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“Told with an authenticity that shines through…A book for anyone who’s felt lonely, misunderstood or out of place, who’s had to switch who they are to blend in or disappear.”

– The British Blacklist

“In My Life as a Chameleon, Diana Anyakwo gifts pre-teen and teen readers with a young adult novel that skillfully and artistically explores some of the most pressing issues we are grappling with in the adult world today.”

– Brittle Paper

My Life As A Chameleon

Written by Diana Anyakwo
Published by IgKids

It’s 1990, and Lily is a sixteen-year-old girl living in Manchester, England. It has been five years since her father’s death, and she is soon to return to her birthplace in Nigeria to reunite with her mother and siblings for the anniversary.

As cold rain thunders on the British streets, Lily flashes back to her childhood in Lagos. The biracial daughter of a Nigerian father and an Irish mother, Lily lives a dual reality as a child, with moments of  joy existing alongside her father’s increasingly erratic and violent behavior, which is due to a stage illness Lily doesn’t understand called schizophrenia.

As the streets of Lagos erupt in violence due to a coup, things with Lily’s father reach a breaking point, and she is sent away to live with a family in England. As a confused and shy child thrust into a foreign country, Lily must deal with a new school and new friends, while longing for what she left behind in Nigeria.

My Life As A Chameleon is is a powerful story of resilience and belonging across different cultures, and about how family secrets can destroy even the deepest bonds.

Primary ISBN: 9781632461650
Publication Date: August 2024
Available As: Hardcover, eBook
Young Adult, Age 13 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: England (Manchester), Nigeria (Lagos)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Immigrant

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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