Tia Fisher‘s “impeccably crafted” (Finbar Hawkins) debut novel-in-verse, Crossing the Line, has been selected for the 2024 Read for Empathy Collection.

Chosen by a panel of expert judges, the Read for Empathy Collection and the accompanying guides “help parents, carers and educators fuel an empathy-educated generation, with each title in the collection offering children the opportunity to connect with different people and different lives.” You can find out more about Empathy Lab here and see the full collection here.

The entry for Crossing the Line reads:

“A terrifying account of how Erik, grieving for his dad, gets sucked into county lines. This is an emotional read with no easy answers, but Erik’s friendship with Ravi offers a chink of optimism that he can turn his life around.”

Erik’s life has been falling apart ever since his dad died. Homework and being good at school stop feeling important when you’re the new man of the house. When Erik’s bad behaviour attracts the wrong crowd, he’s sucked into a terrifying new world of drug dealing, trap houses and violence.

Making money feels good but Erik soon learns that a small favour can become a huge debt.

And when his sisters’ lives are threatened, Erik will have to cross one more line to save them.

Crossing the Line is out now. Grab your copy here or, better, via your local bookshop or Bookshop.org.

Follow Tia on Twitter @tiafisher_.