The First Year

by Goodfellow, Matt | Poetry (Children's / Teenage)
Published 10/04/2025 by Otter-Barry Books in the United Kingdom
Paperback | 480 pages, Illustrations, black and white
133 x 199 x 44mm | 420g

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?