The Final Year

Written by Matt Goodfellow · Illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton

A boy's world unravels as friendships shift and family crises loom. Can he find his way through the chaos?

4.6 Goodreads · 2,815 ratings

288 pages· 13,304 words· Est. 1.5 hour read· ~720L

$14.99Save 7%

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Bookroo's summary

Nate's final year of primary school spirals when his best friend drifts away and his brother falls ill. With a new teacher's guidance, Nate must navigate shifting friendships and family turmoil. As anger and confusion mount, can his passion for reading and writing help him find his place in a world that feels increasingly uncertain? This lyrical tale explores the challenges of growing up, belonging, and the power of words in a working-class English town.

From the publisher

Life can be tough in your last year of primary school. Tests to take, preparing for the change to high school. Nate is ready for it all, knowing his best friend PS at his side - they’ve been inseparable since Nursery. But when they are put in two different classes and PS finds a new friend in Turner, the school bully, his world turns upside-down. As he struggles to make sense of this and forge new friendships, he’s dealt another blow when his youngest brother, Dylan is rushed into hospital. His new teacher, Mr. Joshua, sees a spark inside of Nate that’s lit by his love of reading and writing and shows him how to use this to make sense of what’s going on. But with so much working against him, and anger rising inside him, will this be enough? This powerful and lyrical story, told in verse, about finding your place in the world and the people that matter within it explores themes of family, identity, belonging, navigating friendships and the hardships of everyday life in a working class family in the North of England. With line drawings by award-winning illustrator, Joe Todd-Stanton.