Ministry of Manners
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.
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.
David Solomons is the award-winning author of the My Brother is a Superhero series. He spent much of his childhood playing with Star Wars figures and trying to make toy lightsabers jump into his hand using only the power of the Force (and a rubber band). At the age of four and a half, he was dismayed to learn he needed glasses, protesting that James Bond didn't wear specs. He now lives in Dorset with his two children, Luke and Lara.
Hazem Asif (Illustrator)
Hazem Asif is an illustrator and designer based in Lahore, Pakistan. He first fell in love with visual storytelling through the enchanting Harry Potter covers by Mary GrandPré. That early spark led him to pursue a creative path, earning a BFA in Graphic Design (2016) and an MFA in Design (2018) from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts. Hazem's professional journey in creative illustration and design spans film, television, publishing, academia, and media. He has illustrated over 15 children's books for international publishers and loves to bring diverse stories to life through vibrant illustrations for young readers around the world.