition at the end— I get to share all of it with you.

  I wasn’t supposed to be a writer. But the sweetest dream that came true was the one I didn’t know I had. It wasn’t real. And now it’s here. And I hope you enjoy this fun book.

  I also hope this shows that anyone from any background can write a book. I hope that all stories from all walks of life get to see the light of day, just like Growls.

  Best wishes to anyone reading this, and I hope you enjoy reading Dropping Beats. In fact, I hope you enjoy reading whatever it is you’re reading currently.

  All the best wishes,

  Nate Lessore

• The Branford Boase Award website - https://branfordboaseaward.org.uk/interview-steady-for-this/

  Q&A with author Nathanael Lessore

  The Branford Boase Award judges found Shaun, your central character, very lovable. Is he based on people you know? How did he come to you?

  Shaun is loosely based on myself. Lots and lots of the silly things he says and does are based on real life events that actually happened to me. The scene where he gets stuck in a pushchair, the cinema scene with the yogurt, anything that seems too silly to have happened probably did happen.

  When I lived in Paris, my aunt nicknamed me “tete en l’air” which loosely translates to “head in the clouds”. This informed Growls’ voice, and my editors, Ella and Ruth, helped fine-tune Growls to make him infinitely more likeable than he was in my first draft. I loved writing him, and he came very naturally.

  Your book is very funny but with much that is poignant too. How challenging was it to maintain the balance?

  Not challenging at all! My editors came in hard with the emotional beats. Originally, there was a joke in almost every other line, and it was a little overwhelming. Ella and Ruth knew exactly where to scale back the humour to ensure it remained impactful, and they suggested where to add poignant moments, and which scenes would push the emotional punches further, most notably in the last few chapters and throughout with Growls’ relationship with his mum. All I had to do was take their advice and their suggestions seriously (easy work on my part!).

  You write in your Author’s Note that you want kids like you were to see themselves represented in books in a positive and authentic way. How did that affect you when you were writing your book?

  My childhood on the North Peckham Estate was actually fun, and mostly positive, so all I had to do was write honestly about life in an estate.

  It involved lots and lots of listening. I needed to sound like a modern teen, which is difficult when you’re well into your thirties. Slang has evolved, and there’s nothing more cringe than an adult writing uninformed versions of what they think young people sound like.

  My cousin and brother who are both young, streetwise and difficult to please were my “authenticity” proofreaders. If I sound too old, they’re the first to tell me. I also did lots of eavesdropping on the bus to get the rhythm of speech as realistic as possible!

  Tell us about your working relationship with your editors, Ella and Ruth? What was most enjoyable about it?

  Average.

  Lol JK, it was pretty terrific.

  My mentality going in trying to get this book published was to take advice from people who know better than me. At the time, I had zero experience publishing books. They had several years between them. It’s a no-brainer. I was quickly justified in my approach.

  Every single editing note that they gave elevated the manuscript. This meant that, for me, the editing process was like flying a plane on autopilot. I had nothing to worry about. I felt very safe. They knew all the characters, and the world, as well as I did. Nothing they ever said was without deep thought or knowledge of the Steady For This universe. And this gave me freedom to be silly, to be imaginative, to go OTT with the gags, and still produce something worth publishing.

  The most enjoyable part was the out-takes. If a joke or a line wasn’t quite landing, I’d come up with several alternative suggestions, which was super fun. Ella and Ruth’s reactions to the jokes encouraged me to keep going.

  What are the major influences on your writing?

  I am blessed to be surrounded by fun people, socially and in my family. If I find something funny, I immediately make note of it.

  I also love TV. I grew up watching Friends, Scrubs, The Inbetweeners, Roll Safe, stuff that hasn’t always aged super well, but gave me a love of sitcom-style humour.

  When it comes to reading, it’s so varied. I loved the Spike Milligan war memoirs, I loved Malorie Blackman, Sophie Kinsella, Flannery O’Connor. Anything and everything really.

  My uni lecturers, Tessa McWatt, Tim Atkins, Helena Blakemore, taught me how to write proper.

  And finally, a bit cheesy, but obviously my editors. They both have an amazing sense of humour, as well as a mastery of narrative and the emotional elements of writing.

  What advice would you give to anyone wanting to write for young people?

  Listen. Don’t just throw random words like “innit” or “bruv” into sentences and think it’s job done. There’s a rhythm to the way young people speak. I never wrote anything good while actively trying to sound like a teenager.

  Also, it’s not all doom and gloom. Young people are just as funny and witty as adults.

  Teens are intelligent. The best piece of advice I got was from my agent, who told me “don’t write down” to younger readers.

• Parrot Street Book Club - https://www.parrotstreet.com/blogs/posts/nathanael-lessore-steady-for-this-funny-books-for-teens

  Nathanael Lessore on Steady For This and funny books for tweens and teens
  Jun 19, 2023
  Steady for This by Nathanael Lessore. Book cover and author photo.

  Funny books for teenagers are sometimes in short supply, so we were thrilled to be sent Steady for This by Nathanael Lessore, which was an easy pick for our Macaw boxes. Perfectly pitched for tweens and early teens, this is a hugely entertaining book with real heart, not to mention a fantastic cast of characters that young readers will instantly relate to. We asked author Nathanael Lessore to tell us why he was inspired to write the book and which other funny books for teenagers he recommends you read next.

  What inspired you to write Steady for This?
  I fell out of love with reading as a teenager in South London. There wasn't much relatable literature, especially in the form of comedies. Stories set in South London are frequently dark and gritty, where in reality my life on an estate was full of laughter and vibrant characters. Writing Steady For This gave me the opportunity to write a sincere, authentic, and hopefully entertaining book that kids like me can relate to in a positive way.

  Are any of the characters or elements of the story based on real people or events?
  Growls is very close to how I was growing up. The awkwardness of adolescence and ridiculousness of the situations he finds himself in tend to be true to my life. His voice is mine, and that of various people I grew up with. The scene of him getting stuck in a pushchair in the street happened to me. And other moments, like taking yogurt to the cinema, or accidentally kicking a ball into his face while trying to impress his crush, are things that actually happened to me! I hope these real world experiences keep Growls grounded in reality as a character.

  What do you hope young readers will take away from the story and how it unfolds?
  Firstly, I hope that they can see themselves and their friends, and families, and communities reflected back at them. And if I can make the reader laugh, or even smile, then that's the biggest takeaway I could hope for.

  I also hope the reader can see the value in a true, open and honest platonic friendship. I see Growls and Shanks as friendship goals; they're openly affectionate with each other and have true, shameless care for one another without building their friendship on bravado. I hope that kids can see their emotional vulnerability as a strength rather than a weakness. Through interactions with Mr Rix and Karen, too, Growls' growth comes from shedding the image he's trying to portray, and he finds real joy in being himself. To love is just as important as it is to be loved, to support is just as important as it is to be supported. Growls' relationship with Siobhan and his family are great examples of that too. Growls' growth as an MC is also in line with his growth as person. His lyrics (hopefully) get better and better as the story progresses, influenced by English lessons with Mr Rix and the music that Growls listens to. I hope young readers are inspired to do what they enjoy because it's enjoyable, and not because of how it might make them look to the outside world.

  I also hope that Siobhan can be a shining light and inspiration to the reader. She's a total boss, not just with her personal strength in her home situation, but in the way that she still invests time and kindness into her relationship with Growls.

  And lastly, I hope that through Growls, young readers can see that there is love and beauty and joy and laughter wherever you look hard enough for it, even within difficult living situations. You can be whoever you want to be.

  What would you say is the biggest or most valuable thing Shaun learns?
  He learns so much, so narrowing it down is difficult! But personally, I think that Growls' biggest gift to himself is gaining confidence in who he is, rather than who he's trying to be. That self-acceptance has really positive ripple effects on all the relationships in his life. For example, when his guard comes down, he's able to learn valuable life lessons from Mr Rix. He's able to put Karen's wisdom into practice, which improves his relationships with Shanks and Siobhan. His family unit is strengthened, especially his relationship with his mum. And he doesn't feel the need to pine after Tanisha anymore, because his motivations are vastly different at the end of the book than at the start. Growls starts the story as a fairly short-sighted character, and maybe a gift that he isn't initially aware of, is his growing ability to love outwardly and consider those around him.

  Can you tell us anything about what the future holds for Shaun?
  There's an endless well of anecdotes and adventures and characters that informed the construction of Shaun and his universe. I think an entire school year with Shanks and Siobhan by his side, with the ups and downs that comes with their ensemble relationship, would see him completely in his element. If we were to revisit Shaun at any point in time, he could be doing any random activity he's acidentally found himself in, like destroying a pottery class, or getting stuck in a toilet cubicle, or maybe he's being granted the keys to the city of Liverpool by the mayor. With his open heart and his support system, and maybe with a wider world that's open to him, Growls will always be living an interesting and entertaining life, whenever and whatever situation we find him in.

  But my next book will be about a new set of characters – still living and laughing in South London, but with a different set of ambitions, struggles – and one liners!

  Why did you choose to write books for this age group?
  After the Harry Potter and Noughts and Crosses series, I fell out of love with reading as I didn't have a lot to relate to. It wasn't until early adulthood that I got back into books in a big way. If I can remedy this for a younger generation, then that would mean the world to me as an author. Seeing kids from my old school, knowing that Steady For This is for them, brings me hope that maybe some of them will still read for pleasure. When I'm reading, I'm looking to be entertained, to escape or to learn. I hope to do one of these for any teen readers out there.

  Do you have a favourite place to write?
  Not yet! Steady For This is my debut, and I'm still learning the world of being a writer. I do most of my writing on my living room couch (I'm lucky enough to live alone), but that's through a lack of discovering a better place. If I ever need a change of scenery, I change rooms or go to Costa for that sweet free wifi and intermittent coffees.

  Which other funny books for tweens and teens would you recommend our subscribers read next?
  I've always been a fan of rom-coms and would point towards This is How You Fall in Love by Anika Hussain, or anything by Beth Reekles. And Glow Up, Lara Bloom by Dee Benson is another situational comedy for teens about self acceptance, so that's definitely one to get stuck into.

Lessore, Nathanael

King of Nothing

Hot Key Books, 2024, 320pp, [pounds sterling]7.99, 9781471413247

Family. Gangs. Toxic Masculinity

Anton has a 'rep' to maintain. Given kudos, when his dad went to prison, Anton is now one of the Kings of Y9, and the gang rules the school with fear and intimidation. His mother, frustrated with him getting into trouble at school, signs him up to a group called 'Happy Campers' and Anton attends, if only to get his internet access back. To his horror he is paired up with Matthew, the class "loser", who unexpectedly saves his life. Anton feels that teaching him 'some game' would be a good way to pay him back, and slowly an unlikely friendship grows. Over time Anton begins to question what his gang members think and say about women and their treatment of girls in their class. The sudden release of his father and the death of his grandmother makes him realise who his friends are and that he does have a future outside the gang. This book touches on the theme of toxic masculinity and would be a good addition to such a collection. The story itself is predictable and the lack of impact on the lead member of the gang is unsatisfactory.

Sarah Masters

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 The School Library Association
http://www.sla.org.uk/school-librarian.php
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Masters, Sarah. "King of Nothing." School Librarian, vol. 72, no. 3, autumn 2024, p. 61. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A810697517/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ff01886a. Accessed 17 June 2025.

Dropping Beats

Nathanael Lessore. Little, Brown, $19.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-316-58151-6; $12.99 paper ISBN 978-0-316-57698-7

When their livestream beatboxing practice goes wrong, 13-year-olds Growls, real name Shaun, and Shanks, aka Zachariah, go viral in the most humiliating way they can imagine. Now that they're the laughingstocks of the school, Growls's dream of landing his crush Tanisha go out the window, as do his and Shanks's plans of winning this year's Raptology, a competition whose prize money would be a boon for Growls's financially struggling family. Things seem unsalvageable after Shanks goes MIA. But when Growls meets the new girl on the block, everything changes for the aspiring rapper. Utilizing the protagonist's immediate-feeling first-person POV, debut author Lessore crafts a hilarious look into one teen's struggles to reach for the proverbial stars (highlights include "So Much Beef the Steaks Are High" and "Man's Got More Dates than a Calendar"). Lessore doesn't rest on comedic laurels: the inclusion of Growls's beatbox poems throughout allows readers a glimpse into his intimate thoughts and deep internality as an artist and adolescent, highlighting that Growls is more than his goofy outward persona. The cast is intersectionally diverse. Ages 12--up. Agent: Clare Wallace, Darley Anderson Agency. (Feb.)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"Dropping Beats." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 44, 18 Nov. 2024, pp. 53+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A817760177/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=690441bd. Accessed 17 June 2025.

Lessore, Nathanael DROPPING BEATS Little, Brown (Teen None) $12.99 2, 11 ISBN: 9780316576987

Thirteen-year-old Black Londoner Shaun "Growls" Thompson believes he's destined to be the next big thing--and he plans to achieve greatness through his rapping.

With his best friend and "partner in grime," Shanks, whose family has Jamaican roots, he's going to prove himself by entering and winning the annual Raptology competition for young teens. Without telling Shanks, Growls secretly livestreams one of their practices, hoping it will impress his crush, Tanisha. But two deeply embarrassing incidents unfold in front of hundreds of viewers, and soon Growls is receiving floods of messages, "and none of them [are] nice." Things just get worse: Shanks doesn't show up at school, and Growls' mum reveals some bad news. Now, Growls has to figure out how to fix things and achieve his dreams with the help of allies, including a new friend from school, redheaded Siobhan. The story starts off slowly but gains momentum as it progresses. Refreshingly, the original British vocabulary is retained, enhancing the sense of place; a glossary is included to support any readers who need it. Imaginative, observant Growls' conversational and humorous first-person narration blends London slang with his own creative expressions. This well-written story explores relevant topics including social media, mental health, being a caretaker, and the importance of believing in yourself.

A hilarious, witty story centered on embracing your quirks and the importance of friendship. (author's note)(Fiction. 12-14)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Lessore, Nathanael: DROPPING BEATS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A823102188/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c096e981. Accessed 17 June 2025.

Following the award-winning success of his first two novels, Lessore turns his gift for comedic writing to the challenges faced by teenagers online. Charlott Eyre reports

'I still vividly remember what it was like to be awkward. Even now. I don't have the insecurities of a teenager, but I'm still kind of just bumbling my way through life." Nathanael Lessore, the author of the award-winning Steady for This and King of Nothing, is talking about his ability to write about the realities of life for teenagers today. His next book, What Happens Online, is about a boy called Fred who hides behind an online persona, and the pain of adolescence is something Lessore remembers well. "I had all the insecurities and the oddities," he says. "I was a shy kid in the corner and when I look back now I think, 'How did I make it through life?'"

That awkwardness is something that the author channelled into Fred, the hero of What Happens Online. In real life, Fred is unpopular, and is dealing with some family issues. Fred does, however, have a trick up his sleeve because online he is known as Existor@stmarks, one of the best gamers around. Fred decides to use his online persona to help "Fred the loser", so begins spreading outlandish rumours about his classmates. His bullies are shunned, and people finally begin to take notice of him. Life is temporarily good. But, when his falsehoods get out of hand, the web of lies comes tumbling down.

The prevalence of gaming and social media is something Lessore sees every time he does an event at a secondary school, and he has heard "horrific stories of online bullying and kids scrolling through celebrities wishing they had that life".

Lessore says: "In a way, I wanted to show that social media itself is a video game. It's a simulation--people are showing you the part they want you to see." Teenagers can find it hard to differentiate the online world and the real world, he says, and "we know from science and research that there are detrimental effects of being online".

But if any Lessore fans are worried that this all sounds too serious, they need not worry. Being a gamer "isn't all doom and gloom", Lessore says, and gamers (and Lessore is one himself) are usually just "helpful nerds giving each other passwords". What Happens Online is also, like his previous novels, very funny indeed.

"I never set out to write comedy," he says. "The one thing that was drummed into me at university was 'write what you know' and, apparently, what I know people find amusing... I think that I myself am not that funny, but I'm surrounded by funny people and funny things happen to me.

"I've told this story before, but I moved into a new house about four years ago and I didn't know what cockroaches looked like. I thought there were loads of beetles everywhere. And then, a couple of weeks later, I went to see my GP and when I went to pull a tissue out of my pocket, a cockroach fell from it onto the floor in between me and my doctor... He was so disgusted."

Lessore grew up as one of eight children in South London, and his busy home life was great for creativity and imaginative play, but becoming an author wasn't an obvious career choice at first ("I got two Cs for my English GCSEs," he says). The writing came later, when he was working in a call centre in his 20s. He didn't have enough work to do, so started writing essays and poems to stave off boredom and entertain the people who shared his desk.

It was "really random stuff", he says. "One that I wrote was about the realistic repercussions of the song It's Raining Men. Are these sentient men who are being rained? And what does it mean for the population? Are they surviving the impact?"

This led to him applying to university to study creative writing--where the tutors taught him about emotional beats and structure--and during lockdown he started working on what would eventually be Steady for This, his first novel.

The manuscript was picked up by Hot Key Books and went on to be hugely successful in terms of prizes, winning the Branford Boase Award (for a debut) and the Diverse Book Awards Children's Prize. It was also shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal. His second book, King of Nothing is, at the time of writing, in the running for this year's Waterstones Children's Book Prize and is on the recently announced longlist for this year's Yoto Carnegie. Both are adored by the critics.

He is modest about his achievements, giving a lot of credit to his editor, Ella Whiddett, but acknowledges that he must be doing something right. When he does school visits it is often the pupils who pretend they are not interested, the "boisterous people in the crowd, the ones who have to be shushed", who are first in line to get their books signed.

So what's next? What Happens Online will be released in April and there will be at least one more novel by him coming from Hot Key Books. Lessore is also working on a 20,000-word book for a German publisher that will be a contemporary take on Romeo and Juliet, which is a "lot of fun" and, again, incorporates an anecdote from Lessore's own life. "At one point he's wearing a wig in his bedroom and it catches on a scented candle and the wig goes up in flames. And rather than taking the wig off, he kind of slaps the flames out with his hands. So he's got bandages up his arms and she [the Juliet character] embarrasses him at school and tells everybody. So to get back at her, he joins her drama club to ruin her production of Romeo and Juliet."

But in general, Lessore says he doesn't have grand plans or aspirations. "I'm just grateful to make it to the next day and the next week," he says. "It's a bit of a cliche but I'm enjoying the journey and where I'm going, I'm just feeling my way forward."

Imprint

Hot Key Books

Publication

24th April 2025

Format/s

PB (9781471418204, 8.99 [pounds sterling]); EB (9781471418211, 5.99 [pounds sterling])

Editor

Ella Whiddett

Agent

Clare Wallace, Darley

Anderson Children's

Key backlist

Steady for This Hot Key Books, 7.99 [pounds sterling], 9781471413223

Shaun (aka MC Growls) is ready to drop his best bars and smash the competition at Raptology, when a livestream practice goes wrong and Growls' dirty laundry is literally exposed. He has gone viral, and not in a good way. Steady for This won the Branford Boase Award and the Diverse Book Awards Children's Prize, and was shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal, the UKLA Book Award and the Jhalak Prize.

4,778 TCM copies sold

King of Nothing Hot Key Books, 7.99 [pounds sterling], 9781471413247

Lessore explored toxic masculinity in his second novel, which is about Anton, who is forced to join the Happy Campers, a local activity group where Matthew, the biggest loser in school, is also a member. When Matthew saves Anton's life, the boys strike up an unlikely friendship, and Anton finds himself questioning everything he thought was important. King of Nothing is on the longlist for the 2025 Yoto Carnegie Medal.

2,183 TCM copies sold

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 The Stage Media Limited
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Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Eyre, Charlotte. "Nathanael Lessore." The Bookseller, no. 6103, 28 Feb. 2025, pp. 6+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A829486375/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b0306d86. Accessed 17 June 2025.

Masters, Sarah. "King of Nothing." School Librarian, vol. 72, no. 3, autumn 2024, p. 61. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A810697517/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ff01886a. Accessed 17 June 2025. "Dropping Beats." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 44, 18 Nov. 2024, pp. 53+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A817760177/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=690441bd. Accessed 17 June 2025. "Lessore, Nathanael: DROPPING BEATS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A823102188/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c096e981. Accessed 17 June 2025. Eyre, Charlotte. "Nathanael Lessore." The Bookseller, no. 6103, 28 Feb. 2025, pp. 6+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A829486375/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b0306d86. Accessed 17 June 2025.

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