Tomorrow We Begin: Poems to find yourself in, perfect for 11+

By Author / Illustrator

Matt Goodfellow

Genre

Poetry

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Bloomsbury Children's Books

ISBN

9781801993395

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

12-09-2024

Synopsis

'Trains in the distance, man, the world rumbles by
waitin for the stars now to tear back the sky.
Every wall must rattle when this change comes crashin in
before we start let's fall apart - tomorrow, we begin.'

A powerful new collection of contemporary poems for teenagers from Matt Goodfellow, winner of the CLiPPA 2024 and author of Let's Chase Stars Together and The Final Year.

Ideal for young people aged 11+. With poems about everything from navigating your first day of secondary school at 11 to finding your first love at 16, this collection explores the highs, lows and messy middles of teenage life.

Told in Matt Goodfellow's engaging and powerful style, Tomorrow We Begin takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster; from anger at your teachers to those blissful, simple days with your mates. With poems that sensitively deal with difficult issues, there is a space in Matt's poetry for all teens to feel seen, whether poetry is their thing or not!

'Goodfellow has the knack for choosing all the right words' - The Guardian.

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Reviews

Matt Goodfellow's new poetry collection, Tomorrow We Begin, displays the same deep understanding and love of schools, their students and staff as his verse novel The Final Year did, with standalone poems covering uncomfortable blazers, so-called 'motivational' speeches in Year 9 assemblies, being 'stone cold in love at sixteen' and everything in between.

All the poems ring with a deep truth, making this a book that can be embraced by all ages - anyone who has attended a UK school will find something to relate to here. For young people, the bittersweet grouping together of 'the kids whose names weren't mentioned on the friendship-group transitions forms' in the poem 'I Knew It' will sting, and for adults 'This Time' will bring a lump to your throat, as it perfectly balances the hurt of a teacher who has been mocked one too many times with the student who has been wrongly accused of doing the mocking. Another favourite is 'Bein dragged to yer mum and dad's mates' for a BBQ', the title alone conjuring the awkward conversations between well-meaning adults and awkward teenagers that we've all lived through.

Matt Goodfellow has an uncanny knack for distilling the joy, monotony, uncertainty, trauma and hilarity of school life onto the page, leading to a collection that is truly universal. This book will work wonderfully as a class or private read for all ages of secondary school students and the adults who care for them. Personally, I can't wait to use it.

128 pages / Reviewed by Alice, school librarian