The Black Flamingo
Children's, Teenage & Young Adult, Activity & Reference, Poetry & Anthologies
Paperback Published on: 05/03/2020
£9.99
Bookseller Reviews
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Fabulous!
Bold, beautiful and empowering. I loved the way that this was written, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the fully illustrated version when it's pub... READ MORE
Amazing
A proof of The Black Flamingo arrived at our store so, attracted by the name and the cover, I snaffled it. And I am so glad I did. I've never read a poetic... READ MORE
Incredible!
The Black Flamingo is unique, fabulous and just such a beautiful book. An incredible coming - of -age story. I absolutely loved this book! The Main charact... READ MORE
A powerful and beautiful coming-of-age story
I really appreciate that we are starting with the perspective of a six-year-old.
There is something jarring about having children portraying what they want... READ MORE
Utterly brilliant
For me this is THE YA book of 2020.
We follow Michael during his teen and young adult years, and as he is finding his own identity you can’t help but re... READ MORE
A gorgeous beast
I rarely dip my toe into YA, and have read very few novels in verse, but I'm so glad I picked this up! Dean Atta captures his protagonist's coming of age i... READ MORE
I get heart flutters just thinking about this book
I read this book a few months ago and I still think of it, and what I think is: THIS BOOK WAS SO AMAZING!
I don't think I have ever enjoyed a book written... READ MORE
Synopsis
Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize Older Readers Prize 2021
This is not about being ready, it's not even about being fierce, or fearless, it's about being free.
Michael waits in the stage wings, wearing a pink wig, pink fluffy coat and black heels.
One more step will see him illuminated by spotlight.
He has been on a journey of bravery to get here, and he is almost ready to show himself to the world in bold colours ...
Can he emerge as The Black Flamingo?
- Publisher: Hachette Children's Group
- ISBN: 9781444948608
- Number of pages: 368
- Weight: 328g
- Dimensions: 194 x 126 x 28 mm
Customer Reviews
View allPerfect for fans of Sarah Crossan
Thank you to the publishers for this review copy.
I do rather like a novel written as poetry. An excellent book to spark discussions, break down barriers, ... READ MORE
Moving, poetic exploration of identity and coming of age
Dean Atta is best known as a performance poet, so it was perhaps inevitable that his first turn to fiction would be in the form of a poetic novel. The Blac... READ MORE
The perfect highly stimulating but low demand read
There are less stars in the sky than the number of times I gushed about this book as I was reading it. It’s a classic coming of age story without feeling a... READ MORE
Immersive and insightful
Dean Atta raises a fundamental question for readers that is universally recognisable: who I am? Michael’s story is one of identity and belonging. As Michae... READ MORE
Beautiful and captivating!
Firstly, LOOK AT THE COVER - incredible! This was a book that I did pick up solely for the cover to begin with and it gave me SO MUCH MORE (yes the capital... READ MORE
Excellent LGBTQ+ illustrated YA coming of age book about identity
Michael Angeli was born on 31st October 1999 to a Greek Cypriot mother and a Jamaican father who left shortly after Michael was born. From an early age, h... READ MORE
Beautiful!
Michael – Mikey – Mike – is growing up, and growing into the person he wants to be, and it was a delight to be able to follow his journey.
The book is wri... READ MORE
Loved it
Michael has always had a hard time fitting in. He doesn’t act like the other boys, who play with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and like to fight. He would r... READ MORE
Powerful, sensitive and warm - a must-read tale of self-discovery
The Black Flamingo is Michael's story, told in the form of narrative style poems, illustrated effectively throughout and with gorgeous feathery pages at th... READ MORE
Vibrant and engaging
The Black Flamingo is essentially a modern coming of age story. I really liked how the format of the book reflects current society and how we communicate w... READ MORE
A Novel of Identity
"I am the black flamingo. The black flamingo is me trying to find myself."
I picked this up at the library on a whim and I am so glad I did. This might be... READ MORE
Brilliant and Bold
A fantastic extension to Atta’s spoken word poetry, this poetry-collection-turned-novella is varied, emotional, bold and daring. A wonderful reflection of ... READ MORE
Excellent YA Book
This is an excellent book for the YA audience. It tackles so many key topics in the world today - and the writing is absolutely stunning. Dean Atta has cre... READ MORE
Incredible writing.
Aw, what a brilliant book. Wonderful story, beautifully told. Every time I dived back into it, it felt like I was right there with Michael within a couple ... READ MORE
Finding and celebrating who you are
I DEVOURED this book over the course of an afternoon- sucked in instantly by its beautiful free verse structure and the openness of protagonist Michael’s t... READ MORE
Insightful and beautiful.
THE BLACK FLAMINGO was a beautiful, real story told with grit. A coming of age, coming out, all while being black story. What felt unique to me about this ... READ MORE
Beautiful, Powerful, Poetic
I’m still not over this book. If you saw my stories after I finished this book you would have seen how much I LOVED this! I read this book in 3 hours and s... READ MORE
WOW!
Wow wow wow wow! What a perfectly written book - thank you Dean Atta. The entire book is written in verse and at first, I was a bit apprehensive but it doe... READ MORE
Put this in every secondary school in Britain
Have you ever been mad at yourself for not reading a book sooner?
.
I was organising my shelves when I picked up The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta. Becaus... READ MORE
beautiful
I read it super fast, in two sittings! I just couldn't put it down.
It was so easy to get into it and the verse style of it made the experience much bette... READ MORE
Empowering!
A beautifully written story told in verse. This is one of the books I wish I had when I was younger as I think it would have helped me understand the world... READ MORE
Bold, poignant, funny, brilliant.
I’m not always a fan of a prologue but there are definitely exceptions and this is one. It’s a perfect way in and had my attention from the very first line... READ MORE
Beautiful
Just amazing, please read!!