King of Nothing

King of Nothing is funny, insightful and generally eye-opening. It takes us into the lives of two very different Year Nines, showing the differences between Anton and Matthew in a heart-warming and relatable way.
When he becomes friends with Matthew, Anton has to choose between protecting his reputation as ruler of the school and doing what he knows is right and prioritising his future. Lessore writes in a way that is comedic yet realistic, giving readers Anton’s – sometimes stupid – inner dialogue which really helps the story to progress.
The parallels between Matthew’s distant father who doesn’t bother to try and Anton’s criminal father who just can’t get it right add to the dynamic. Additionally, the plot twists left me speechless. However, it did feel like this book only just got started halfway through, and the main scenes – while excellently written – could’ve come a lot earlier.
To conclude, this book shows a very unique perspective and really challenges readers’ own views on tricky topics, such as gender inequality and bullying, in a way that is still enjoyable to read. ⅘ stars.
– Darcey, Year 7, Millthorpe School

I loved this book. It was very engaging and pulled me in. It made me feel like I was lost in the book since I read it for so long each day. It had a way of hooking the reader in as soon as you started reading. I would recommend this but to others who like adventure. I was really excited to read this book and I am happy that I enjoyed it a lot. I have read Nathanael’s other book and knew that I’d like this one as well and unsurprisingly I loved it.
– Mira, Year 8, Joseph Rowntree School

King of Nothing is a book that centres on a young boy called Anton who is forced to face the real world outside his bubble of popular friends through an unlikely bond with a boy called Matthew whom he had previously described as ‘uncool’.
Something I liked about this book was its humour. I will never forget it plaguing my book club with giggles and the one time it actually made me laugh out loud when I was reading it. Whether you enjoy the book or not, it is funny.
However, there were many reasons that I felt this book was difficult to read. 
Firstly, it was all (mostly) written in slang which made it very hard to understand and follow. All it needed was a little glossary of slang at the back.
Something else I didn’t enjoy was how long the story took to become enjoyable. Anton’s character and ‘likeability’ only improved about 3 or 4 chapters into the book and, personally, I didn’t like that I had to wait for a good chunk of the book for it to ‘get good’.
But my main problem with this book was that I didn’t relate to Anton and found it hard to connect with the book, but that is more of a problem with me than the book.
Overall, it was an alright book that I would definitely not read again.
– Molly  W., All Saints Catholic School

One of the things I liked about this book was how Nathanael Lessore wrote the characters; a lot of ‘bullies’ in books are (in my opinion) usually quite unrealistic, you never find out about their lives, or their motivations. It’s also quite rare for a book about a ‘bully’ to be written from the ‘bully’s’ point of view, you only ever hear about the shy protagonist being tormented. I believe this is because of the fact that mean people don’t believe they are being mean. They usually have not had someone explain to them how the world works, and how they should treat others. That is one of the things I liked about this book. 
One of the other things I liked was how Anton believed that the only things that mattered were things that were happening at the time. I think one of the things that I’ve heard a lot (especially during Year 6) was that we need to plan for our future, notice what we are good at, need to improve on and what our talents are, and that we need to work hard. This is all because of the future – when we are an adult. Anton – at the beginning of the book – only believed in what was happening at that very moment, not the future. I think this is a state of mind that lots of kids have got stuck in and I think this book raises awareness that just because you are ‘popular’ now, it doesn’t mean you will be popular forever, or that although people may seem like they are happy, they may have problems they haven’t told you about.
In conclusion, this book helped me understand that mean people are not always as happy as you think.
– Aggie, All Saints Catholic School

This story is about a boy who is the supposed ‘king’ of the school. Everyone respects him. He is an unruly gang member and is rude to most of the teachers. His dad is in jail so people are almost scared of him and he almost likes it that way! So when he gets into heaps of trouble at school, he doesn’t care to be fair, but his mum most definitely does. She decides it’s time for Anton to make
some new ‘better’ friends and join the Happy Campers, a local activity group. Anton would quite literally rather do anything else, especially when he finds out Matthew, the biggest loser in school, is also a member.
But an unlikely friendship sparks when Matthew saves his life. He starts seeing school differently, thinking about his future careers and making lots of reliable good quality friends much to the disapproval of the most rebellious member of his ‘gang’, Kehinde, and he ends up having to make the decision between being the king of the school and a good friend.
The opening of this story is really fast paced and exciting; delving straight into the toxic masculinity that Anton experienced at school. This story really lets you become submerged in the story of the rebellious king of the school to a loyal good friend.
There are many characters in this story, especially some interesting ones in his school and his gran who sadly passed away during the course of the story. I feel
like I can relate to one of the characters who Anton respects because she is really level headed and kind. There are quite a few moments of connection
between the characters especially because Anton makes Matthew look ‘cool’ by picking his clothes and cutting his hair. The story reveals that all this effort is so a girl named Fernanda likes him. I think the writer chose this story to spread the message of toxic masculinity and chose Anton’s storyline as it is really interesting and captivates you.
Overall I think the story has a really good moral and I would definitely recommend it.
– Manor CE Academy

I very much enjoyed the book it was very entertaining and humorous and made me laugh many times. It touched my heart and deepened my liking for the novel as Anton slowly realised the true understanding of friendship and life and Anton as I watched and read about his development from a bullying smart-Alek to a cunning, caring person. I developed my understanding for the modern-day hierarchy and edification. Matthew, Anton’s not-at-first but eventual dear friend added a quirky and fun aroma to the book. At first, I wasn’t so sure about all the modern language and the amount of toxic masculinity but really made sense in the book as the story carried on. I really enjoyed the novel because it had a powerful story and taught a strong lesson that everybody should keep in mind that you should always respect people no matter what you are and do.
– Sofia, Year 8, St Peter’s 8-13

King of Nothing is a real life drama that tells the story of the trials and challenges of a boy growing up and struggling to overcome the pressure of his so-called friends.
The way that the style of writing imitates the manner of speaking that these characters would have really talked in makes the immersive detail so much better and you feel like these characters have really come to life. This however can sometimes mean that I struggled to understand the situation that the characters found themselves in or the dialogue that passed between the people as some of the words I had never heard before.
However, on the whole, I felt that this was a charming book that really emphasised the troubles and problems felt by teenagers who some people dismiss as waspish and irritable.
It really touched my heart and I felt that the connection between Anton’s mum and her job was really moving and elevated the feelings of compassion and sorrow that I felt towards all of the women who have been domestically abused. I felt that the character of Kehinde was extremely well written and made the peer pressure put onto Anton become a lot more relatable. However obvious the main storyline might have been – in my opinion – the little twists and turns in the story made me gasp as Anton’s father was released from prison, laugh as he faces his fears with the tarantula and cry as Kehinde sets fire to the refuge and all of Anton’s hard work goes up in flames. I am however very glad that Anton managed to overcome his inner demons and choose subjects for his GCSEs that his ‘friends’ might not have approved of and, in the end, be able to discover who his true friends were.
All in all, I thought that it was a charming book that really touched my heartstrings and made me feel an abundance of emotions.
– Alice, Millthorpe School

One of the main reasons I like this book is because of the plot. It is about a boy named Anton who is in the ‘naughty gang’ at school. His mum makes him go to a camping group because of his poor behaviour; Anton doesn’t like it. At the camp, he starts talking to a boy who is in his school class; he has never spoken to him before as he is one of the ‘quiet kids’. The boy ends up saving his life, making him question everything.
Characters
In this book there are a range of characters, many of whom you can relate to. They are in various friendship groups, including the ‘naughty group’, the ‘girl group’ and the ‘lonely guy’.
Emotions
Towards the end of Chapter 21 and the start of 22, the mood of the book is very sad; this is very different to the tone of the rest of the book. You do feel some bad emotions towards certain characters because of their attitudes and behaviour. There is a lot of humour in the book because it deals with everyday life for a teenager.
Why I like it
I enjoyed reading this mostly because it is a realistic book and the language is very modern. My favourite part is what happens in Chapter 18. It gets me really excited and makes me wonder what’s going to happen next. I would recommend this book to children aged 11 upwards as it is about the lives of children at this age.
– Benjamin, Year 7, Joseph Rowntree School

‘Dreams are for Martin Luther King. I don’t need none of that. I’m king of the school, already living my best life.‘ What a powerful quote. From the offset you can tell it is going to be a thought-provoking book. The characters have very strong personalities, everyone knows an Anton and everyone knows a Matthew, and you really feel for them by the end.
However, the storyline is very predictable. Lots of stories have a plot exactly like this – it isn’t very original. Even from the blurb -‘or will he set his sights on something bigger’- it’s not the most stand out book. The start of the book drags on a bit, there aren’t many plot twists or exciting scenes at the start.
Although, the book deals with some serious topics. Sexism, toxic masculinity, and bullying are too potent in modern society, even though they are very old ideas. This book challenges these beliefs, and by the end you can see that Matthew has definitely changed for the better.
– Imogen, Year 7, St Peter’s 8-13

This book made me realise the meaninglessness of social hierarchy, whilst being an entertaining amusing read.
This book highlights the pressing issues of toxic masculinity and sexism, is has a deep message whilst being a comical read.
The humorous way the book is written makes it a light enjoyable book to bury oneself in. The character Anton’s favourite word ‘fam’ is most dear to me. Though Anton may express exasperation to his fam and peers we can see the love, care and need for them he has throughout this poignant though jocular novel. His confidence and brazenness are something we could benefit from; however, his friend Mathew is the heroic, eccentric addition to this quirky book that I have adopted a fondness for.
– Srija, Year 8, St Peter’s 8-13

King of Nothing, published in 2024, has been praised by the Guardian for its humour and shortlisted for a Carnegie Medal. Here, it is reviewed for the still more prestigious York Book Awards.
The book is set in London in the south of England – though it will seem quite alien to many readers, for reasons discussed later. The book, over the course of its 309 story-bearing pages, chronicles the character arc of Anton, a troubled youth in Year 9 who narrates the story.
The narrative begins with Anton musing on violence, in relation to he and his group of friends attacking a child in retribution for a slight to one of them. The book then shows further evidence of Anton’s depravity, as he mocks his friends, ignores the needs of his ailing grandmother and even insults a teacher. There is, however, some evidence of a deeper morality to him – he shows genuine love for his family, silently dislikes his friends’ more contemptible behaviours, and is complicit in kicking a football that hit someone into the street.
As the book progresses, Anton gradually changes, making new friends and growing apart from his old ones; also taking more interest in his studies and the world outside his social group. Although he tries to maintain his old relationships with his old friends, he must eventually make a life-defining choice.
Many would deride this book for various reasons, including the confusing dialect, to which no guide or explanation is given; the unpleasantness of the protagonist; the fact that Matthew can come across as more of an annoying child than positive influence; and the presence of several clichés which can seem ubiquitous in King of Nothing’s genre such as the wise authority figures originally ignored by the teenager, the bully learning the error of his ways, the death of an elderly relative, and the estranged father.  On the other hand, perhaps these people are just not the intended audience for the book – indeed, for King of Nothing’s many puns, it is a hilarious and heartwarming tale with a deeper message.
– Toby W., All Saints Catholic School

I really enjoyed The King Of Nothing as I think it portrayed secondary school and peer pressure well. It was inspiring as it was about how to pave your own way and not constantly worrying about what others think.
It was very interesting reading it and I couldn’t put it down at points.
The writer really made it sound as if a child was telling the story and how it must have been to be Anton. By the end of the book it was incredible to see how many changes for the better Anton had made through the most unlikely circumstances. The author also showed Matthew, the other main character, very well, his different personality traits and how they affected him.
Overall it was an amazing book and I would give it about 4.5 stars.
– Manor CE Academy

I thought that King of Nothing was quite funny because of the slang language. It made me think of a 13 year old hanging out with his friends and teasing them. When it got to the part with a kid called Matthew, I thought he was going to get bullied a lot, but when the main character gets stung by a bee, he gets saved by Matthew. This book would be best for children who know slang words. It creates a bit of tension when the main character’s friend starts questioning him on who he wants to be with (him or Matthew).
Because I don’t use much slang, I don’t know what some of the words meant so it could improve a bit on that so people, who don’t know much of it can understand what the author means. It is definitely a book people would like but they might need to improve the language a little bit. Other than that, it’s a definite good read.
– Manor CE Academy

I found this book surprisingly excellent! I found the front cover and blurb very misleading in a negative sense as they would have caused me to put down the book, the fonts and way of writing persuading me of its inappropriateness for someone on the older end of the award but never could I have been further from the truth. It is a book that is written to promote a message and the rest of the book is focused around that in an interesting but nevertheless unconventional manner. Although that is the way of which many of the great classical writers structured their books including the esteemed George Orwell who wrote famously: “ When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, ‘I am going to produce a work of art’. I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing.” Lessore writes amusing prose but without florid vocabulary. They also write with a passion and a will to educate which I find heartwarming. It draws attention to the problems of gender inequality and toxic masculinity with the most wonderful characters from a range of backgrounds.
It is set in a south London which encourages amusement as it contrasts so much with the novel of Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence which many of you may have read. Whist Lawrence’s S. London had drugs, gang violence and knife crime; Lessore’s had a uniformed group known as the ‘happy campers’ and a large population of burly youths who ‘rule the school’, throw paper balls at their teachers and talk about ‘having a scrap’ with amusing frequency that is as they never really get round to it.
The story of Anton is a reinvention of the classic theme of redemption from being in with the wrong crowd. Aided with prominent characters like Matthew ‘the biggest loser in class’, the headteacher, family and love interests Anton begins to realise that the people who he interacts with are horrible people who are doomed to fail in later life and thus decides to try to change. And even though the book adopts a humorous tone, it brought tears to my eyes at certain points as you grow to love the characters through such a short book and you see how wrong toxic masculinity and gender inequality is and how passionately Lessore wishes this to become the belief of all.
I strongly suggest this book to younger readers as I so thoroughly enjoyed it
– Year 9, Millthorpe School