Inspiring Young Readers

posted on 18 Jun 2026

The Ministry of Manners by David Solomons

On reflection, I’m a little surprised that there aren’t more books aimed at the young teenage market that take their influence from George Orwell’s 1984. Solomons must surely have had this seminal dystopian novel in mind when he came up with the idea of The Ministry of Manners, a story about the problematic boundary between a safe, secure society and one which so stifles individualism that creativity and spontaneity are expunged.

The novel is set in a Britain where the state determines people’s activities and relationships through the strict enforcement of a code of good behaviour and politeness. This is so embedded that every succeeding generation now accepts this situation and abides by it. 

Solomons himself describes the action in this way:

“At the heart of it are two children, Alfie and Margot. Their parents work for the Ministry; their lives are comfortable, correct and watched. When Margot begins to ask questions, her brother wants to keep her safe – from trouble, from embarrassment, from herself. But truth has a way of untidying everything it touches. What begins as a story about good manners becomes one about courage, loyalty and quiet rebellion that begins inside a family. The kind that changes everything without meaning to.” 

When Margot starts to flirt with an underground youth movement that is seeking to challenge the prevailing governmental orthodoxy she gets taken away for ‘re-educating’ – an event that triggers the otherwise obedient brother, Alfie, to try and find ways of getting her released. It’s a journey into the unknown that will change all of them forever – and uncover some shocking truths about their parents and the role they play in the state’s increasingly iron grip.

This is an exciting page-turner and you might get the impression from this very brief synopsis that this might be another gloomy dystopian vision but it’s much more nuanced than that. Yes, it’s quite a frightening vision of how ‘benign’ totalitarianism can take hold but it’s also filled with a kind of hope. The author puts it this way:

“I wanted to explore the line between order and control, and how easy it is to mistake one for the other. The tone may be dystopian but the impulse behind it isn’t grim. The world is absurd, even at its darkest, and humour – like decency – can be an act of defiance.”

Available now from Bonnier Books, you will be able to get a copy from your local independent bookshop – who will be happy to order it for you if they don’t have it on their shelves.

Terry Potter

June 2026