Dead Ends: An electrifying novel in verse by award-winning author and poet

by Ashley Hickson-Lovence

An electrifying new YA verse-novel by award-winning and Carnegie nominated author and poet, Ashley Hickson-Lovence. Perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds, Dean Atta and Manjeet Mann.

There are stories within these storeys . . .

Something is going down at Singer Court.

Something big.

It’s Saturday morning and fourteen-year-old Toby “Mastermind” McKenzie and his younger brother Dré are forced to evacuate their high-rise tower block by armed officers.

Set over the course of a single day, this is the nail-bitingly thrilling and poetic tale of a bright young Black boy using the power of courage, friendship and unity to save his community.

Ashley Hickson-Lovence's debut verse-novel, Wild East, won the YA Diverse Book Award 2025, the Two Cities Book Award 2024, the Mal Peet Children’s Award 2024 and the East Anglian Book of the Year 2024, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Writing 2025 and shortlisted and longlisted for multiple more prizes.

Praise for Wild East:

‘A powerful story of resilience, friendship, discovery and growth’ Jeffrey Boakye, author of Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer

‘I loved Ronny's kindness, vulnerability, empathy, tenacity and open-heartedness’ Patrice Lawrence, author of Orangeboy

‘Raw, moving, and so accessible. A powerful spoken-word style verse novel’ Rashmi Sirdeshpande, author of How To Be Extraordinary

‘Welcomes all types of readers . . . Hickson-Lovence has crafted a superb piece’ DD Armstrong, author of Ugly Dogs Don't Cry

‘A book meant to be heard . . . It's the fresh, “spoken word” style that makes Ronny's story’ The Times

‘Heartfelt and up-to-the-minute . . . A reminder that even short lines can take you a long way’ The Sunday Times

‘This empowering verse novel announces the arrival of an exciting new talent in YA fiction’ Waterstones.com

Kindle Edition

Expected publication August 27, 2026

About the author

Ashley Hickson-Lovence was born in London in 1991 and is a former secondary school English teacher with a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing from the University of East Anglia. His debut novel, The 392, was released in April 2019 and his second novel, Your Show, was released in April 2022. His third book, a YA-in-verse called Wild East, is released with Penguin in May 2024.