Meet the author

Patrice Lawrence.

Writer · United Kingdom · b. 1962

Patrice Lawrence: British author of Orangeboy, Indigo Donut and Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush — direct, morally serious YA / middle-grade fiction on race, family and contemporary Britain, for ages 11+.

Patrice Lawrence is a British author of Trinidadian and Italian heritage, born in 1962, best known for the YA novel Orangeboy (2016, multiple major prizes) about a Black teenager from Hackney caught up in gang violence, plus its sequels (Indigo Donut, Rose Interrupted, Eight Pieces of Silva) and middle-grade fiction (Diver's Daughter, Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush). Lawrence's voice is direct, character-driven and morally serious, with a strong sense of place and a clear-eyed approach to race, class and contemporary British family life. A core contemporary UK YA / middle-grade author for ages 11+, particularly important to inclusive-shelf curation.