Crongton Knights by Alex Wheatle is a gritty story about a group of kids surviving in the tough environment of a British housing estate. Their parents are struggling working class, single parents, immigrants, refugees, religious, hard-working and sometimes traumatised by gang violence, poverty and the struggle to enable their children to climb out of the cycle of class disadvantage. The focus of this story is  a group of 14/15-year-olds who hang out together, trying to keep out of trouble - easy to say, very difficult to do. This is McKay’s story. His dad is gambling, the debt collectors are at the door, his older brother is out cruising for trouble and he’s left at home to cook and to keep the door closed. Author Alex Wheatle won the Guardian Prize for Children for this novel in 2016. And while it’s gritty and dealing with some hard issues, it’s also a testament to loyalty, watching out for your friends, and to growing up the best way you can. Wheatle doesn’t shy away from the hard world these kids live in, yet he brings humour and the rich canvas of their lives to the fore, creating a riveting as well as hopeful novel. This is the second in this series. The first is Liccle Bit, the story of McKay’s friend Lemar and his fascination with the beautiful Venetia (the third will focus on Lemar’s feisty sister, Elaine). In Crongton, McKay is swept into a quest to help a girl recover her mobile phone from another turf. To get there, the band of friends must pass through the unfriendly territories of North Crongton and head up to Notre Dame. All goes as well, apart from being robbed by a rogue gang, until they cross paths with an enemy of McKay’s brother. Then things get tricky and dangerous. You’ll be crossing your fingers for McKay and his friends who seem stuck in the cross-hairs of gang warfare and petty retributions. {REVIEW BY STELLA}   >> An interview with Alex Wheatle.