The Ministry of Manners
David Solomons
Illustrated by Hazem Asif
Ages 9 to 12
Paperback
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07 May 2026Imprint: Piccadilly Press
Synopsis
EXCLUSIVE NEON-YELLOW SPRAYED EDGE - LIMITED FIRST EDITION AVAILABLE!
A BOLD NEW MIDDLE-GRADE ADVENTURE FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR DAVID SOLOMONS EXPLORING WHAT'S LOST IN KEEPING QUIET AND WHAT'S FOUND IN FIGHTING BACK.
'A clever and compelling novel' THE TIMES CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK
Be quiet. Be polite. Or be silenced.
Alfie and Margot Hawthorne have grown up under the Ministry of Manners, where politeness isn't a choice - it's the law. And one wrong word can change your life. He knows how to stay out of trouble, but she has never been one for quiet obedience.
When the Ministry takes Margot, everything changes. Inside the Manners Retreat, she fights to stay herself in a place built to erase her. Meanwhile, Alfie falls in with the Unsilenced - those who still dare to speak. But the Ministry has plans of its own. And if they succeed, rebellion won't just be punished. It'll be impossible.
A BOLD NEW MIDDLE-GRADE ADVENTURE FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR DAVID SOLOMONS EXPLORING WHAT'S LOST IN KEEPING QUIET AND WHAT'S FOUND IN FIGHTING BACK.
'A clever and compelling novel' THE TIMES CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK
Be quiet. Be polite. Or be silenced.
Alfie and Margot Hawthorne have grown up under the Ministry of Manners, where politeness isn't a choice - it's the law. And one wrong word can change your life. He knows how to stay out of trouble, but she has never been one for quiet obedience.
When the Ministry takes Margot, everything changes. Inside the Manners Retreat, she fights to stay herself in a place built to erase her. Meanwhile, Alfie falls in with the Unsilenced - those who still dare to speak. But the Ministry has plans of its own. And if they succeed, rebellion won't just be punished. It'll be impossible.
Details
07 May 2026
9781835873175Imprint: Piccadilly Press
Reviews
Well written. . . Confident young readers will find lots to like in this dystopia. . . A clever and compelling novel.
A pertinent dystopia about living under an authoritarian regime and having the courage to speak out.
Brilliantly constructed. . . With a breathtaking final act, it would be a great way to kickstart age-appropriate discussions about politics and human rights. Think of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four reimagined and made accessible and relevant to a contemporary, young readership.
In this brilliant younger-reader homage to Orwell's 1984, Solomons pulls no punches when it comes to the peril and adventure the Hawthorne siblings find themselves in. Bright prose and smart dialogue show a new generation of readers the dangers of over-compliance, fascism and constant surveillance. . . Asif's bold, memorable illustrations add to the sense of the immersive world of the Hawthorne siblings. . . well-paced and action-packed.
