The Final Year

Story told in verse about the challenges of growing up, changing friend groups and coping with illness in the family. Authentic feeling voice of the main character remconed to students in years 5-8

gcourt1

A lovely book written in verse. The style was new to lots of children in the class when I introduced them to it and they loved it. The story itself is very moving and some delicate topics mean it is more suitable for older primary readers.

clj4

Incredible

Emwot

This powerful verse novel moved me to tears. An emotional but beautiful story about change, friendship, families and the power of words. Brilliant for children and adults alike.

RGlibbery

Just incredible. Amazing voice, great scene setting, lovely pace, heartstrings tugged and tears fell. Brilliant brilliant book

Charlotte TS

Fantastic and heartwarming book. Emotional at times and really relatable to school life. You can tell a teacher has written it as it is very relatable.

rjohnson06

Wow! This fictional book could relate to very real-life scenarios. As a trainee teacher this has helped me to reflect on my practice and to make sure my learners know they can come to me with any worries or issues they feel or are going through. Tissues definitely needed.

Woodyk8385

Thought-provoking, not always easy to read. Loved the writing style. A powerful read. Definitely recommend.

sajtay

What a fantastic story - it's realistic, moving, challenging and rewarding. It's truly close to the bone. The language is both beautiful and clever. To tell a tale like this in poems and really engage the reader is wonderfully surprising and incredibly easy to read too; I guarantee you'll be sucked into Nate's life and worries and dreams as if you are back in Year 6 yourself.

Bath Book Lover

This is a gorgeous book to share with Year 6s as they prepare for their final year in primary school. My class loved following Nate’s story and how the pictures helped to tell the story! It is so thoughtfully and cleverly written that I read it in one sitting before sharing with my class. We read this in our class read time and it only took us a week to get through. They couldn’t wait to read the next instalment. It’s rare to find a book that resonates with what children are going through today and the challenges they may face in modern life. Fantastic!

cnorthrop

Stunning. So good to hear a story from this perspective. Incredibly relatable for our kids. Loads to unpick, beautiful language.

Lgarland

This book, written in poetic style, was a delight to read. The main character would be relatable to many of the children I know and there were so many key themes to discuss from the text, it makes an excellent read - or fantastic GR focus.

JTFernhurst

Read this last year and shared with Y6. Read again this summer- I’m sure this gets better with every read.

JoNickolls

I read the book in one train journey! This incredibly powerful novel, written entirely in free verse, really packs a punch. The protagonist, ten-year-old Nate, lives with his mum and two younger brothers. The brothers are a tight little unit and, as the eldest, Nate takes care of the younger two when Mum is out. When his best friend is put in a different Year 6 class, Nate is gutted, especially when his friend starts to hang out with Nate’s nemesis - and known school bully - Turner. Nate’s new teacher notices that he loves reading and writing, so encourages him to use words to help process his emotions. Providing Nate with a special notebook to write down his thoughts, helps Nate to manage his anger. This is invaluable for when Nate’s world is turned upside-down due to a family crisis. I felt that I really connected with Nate’s intense feelings of pain, anger and love. I enjoyed this heart-wrenching and uplifting read.

Miss_McG

This book was amazing! I laughed, cried and really felt connected to the characters in the story. I have recommended it to a few colleagues to read too!

Miss_Jones1984

Fabulous book from start to finish. Well written, authentic, moving story about Nate. Friendships, family and grief. Loved the poetry, sensitive and heart warming. Suitable for KS2 and adults too.

MBrumby

Loved the poetic form this was written in - it really captured my attention. Great storytelling, fabulous characters and a reminder to read Skellig again! You can see why it is so popular with Year 6. Brilliant.

ClareH

A fabulous emotive tale told through poetry. Fast paced and a creative style of writing that focuses on the final year of primary school through the lens of a Year 5/6 pupil. Themes include social deprivation, single parenting/ family dynamics, main character as a carer to siblings and a traumatic experience of a young sibling on his deathbed as well as the influence of a male role model. Powerful story with sensitive issues

sean23_e

This book was so gripping that I read it in one evening. The way it is beautifully written in verse is so clever and easy to read. It is about an endearing character called Nate who is facing the challenges of being in his final year at primary school. The year is tough and he overcomes many challenges including: bullying at school, looking after his brothers and supporting his mother. This story provokes many emotions and would be good to read in a book club where the themes can be discussed along the way.

AEGRead

An excellent book, with some contentious themes. The main character Tate has the world on his shoulders and Goodfellow uses rhyme to portray his journey. For me one of the powerful messages was - what difference a good teacher can make in a child's life.

nbeirne