Tenbury Page Turners 25

Glasgow Boys
Glasgow Boys is a powerful and emotional book about two teenagers, Finlay and Banjo, who both grew up in care. They used to be best friends but haven’t spoken in a long time. Now, their lives are changing—Finlay is starting university, and Banjo is trying to fit in with a new foster family. The story is told from both boys’ points of view, so you get to understand how each of them is feeling. Both are going through tough times and trying to figure out who they are. The book talks about serious things like friendship, mental health, and finding your place in the world. Even though the story is quite sad in places, it’s also full of hope. It shows how important it is to have someone who cares about you and how people can grow, even after hard experiences. I really liked this book because the characters felt real and it made me think. It’s written in a way that’s easy to follow but very emotional.

Sophie p

The Final Year
The Final Year is a brilliant and emotional book by Matt Goodfellow. It tells the story of a boy called Nate, who is in Year 6 and going through a lot of big changes. At school, Nate is worried about SATs, moving to secondary, and losing his best friend. At home, things are even harder—his family doesn’t have much money, and his little brother is very sick. The story shows how Nate copes with all this, and how writing helps him understand his feelings. The book is written in poems, which makes it easy to read but really powerful. You feel close to Nate and what he’s going through. The pictures by Joe Todd-Stanton also help show what Nate’s feeling. I liked how real the story felt. It shows how tough life can be, but also how people can get through it with support from family, teachers, and friends.

Sophie p

All That It Ever Meant
I read All That It Ever Meant by Blessing Musariri, and I thought it was a really deep and emotional story. It’s about a girl named Mati who goes on a journey with her dad and siblings after their mum passes away. They travel from London to Zimbabwe, which is where their family comes from. The main thing I liked about the book was how Mati tells the story. She’s quiet but thoughtful, and she sees things others don’t—like a mysterious spirit called Meticais, who talks to her and helps her understand her feelings. That part made the book feel magical but also meaningful. The story talks a lot about family, grief, and finding where you belong. It made me think about how people deal with loss in different ways and how important family is, even when things are hard. The way the author describes the places and emotions is really beautiful.

Sophie p

Play
I recently read Play by Luke Palmer, and I found it really gripping and emotional. The story follows four teenage boys—Mark, Matt, Luc, and Johnny—who live in a small town and deal with serious issues like friendship, family problems, and growing up. What I liked most was how real the characters felt. Each one had their own way of speaking and acting, and it felt like I was listening to real teenagers. The story is told from all of their points of view, which made it interesting because you get to see how each of them thinks and feels. The book also talks about some dark topics like drugs, violence, and peer pressure, especially when Mark gets caught up in something really dangerous. It made me think about how easily someone can be pulled into a bad situation, even if they don’t mean to. Even though the book is serious, it’s written in a way that’s easy to understand. It made me think about what it means to be a good friend, how hard it can be to ask for help, and how important it is to make the right choices. I would recommend this book to other students in KS3 who like stories that are intense and emotional. It’s not a light read, but it’s definitely powerful and stays with you after you finish it.

Sophie p

Glasgow Boys
Glasgow Boys was a very believable, readable book that shows the emotions and feelings of the boys and portrays the hardships that each of the boys were going through very well throughout.

Oliver

Play
'Play' was a well written book that demonstrated well the difficulties the 4 boys are all going through. The end was particularly intriguing when the writer gave a glimpse into the boys' futures.

Oliver

Little Bang
Towards the beginning I thought that the characters were stereotypical, however I thought that this was intentional to provide them room to grow and evolve. Although this was just indicative of shallow character depth, as all the interactions seemed very surface level. It was a hard read - the formatting and storytelling from the perspectives of each character was fine - because all of the conflicts seemed very repetitive and were only .there for the sake of progressing the plot. I also disliked the ending, as the entire development of Sid's character into becoming a better father figure ended up being futile

Callum

Treacle Town
I found the book confusing at the beginning, with certain features only being explained towards the end of the book. I did like the relatability, showing the lives of teenage and young adults in Scotland.

Sawyer

All That It Ever Meant
The novel as whole was very well written, and the characters are well developed. The twist was well writen as well, and while it was unexpected it fitted into the story leading up to it well.

William

Play
It is quite an intersting story, showing the growth and life of highschool boys and the dangers of teenage lives.

Sawyer

The Final Year
It was a very engaging story, and the characters (Nate especially) were really easy to empathise with. The author creates an interesting atmosphere throughout the book, and changes the feel in a uniquely subtle way. VERY COOL (I really liked it :D)

jacob

Treacle Town
Overall an extremely exciting to read book and you really get to know Connor and how his character developed as his mind changed about his social groups and his situation as a whole.

Minnie

Little Bang
This was an enjoyable book although the ending was quite confusing and did gradually get repetitive.

Sophie F

Treacle Town
A very gripping book leaving you constantly worried for the main character and his quest for freedom from his town.

Oliver