Box Books

The Final Year
This book is packed with drama and sadness, with a young boy’s problems and worries. Matt takes you on the roller coaster of the boy’s final year at primary school and all of the obstacles between him and home using the art of poetry to express the boy’s feelings. With tragedy and suspense, you never want to leave the world of the boy and his friends. He faces challenges but always completes them in the end, side by side with his family. The Final Year is all about a boy called Nate and all of the troubles he faces as he leaves primary school. When Nate and PS get separated into different year 6 classes, PS makes friends with the bully and Nate slowly begins to feel sadness and despair, and that he is alone. Nate gets help from his new year 6 teacher and finds peace with writing. Then he meets Caleb and everything changes. Caleb can relate to Nate and all of his issues and family problems and they form a bond together. That is until something disastrous happens with Nate’s younger brother and he feels lost and alone again. But he makes it through the other side with his amazing and supportive friends and he learns how to control the monster that lives inside him. Nate lives in a poor family and doesn’t expect much but when his best mate leaves him, he feels like he is punched in the stomach. I was sad when the book was over but it was a great read altogether. My favourite part was when Nate’s brother was excited because he thought Spider-Man was at his birthday party. Some characters were likeable, such as Caleb and PS but others were not as nice, like Turner, the bully. I enjoyed the whole book and I wish that it could have been longer as it left me on a cliff hanger. All in all, I think it was fabulous book and I would recommend it to all people who are leaving primary school and who enjoy dramatic and suspenseful novels.

Owen

Play
Really interesting book and definitely had a huge influence on the way I view drugs and alcohol etc. I was constantly on the edge of my seat for each characters storyline.

Seren