The First Year

By Author / Illustrator

Matt Goodfellow, Joe Todd-Stanton

Genre

Real life

Age range(s)

Publisher

Otter-Barry Books

ISBN

9781915659606

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

10-04-2025

Synopsis

Nate's eleven and has just finished Primary School. After a challenging final year, life is looking up. His brother has recovered from a life-threatening heart condition, he's got the love of his mum, brothers and Auntie San, and he's off to Secondary School with his two best mates.

But while he's making new friends and avoiding the fists of Turner, his old nemesis, and struggling to come to terms with a strict new teacher and a sense of isolation from his brothers, a sudden surprise appearance in Nate's life threatens to throw him completely off course. And The Beast - the anger he tries so hard to control - reappears. Will Nate find a way to keep himself and his family together?

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Reviews

Sue

Nate is about to start secondary school. After a challenging final year at Primary, things seem to have settled for him and he is ready for a fun-filled summer before a fresh start in September. However, a new school brings new challenges - and some old. Avoiding Turner, conforming to endless rules and adapting to new teachers along with a growing sense of distance between Nate and his brothers combine to unsettle him. And then, there's a surprise reappearance in his life…

Writing the sequel to an incredibly popular book must be a daunting task. Reading such a sequel is hard enough - will the character maintain their personality? Will they grow? Will the plot be engaging or contrived? And most importantly, will it leave you with the same sense of awe and wonder as the first?

The Final Year made a huge impact on me - and on many children and adults who I have had the joy of discussing it with. In Nate, Matt managed to capture the very essence of many children I have taught over the years and really give them a voice. His extraordinary ability to do this continues in The First Year.

Starting secondary school is a massive change for children. Primary schools offer a far more secure, comforting environment, even for those who struggle with it, than the impersonal, large scale nature of secondary schools. For those already vulnerable and adrift, this can be completely overwhelming. Nate's bond with Mr Joshua, the pull of the familiarity of his old school, the fact that his brothers are still there, all combine to emphasis Nate's sense of growing disaffection with his new school, where he feels he is being labelled and judged. There is no empathy, no consideration for the turbulent emotions and confusion which might be colouring an individual's life - and behaviour.

The seeming simplicity of the text belies the complexity of emotion and experience which the story explores. The power and poignancy in places is breathtaking, making Nate's continued story every bit as engaging as it was in The Final Year. There is no doubting the skill of Matt's writing - The First Year is sure to gain just as many well deserved accolades as The Final Year.

480 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher