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I Am Not a Troublemaker
Chadwick has just joined a new school, and he is stung by the label of troublemaker.
Will the label stick, or will he get the chance to come clean?
Will the label stick, or will he get the chance to come clean?
26 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2021
3 people want to read
About the author
Tolu' A. Akinyemi
23 books23 followersTolu' A. Akinyemi
(also known as Tolutoludo) is a multiple award-winning Nigerian British writer of twenty-three books in the genres of poetry, short stories, children's literature, and essays.
His works include Dead Lions Don't Roar (poetry, 2017); Unravel Your Hidden Gems (essays, 2018); Dead Dogs Don't Bark (poetry, 2018); Dead Cats Don't Meow (poetry, 2019); Never Play Games With the Devil (poetry, 2019); Inferno of Silence (short stories, 2020); A Booktiful Love (poetry, 2020); Black ≠ Inferior (poetry, 2021); Never Marry a Writer (poetry, 2021); Everybody Don Kolomental (poetry, 2021); I Wear Self-Confidence Like a Second Skin (children's literature, 2021); I Am Not a Troublemaker (children's literature, 2021); Born in Lockdown (poetry, 2021); A god in a Human Body (poetry, 2022); If You Have To Be Anything, Be Kind (children's literature, 2022); City of Lost Memories, (poetry, 2022); Awaken Your Inner Lion, (essays, 2022); On The Train To Hell, (poetry, 2022); You Need More Than Dreams (poetry, 2023); The Morning Cloud is Empty (poetry, 2023); Architects of a Cleaner Financial System (poetry, 2023); Voyage (poetry, 2024); and Home in Motion (poetry, July 2025).
In 2020, he won the Best Indie Book Award for his poetry collection, A Booktiful Love. His collection of short stories, Inferno of Silence, won the 2021 IRDA Discovery Award for short stories and Next Generation Indie Book Awards (2021) for Best Cover Design (Fiction).
A former headline act at the Allen Valleys Folk Festival, Great Northern Slam, Crossing The Tyne Festival, Feltonbury Arts and Music Festival, Havering Literary Festival, and the Woolwich Centre Library National Poetry Day event. He was also a guest poet at the Havering Libraries Black History Month event. Some of his forthcoming engagements include a poetry reading at Gateshead Central Library as part of a Black History Month event scheduled for October 2025, among others.
His works and poems have been featured on BBC Sounds, Spark Sunderland, 57th issue (Volume 15, No. 1) of the Wilderness House Literary Review; The Writers Cafe Magazine Issue 18; Lion and Lilac; Agape Review; Black Moon Magazine; Calla Press; African Writer Magazine; Football in Poetry 2 Anthology; and elsewhere.
His poems have been translated into Greek.
He is the founder of The Roaring Lion Newcastle, a UK-based book publisher, and sits on the board of many organisations.
(also known as Tolutoludo) is a multiple award-winning Nigerian British writer of twenty-three books in the genres of poetry, short stories, children's literature, and essays.
His works include Dead Lions Don't Roar (poetry, 2017); Unravel Your Hidden Gems (essays, 2018); Dead Dogs Don't Bark (poetry, 2018); Dead Cats Don't Meow (poetry, 2019); Never Play Games With the Devil (poetry, 2019); Inferno of Silence (short stories, 2020); A Booktiful Love (poetry, 2020); Black ≠ Inferior (poetry, 2021); Never Marry a Writer (poetry, 2021); Everybody Don Kolomental (poetry, 2021); I Wear Self-Confidence Like a Second Skin (children's literature, 2021); I Am Not a Troublemaker (children's literature, 2021); Born in Lockdown (poetry, 2021); A god in a Human Body (poetry, 2022); If You Have To Be Anything, Be Kind (children's literature, 2022); City of Lost Memories, (poetry, 2022); Awaken Your Inner Lion, (essays, 2022); On The Train To Hell, (poetry, 2022); You Need More Than Dreams (poetry, 2023); The Morning Cloud is Empty (poetry, 2023); Architects of a Cleaner Financial System (poetry, 2023); Voyage (poetry, 2024); and Home in Motion (poetry, July 2025).
In 2020, he won the Best Indie Book Award for his poetry collection, A Booktiful Love. His collection of short stories, Inferno of Silence, won the 2021 IRDA Discovery Award for short stories and Next Generation Indie Book Awards (2021) for Best Cover Design (Fiction).
A former headline act at the Allen Valleys Folk Festival, Great Northern Slam, Crossing The Tyne Festival, Feltonbury Arts and Music Festival, Havering Literary Festival, and the Woolwich Centre Library National Poetry Day event. He was also a guest poet at the Havering Libraries Black History Month event. Some of his forthcoming engagements include a poetry reading at Gateshead Central Library as part of a Black History Month event scheduled for October 2025, among others.
His works and poems have been featured on BBC Sounds, Spark Sunderland, 57th issue (Volume 15, No. 1) of the Wilderness House Literary Review; The Writers Cafe Magazine Issue 18; Lion and Lilac; Agape Review; Black Moon Magazine; Calla Press; African Writer Magazine; Football in Poetry 2 Anthology; and elsewhere.
His poems have been translated into Greek.
He is the founder of The Roaring Lion Newcastle, a UK-based book publisher, and sits on the board of many organisations.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 5, 2021
To be honest, this is very hard for me to evaluate objectively because it reflects a cultural consciousness and set of values that are very different from my American perspective on the world. When I see a black boy and the label "troublemaker" in the context of school, my mind immediately goes to institutional racism and the tragic and reprehensible lack of support POC often get in public schools. However, this story is completely different and the label of "troublemaker" and the harsh criticism from the teacher are accepted without question and internalized by the young student and his father. I'm not in a position to judge this perspective, but it's also very difficult for me to relate to.
That said, it is because of these differences that I found reading this valuable. It's always interesting and enriching to learn how someone else thinks and sees things!
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!
That said, it is because of these differences that I found reading this valuable. It's always interesting and enriching to learn how someone else thinks and sees things!
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!
August 3, 2021
I am Not a Troublemaker
by Tolu' A. Akinyemi
BooksGoSocial
Children's Fiction
Pub Date 31 May 2021
I am reviewing a copy of I Am Not A Troublemaker through BooksGoSocial and Netgalley:
After going to a new school, Chadwick gains the label of being a trouble maker. Being given the blame even when he is not the one starting the issues.
He can only hope the label does not stick, and that he is able to come clean.
I found the illustrations in this book were beautifully done, and the concept was a good one, but the story just seemed to lack, some elements, it moved far to quickly, without much emphasis on how the conflict was resolved.
I give I Am Not A Troublemaker three out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
by Tolu' A. Akinyemi
BooksGoSocial
Children's Fiction
Pub Date 31 May 2021
I am reviewing a copy of I Am Not A Troublemaker through BooksGoSocial and Netgalley:
After going to a new school, Chadwick gains the label of being a trouble maker. Being given the blame even when he is not the one starting the issues.
He can only hope the label does not stick, and that he is able to come clean.
I found the illustrations in this book were beautifully done, and the concept was a good one, but the story just seemed to lack, some elements, it moved far to quickly, without much emphasis on how the conflict was resolved.
I give I Am Not A Troublemaker three out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
October 5, 2021
My first reaction to finishing this book was.. Ahhhh…..no. Chadwick is a young boy who seems to be getting into a lot of trouble. This is the second time in 2 weeks the teacher has had to talk to his parents. First off this book was more about how the child’s parents felt than the child. And it was about how embarrassing the child was to the parent. There is also something else that just leaves me feeling icky. At the beginning it feels like the teacher is picking on the child, and by the end the child is doing much better, but it’s the way the author writes the father. To morally superior. This just,...no. Just no.
August 20, 2021
...
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me this advanced copy of this book, and my legitimate thanks to the author, for giving me the opportunity to read his book.
It is a very nice book, which especially narrates the changes of a rebellious and troublemaker boy, changing to inspire his father to have a good son. Seeing in this case a good relationship between father and son.
4.0
#iamNotaTroublemaker
#NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me this advanced copy of this book, and my legitimate thanks to the author, for giving me the opportunity to read his book.
It is a very nice book, which especially narrates the changes of a rebellious and troublemaker boy, changing to inspire his father to have a good son. Seeing in this case a good relationship between father and son.
4.0
#iamNotaTroublemaker
#NetGalley
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews