Malorie Blackman wastes no time getting to the point. The book opens with an emotionally charged scene that introduces you to some of the key players while it simultaneously [and quite effortlessly] sets up their dynamic. In the first thirty pages we meet all the main characters [I think] and get a taste of what life is like on both ends of the spectrum. Written from the vantage points of both the protagonists the book is quick to establish the differences between the leads and their respective prospects in life.
The way Malory Blackman has chosen to address segregation, what concerns her protagonists and society at large, grounds the narrative and makes it feel realistic. Her characters are worried about education, employment, income inequality in much the same way that anyone of us is.
