What our pupils thought

“The First Year is a heartfelt verse novel about Nate, an 11 year old boy navigating the challenges of secondary school. After a tough final year at primary school, Nate faces new obstacles, including a strict teacher, old bullies and the reappearance of his anger, ‘the beast’. The books poetic style and relatable themes of friendship, family and self discovery make it an engaging read. The illustrations by Joe Todd-Stanton add depth to the story, which I really enjoyed! I would recommend this book to others, especially to those who are transitioning to secondary school, as it offers valuable insights and emotional depth.’

“The First Year is a unique and amazing book that was easy to read, made me want to keep on reading and it also let me see a glimpse of what Year 7 will be like. The book was different to others I have read because, all of it was written in poems, I have never read a book like this one before. I found that once I started to read it, I couldn’t put it down! Overall, this is a high quality book, that is hard to find so I would recommend it to anyone who is nervous about Year 7.”

“I really liked this book because Nate and his family sounded really nice and warming. It is very relatable to me as I am also going to secondary school soon. My favourite part was when Nate made a new friend and his brother was better. I would definitely recommend this to my friends.”

“I really enjoyed this book and it was the first verse novel I’ve ever read. The characters were quite relatable and I enjoyed the plot and the story line. I would definitely recommend this to a friend.”

“I really enjoyed this book because I loved the plot twist and I also loved that the boy and his old year 6 teacher had such a good relationship. It was a very intriguing book and I could not put it down. I would definitely recommend this to friends and family. It was also a good book as it’s about going to high school which is also what I’m doing in a few weeks!!