My Name Is Not Friday

* "Fascinating and unforgettable." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review* "A rich, thought-provoking, and deeply satisfying book." --Publishers Weekly, starred reviewNamed to Bustle's "12 YA Novels That Will Make You See The World Differently"Well-mannered Samuel and his younger brother Joshua, are freeborn black boys living in an orphanage during the end of the Civil War. The boys are two sides of the same coin--one good, one bad, but always inseparable--until Samuel takes the blame for Joshua's latest prank. And the consequence is worse Samuel could ever imagine. He's taken from the orphanage, given a new name -- Friday -- and sold into slavery on a Mississippi cotton plantation. What follows is a heartbreaking but hopeful epic of perseverance in the face of suffering, as Samuel journeys from freedom to captivity and back again.

Jon Walter is a former photojournalist with a special interest in social welfare issues. His debut middle grade novel, Close to the Wind, was chosen as The Sunday Times Children's Book of the Week in the United Kingdom and an Indie Next List pick in the United States. My Name is Not Friday is his young adult debut and has earned five starred reviews. He lives in East Sussex, England, with his family.