The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
Last updated: 3 October 2026
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta is a young adult novel written in verse about Michael, a mixed-race gay teenager growing up in London who finds where he belongs when he joins his university's Drag Society. It won the Stonewall Book Award in 2020. On 3 October 2026 Amazon UK had the 368-page Hodder paperback in stock at £7.99, down from an RRP of £9.99.
Buy The Black Flamingo on Amazon UK, £7.99
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What The Black Flamingo is about
Michael is Greek Cypriot and Jamaican, and growing up in London he never feels Greek enough or Black enough. The book follows him from childhood through school and coming out, then on to university.
There he discovers the Drag Society, and on stage he becomes the Black Flamingo. The story is told in short poems, with illustrations by Anshika Khullar, so it reads quickly even at 368 pages.
Prizes and reviews
The Black Flamingo won the Stonewall Book Award in 2020. It was also shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and the Jhalak Prize. Malorie Blackman, the former Children's Laureate, said "I loved every word". The publisher's page for The Black Flamingo at Hachette UK has more of the reviews.
Who Dean Atta is
Atta is a British poet of Greek Cypriot and Caribbean descent, and his poems have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. The Black Flamingo was his first novel, published in hardback in 2019. He has since written more books for young readers, including the verse novel Only On The Weekends in 2022 and I Can't Even Think Straight in 2025.
Key facts
- Author: Dean Atta, illustrated by Anshika Khullar
- Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
- This edition: paperback, 5 March 2020
- Length: 368 pages, 12.6 x 19.4cm, the size of a standard paperback
- Reading age: 12 and up
- Other formats: Kindle ebook (£5.49 on 3 October 2026) and audiobook
- ISBN: 9781444948608
- Price: £7.99 on Amazon UK on 3 October 2026, RRP £9.99
- Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 from 1,843 ratings
Who The Black Flamingo suits
- Teenagers working out who they are: it covers coming out, mixed heritage and finding a group to belong to, from the inside.
- Reluctant readers: the verse format means short pages and plenty of white space, so it is a quicker read than its page count suggests.
- Adults who read YA: if you liked Poor by Caleb Femi, poems about growing up in south London, The Black Flamingo tells a London story in verse too.
The limits
The book is written for readers of 12 and up, so adults used to literary fiction may find the language direct. The story deals with homophobia and racism, which some younger readers may want to talk through with an adult. Anyone who does not get on with poetry should read a few pages first, because the whole novel is in verse.
Where to buy it in the UK
Amazon UK had the paperback in stock at £7.99 on 3 October 2026. The Kindle edition was £5.49.
The Black Flamingo on Amazon UK
FAQs
What is The Black Flamingo about?
Michael, a mixed-race gay teenager in London, grows up, comes out and finds where he belongs in his university's Drag Society, where he becomes the Black Flamingo.
What age is The Black Flamingo for?
Hodder publishes it as teenage fiction for readers of 12 and up.
Did The Black Flamingo win any awards?
Yes. It won the Stonewall Book Award in 2020 and was shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and the Jhalak Prize.
Is The Black Flamingo written in verse?
Yes. The whole novel is told in poems, with illustrations by Anshika Khullar.
How much does The Black Flamingo cost in the UK?
Amazon UK had the paperback at £7.99 on 3 October 2026. The RRP is £9.99.
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