The Final Year

The first novel, told in verse, for middle grade readers by acclaimed poet Matt Goodfellow, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton. A powerful and lyrical story about finding your place in the world and the people that matter within it.

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 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?

Winner of Books For Topics - Best Classroom Read-aloud (Upper KS2) 2023 Winner of Spark! School Book Awards: Fiction For Readers aged 9+ 2023 Winner of Sheffield Children's Book Award - Shorter Novel Category 2024 Winner of FCGB Children's Book Awards - Older Readers 2024 Winner of CLiPPA 2024 Winner of Redbridge Children's Book Award 2024 Winner of Tower Hamlets Book Award 2024 Winner of Reading Rocks - UKS2 2024 Winner of Stockton Children's Book Award 2025 Winner of Redhill Academy Trust Children’s Book Award 2025

Highly accessible, lyrical and life affirming, this is must-have novel that will authentically resonate with so many under-represented children and perfectly captures what this crucial transition period feels like. As such, it is a must-read for adults as well as the children who will devour it. It will also resonate with children who have made that transition and perhaps help them with their own feelings, as well as encouraging them to write for themselves. Joy Court, LoveReading4Kids - Book of the Month
The Final Year is a book that needs to be read in one sitting in a quiet room where no one can you hear you sob. Beautiful verse novel about a boy heading into Year 6 Joe Todd Stanton's illustrations are perfect for Matt Goodfellow's words. Caroline Fielding
A powerful story about growing up and coping with loss – both at school and at home. Written in verse, it plays with words so cleverly, so beautifully, carrying all kinds of emotion and conflict between its lines that linger long after you’ve finished. Book Clubs in Schools

Former primary school teacher Matt Goodfellow is now a full-time poet who visits schools across the country to give high-energy performances and workshops. His first poetry collection for Otter-Barry Books, Chicken on the Roof, received wide acclaim. He is also the author of Caterpillar Cake, illustrated by Krina Patel-Sage, Shu-Lin's Grandpa, illustrated by Yu Rong, and a contributor to Being Me: Poems about Thoughts, Worries and Feelings, all published by Otter-Barry Books. Matt lives in Stockport, Manchester, UK.

Joe Todd-Stanton is an author/illustrator who grew up in Brighton and studied at UWE Bristol, receiving a first-class degree in Illustration. His picture book The Secret of Black Rock was longlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Award and won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. DreamWorks Animation have optioned the motion picture rights to his Brownstone’s Mythical Collection series. He has twice been shortlisted for the Oscar’s Book Prize.

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