Web of Lies

Publishers Weekly

Having fled Nigeria in The Other Side of Truth (in a starred review, PW called it a "sophisticated and emotional novel, poignant and accessible"), Sade and Femi now come up against new challenges in London, where they await being granted asylum in Beverley Naidoo's Web of Lies. Femi has been drafted into a gang of older boys, and Sade does not want to worry her father. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

For 12-year-old Femi, now in junior high and quickly being sucked into a gang of older boys who are dealing drugs, London in 1997 proves as dangerous a forest as the one back at Family House in Nigeria. This sequel to the Carnegie-Medal-winning The Other Side of Truth continues the story of Nigerian refugees Femi and his older sister Sade, both the object of the unwelcome attentions of Errol Richards, aka Lizard Eyes. Still waiting for permanent residence status, their family is at the mercy of the immigration department. Civil war has broken out in Sierra Leone and threatens the child of their father's co-worker, Mrs. Wallace. Drawn in by an older boy who promises to protect him, Femi has begun to smoke pot, shoplift, and lie about where he goes on Saturday afternoons. Slow-moving at first with somewhat awkward dialog, the story picks up speed in the middle and by the time Femi is mugged in a drug delivery gone awry, the reader will be as caught up in his web of lies as he is himself. The author's sympathy with the plight of Nigerian immigrants and Sierra Leonean child soldiers is clear; for those who missed the message, a note at the end recounts the history. This will have special appeal to middle school readers of the first book, but stands alone as a frightening but not unfamiliar depiction of what it is like to be a boy in a gang-driven world. 2006 (orig. 2004), Clarion Books/HarperCollins, and Ages 10 to 14.
—Kathleen Isaacs

VOYA

In this sequel to The Other Side of Truth (HarperCollins, 2001/VOYA October 2001), Sade and Femi-originally from Nigeria-are settling into a new country, school, and neighborhood. Memories of their mother gunned down in front of their home in Lagos haunts both adolescents as they try to make sense of the importance of standing up for truth and justice despite impending danger. While in Nigeria, their journalist father, Folarin Solaja, wrote articles criticizing General Abacha's approach to ruling. In an author's note, Naidoo explains that Folarin's actions could result in arrest, torture, or execution. The threat of General Abacha's agents attacking the children or the "local thugs" of London endangering them is a major concern. Unexpectedly a schoolmate named James befriends Femi and affectionately calls him "little brother." A loner, Femi imagines that at last he has found companionship and perhaps a sense of safety, as he knows James is a part of a gang headed by sixteen-year-old Errol Richards. Before Femi realizes it, he becomes the gang's pawn and is caught in a "web of lies" that nearly causes him his freedom and his family's trust and respect. The strength of the novel rests in Naidoo's approach to well-worn themes of peer pressure and violence, creating a heartfelt book about a young man's aching desire for validation and acceptance of self and peers. This book is a good addition to public and school libraries. Even reluctant readers, particularly males, will be intrigued by Naidoo's compelling depiction of youth caught up in crime and deceit. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M J (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High,defined as grades 7 to 9). 2006, HarperCollins, 256p., and PLB Ages 11 to 15.
—KaaVonia Hinton-Johnson

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-This sequel to The Other Side of Truth (HarperCollins, 2001) continues the story of Sade and Femi, now back with their father, as they struggle to fit in at their London school. Femi faces pressure to join a gang, and as he becomes increasingly enmeshed in its activities, his lies to his family become more serious. Eventually he is arrested when a gang member is stabbed and he is caught running away from the scene. This is a gritty and credible story of how a young teen can be unintentionally pulled into a gang, as well as a cautionary tale with a touch of didacticism, African-style. However, it is also a heart-warming story of a family struggling through difficult circumstances, including grief over their mother's murder, economic difficulties, and the culture shock of being refugees in a foreign country. This novel is about the power of telling the truth and the poison of lying. As the three family members slowly learn to confide in one another, their relationships are healed, even if their circumstances are not resolved. While Femi is at the center of this story, Sade's feelings are revealed through her journal. Naidoo integrates Nigerian culture seamlessly into the British context, revealing the complex social world inhabited by immigrants. Readers will look forward to the next installment in the Solajas' story.-Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Still negotiating their refugee status in England, Femi and Sade find that the arrival of their father hasn't solved all their problems in this sequel to The Other Side of Truth (2001). While Sade's voice previously held sway, now it is Femi's turn. Inveigled into helping shoplifters, smoking pot and spending time with the pushers as a member of their troop, Femi finds that being safer from political persecution in England than in Nigeria isn't everything he needs to survive. Sade, preoccupied with worrying that a woman from Sierra Leone is replacing her deceased mother, remains unaware of Femi's increasing criminal activity as Femi's talent at cover-up emerges. Understanding much of the cast and the situation depends on knowing the first book, which won the Jane Addams Book Award, but as Kemi pulls the whole family toward peril, the same taut suspense will satisfy previous readers. The cultural content is less this time around, but continues especially in the diary entries addressed to Iyawo, a sculpture that embodies home and reminds Sade of her mother. (Fiction. YA)