Akala, Wheatle and McNicoll among books for New Writing North schools project

Books by Akala, Alex Wheatle and Elle McNicoll are among 20 titles featuring in New Writing North's new project, focused on celebrating diverse literature in schools.

"Balance the Books" will launch in secondary schools in north-east England in January next year, encouraging students to read a broad range of titles.

The project was developed by New Writing North after conversations with young people who felt their own lives were not reflected in the literature in their school libraries. The project aims to inspire young people to discover more books by authors with whom they identify and learn about experiences that have historically been marginalised and underrepresented in literature. 

Commenting on the project, Ruth Dewhirst, senior programme manager at New Writing North said: “We believe that every young person should have access to art and culture that speaks across the spectrum of human experience. Exposure to different voices and experiences provides us with new stories that remind us who we are, challenge our existing understanding, inspire us, and help us to develop a richer understanding of others.” 

Following a shortlisting process by a panel of young people, teachers, librarians and expert readers, the final selection of twenty Balance the Books titles was chosen by participants of its young writers programme. The selected titles are written authors from a wide range of underrepresented backgrounds, including people of colour, disabled people, LGBTQIA+ people, working-class people and care-experienced people. 

New Writing North’s partner schools will each receive package of 100 books to form their Balance the Books shelf; reading resources commissioned by the authors; book clubs and other shared reading activity. Young people outside of these schools will also be encouraged to take part by sharing their reading and recommending books using #BalanceTheBooks on social media. Lisette Auton, Jake Hope, Christopher Moore and Okechukwu Nzelu formed the expert reading panel for the project. 

On being selected for Balance the Books, Atta, said: “I never sat down to write a diverse book. I wrote a book about the world I know. The world I know has ethnic diversity, has working-class and middle-class people in the same family, has many kinds of family, has many sexualities and gender expressions. The world I know may not be like the world you know but now it sits proudly on a bookshelf for you to pick it up.”  

McNicoll added: "I'm thrilled that A Kind of Spark has been chosen for Balance the Books. It's so important that neurodiversity has a place in conversations about representation, and that ND authors are at the forefront. Underrepresented authors are writing the most exciting stories so it is wonderful New Writing North is championing this." 

The Balance the Books list is:  

 A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll (Knights Of)
Afterlove by Tanya Byrne (Hachette Children's)
And The Stars Were Burning Brightly by Danielle Jawando (Simon and Schuster)
Black and British: A Short, Essential History by David Olusoga (Pan Macmillan)
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta (Hodder Children's)
Cane Warriors by Alex Wheatle (Andersen Press)
Careless by Kirsty Capes (Orion)
The Dark Lady by Akala (Hodder Children's)
I am Thunder by Muhammad Khan (Macmillan Children's Books)
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (Faber)
My Name Is Why by Lemn Sissay (Canongate)
Oh My Gods by Alexandra Sheppard (Scholastic)
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (Faber)
Poor by Caleb Femi (Penguin)
Run Riot by Nikesh Shukla (Hodder Children's Books)
Stay a Little Longer by Bali Rai (Barrington Stoke)
Tall Story by Candy Gourlay (Tamarind)
Under Rose Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall (HMH Books)
What’s the T? by Juno Dawson (Wren & Rook)
You’re Not Proper by Tariq Mahmood (HopeRoad)