The Final Year
As seen:
By Matt Goodfellow and Joe Todd-Stanton
avg rating
84 reviews
See that tall, skinny kid with the ball in his hand
sayin see ya later to his mate?
That’s me:
Nathan Wilder
Nate.
10 years old
and a week away from the end of Year 5.
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 is 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, Nate’s 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 process what’s going on. But with so much working against him, and anger rising inside him, will this be enough?
A powerful and lyrical story about finding your place in the world and the people that matter within it.
TweetReviews
Moving and real. A fantastic book to read with older children approaching the transition to secondary school.
Love Matt Goodfellow’s work but devoured this in less than a day and it inspired me to write some of my own poetry. Perfect for a year six class.
I love, love, loved this book so much, even though it made me shed a tear or two! It's about a kid named Nathan (or Nate) who loves reading and writing. However for Nate's smallest brother, Dylan, disaster strikes. But with his teacher's help, every little thing was gonna be alright (famous line in Final Year)!
A brilliantly-written story perfect for year 6. Written in verse, it is an accessible, authentic and powerful story with beautiful illustrations by Joe Todd-Stanton.
My favourite person is Mr Joshua because he is kind and caring for nate who is having a hard time with his brother and controlling his temper. I would recommend this book to a friend or family because it is very nice story. My favourite part was when nate saw Dylan (his brother) for the first time after he came out of hospital.
Enjoyed so much no going to read the first year
I liked nate the most
I would recommend
I’ve read it twice
A must read for year 6 students or anyone who works with them
Brilliant!
It conveyed the feelings and experiences of starting a new journey. I would recommend for Y7, those starting at a new school, or any new environment.
This was my first narrative poetry story and I loved it.
Read aloud to y6. Content warnings for mentions of alcohol, cigarettes and illness.
My Year 6s have loved this book and tackles some hard topics with sensitivity!
Entirely in verse and a very easy read indeed. Compelling, recommended.
A thoughtful and kind story about the final year of primary school. There were a lot of references to Skellig and it would be helpful to be familiar with it. Being a verse novel, a lot of meaning and story is conveyed in fewer words. I would recommend this to any young person who wants the sophisticated content of a standard novel delivered in fewer words.
Standing on the shoulders of Skellig, this book is beautiful and in amongst it all; the most arresting grammar lesson I have ever read.
Here's an acclaimed book that really did match the hype. It's just a great style to quickly engage readers and encourage more reading. I loved the references to David Almond's books too, what a great way to let kids know what to read next :)
A truly beautiful book - bold, brilliant and unapologetic. Tackles some really sensitive topics with humour and honesty.
It was a book about a boy called Nate in his final year of primary school.
This book was really good. There was a bit of drama in it when the youngest brother died and they were sad. The book goes through how they all deal with it. It’s a more serious book but it’s good.
A coming of age poetic narrative book. Will draw in even the most reluctant of readers and is sure to tug on the heart strings.
A must read for year 6 children and parents. There won't be a dry eye in the house.
deep
This is a powerful story told through a variety of poetic forms. With engaging illustrations and a thoughtful layout, it draws the reader in to a story many children will relate to. A book I would wholeheartedly encourage all children to read.
I really enjoyed this book.
At the beginning, it felt like a typical book, but towards the middle, it became more emotional.
I like how the pages were also used to tell the story (a black page to represent grief).
It is such a good book with some sad bits in it but it all turns out good in the end i would definetly recommend it to people who like turn twisters
I liked this book because it was about a boy who goes through a hard time in life without a dad but with his mum, her friend and his 2 brothers.
This book was accessible and engaging for both myself and my students. They loved the characters and felt like they related to them and the story was engaging and interesting.
It just shows how hard life can be for some people, but doesn't give up hope.
Absolutely brilliant. Can't wait to share this with Year 6 - especially those who "don't like poetry" as I think it'll change their minds. Cleverly written and very relatable to the target audience and adults alike
Amazing narrative about a year 6 child moving to secondary school. Told from the perspective of the child in their language - brilliant idea to engage the children.
