Books
TheSlay In Your Laneco-author has just released her debut childrens fiction book with Elizabeth Uviebinene.
Harper Collins describes it as a fresh, funny and contemporary story of friendship.
The story follows two year eight girls, Ade and Shanice.
Jessica Morgan: Congratulations on the publication ofThe Offline Diaries.
How do you feel now that the book is out in the world?
Yomi Adegoke:Im so excited.
Its just a different energy because were a completely different demographic to them.
J: What made you want to write a book for children?
But neither of us have kids because at the time we were 25.
We didnt know anything about kids!
J: So neither of you have kids.
So where did you get all the information from?
Y: Its so funny because Elizabeth has younger siblings, but I dont knowanykids.
I only have my three-year-old Godson.
Obviously, Elizabeth would ask her siblings, So, like whats the tea?
and theyd just be honest with her and be like, No, thats completely wrong.
Whereas with me, I cannot ask my Godson.
Hes three and cannot speak.
J: What did you do then?
I was a big Jacqueline Wilson fan and there was a real universality to her writing.
So I had to really take myself back to what I liked about kids books and worked from there.
J: I enjoyed the fact that race isnt a focal point of the book.
We wanted kids to see themselves and feel empowered.
We wanted two young Black girls, one from a Caribbean background and the other from an African background.
And we wanted them to just do what matters to kids.
Which is all about friendship, sleepovers etc.
And we wanted kids outside of the Black community to read that and be like, Oh, okay.
Yeah, this is normal, because Black people exist.
J: What was life like for you when you were in year eight?
Y: I went to a predominantly Black primary school in Croydon.
And I lived in constant fear of being happy slapped [laughs].
That was my only fear.
Back then we didnt have social media as much as we do now.
Being happy slapped was the only thing I was really scared of.
We wanted to do something around these themes and counter the argument that of Oh, its just online.
Its not the real world because that argument hasnt rang true in the past decade.
J: Sisterhood is also an overarching theme.
What does it mean to you?
Y: Elizabeth and I met when we were 18.
So while were a lot older than Ade and Shanice, those years were still very formative for us.
It was a dream to write Ade and Shanice.
Elizabeth wrote Shanices perspectives, and I wrote Ades.
We are very similar, but very different.
Had we not met, Im not sure if our lives would look like the way they do now.
She was on her own vibe.
But my gut was genuinely like, I need to persist in this friendship.
I actually want to be her friend.
I dont know why that happened, but Im glad it did.
Im very lucky to be able to do this with my best friend.
J: So youre Ade, and Elizabeth is Shanice?
J: At least in the technical writing side of it.
But in terms of personalities, theres a bit of Shanice and Ade in both of us.
The Offline Diariesby Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinene isavailable to buy at all major bookshops now.
