Every so often I will stumble across a book that feels like a book that should be in schools everywhere. This feels like one of those books. When I was at school I very clearly remember how little we talked about and studied politics. Apart from one afternoon when local MPs came in to talk about the importance of voting (I went to an all girls school and it was quite satisfying watching the smirking, patronising faces of three men slowly fall as the questions being were asked were intelligent and relavent and actually challenged them), there was nothing on the British political system.

What Turton has created heroes a guide that lets young people with very little exposure to politics begin to learn about, experience and hopefully challenge things in the future. I loved the way the book was divided up and I think its a very effective in providing the tools for teenagers and beyond to start thinking about how they can effect change for the things they care about. Obviously being aimed at teenagers this was a very simplistic overview and more reading would be required to fully explore the topic. It's a start though.

A great read for a younger audience who want to be proactive in society and also a great learning resource.

This book is a very accessible introduction into politics and how it works. It is aimed at Teens but it definitely is a geat books for adults alike. It also gives specific ideas of how to get pro-active to make a change happen. Be it to join a party, volunteer or start a movement. This book is unique and I really believe every teen should read it to make informed decisions for their future.

This was a fantastic read which I’ve recommended to be bought for our branches. Very interesting and much needed in this current climate

A short but informative read, This Book Will (Help You) Change the World takes its reader through a range of useful primers on British politics and how the system works, from voting registration to the ‘first past the post’ principle to lobbying, with a shedload of detail along the way. Turton explains a lot of reasonably complex information in an accessible way; there were a few explanations which I found a little confusing (and I’m a 34 year old with a borderline obsessive interest in politics) but, having had many political discussions with teenagers over the past two year, I feel confident in saying this book will prove a useful tool in helping young people to become better informed before casting their own votes. Turton is relatively neutral, giving an overview of the system rather than specific policy, although, overall, I would say the book is more left-leaning, which fits with what we’re led to believe about voter habits in the UK in 2017.

From how the system works, Turton moves on to establishing how an individual can effect change, from joining a political party to starting petitions or lobbying an MP. Again, it’s stuff a politically-engaged adult would know, but invaluable for a teenager who has, perhaps, become more engaged with recent events in UK politics.

One last note; according to the blurb, the finished book will feature “hilarious tongue-in-cheek illustrations from activist-illustrator Alice Skinner;” disappointingly, these weren’t included in the e-ARC I read but it’s a great idea to include visual breaks in a non-fiction book for young people, so I’ll be on the look-out for a finished copy of the book to check these out.

A whistle-stop tour through the UK political system and how it can be changed and improved, this is a really good read for any teenager with an interest in politics, or even an adult reader lacking the background knowledge to engage fully with current events. It’s a short read too, providing just enough information to spark or develop an interest.

Review to be published at wildeonmyside.wordpress.com on Sep 21st.