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4.59 AVERAGE
4.59 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
We will be using this book as inspiration for our poetry unit in my year 5/6 class and I can’t wait to share it with them. Written entirely in verse this story shows the power of poetry.
Nate is our narrator and he’s growing up with a mum who is struggling and two younger brothers that he takes responsibility for looking after despite being only 10 at the start of the book. He struggles with regulating his emotions, described as The Beast, and finds writing poetry a way of expressing his emotions. A really powerful book which brought me to tears on more than one occasion.
Nate is our narrator and he’s growing up with a mum who is struggling and two younger brothers that he takes responsibility for looking after despite being only 10 at the start of the book. He struggles with regulating his emotions, described as The Beast, and finds writing poetry a way of expressing his emotions. A really powerful book which brought me to tears on more than one occasion.
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Beautiful
I am not normally someone who delves into poetry books but this story is so beautiful and so masterfully told. Every single word carries a weight and a purpose and it so cleverly and powerfully conveys the life of a boy who is leaving primary school and, with it, experiencing many of life’s hardest lessons for the first time. Giving voice to the experiences of many children in this country, I cannot recommend it enough as a visceral and thought provoking experience that I devoured in one sitting but will definitely return for more!
This book has changed me.
Often we read a story, enjoy it and move on.
Sometimes we read a book that makes us think, and make a small change.
Occasionally we read a book that impacts is and changes the way you think.
And rarely, a book comes along and whacks you so hard in the chest you have to catch your breath, that so profoundly impacts you, you are a different person than the one who just a few hours before sat down and picked up a book.
This is one of those books. I had to catch my breath. And I haven’t stopped thinking about it.
Such a powerful story.
It’s Nate’s final year of primary school and there’s a lot going on - tests, high school looming, the pressure of being the role models in school. Nate feels like everyone’s eyes are on him and he’s worried that he won’t be able to manage The Beast - the outbursts of destructive behaviour - inside him.
Nate’s life isn’t easy - he has two younger brothers who he does a lot of the caring for, absent father(s) and a mother who has her own demons. But he has his best friend to rely on. Until they are put in different classes. And then his littlest brother gets sick. Really sick.
I have taught kids like Nate, kids whose lives are so much harder than their peers. Kids who might be labelled ‘challenging’ until you realise that it’s their lives that are challenging, and they are coping with much more than any child ever should.
This is a story about coping. About strength. About grief. About loss. And above all about hope.
I have never read a page more powerful than the two blank (yes blank) pages in this book. They completely winded me.
It’s also a story about the power of poetry, about the power of words. About friendship and family. A story which shines a light on the value of a caring and passionate teacher who sees, really sees, each child.
It’s a story about growing up. About finding your voice. Finding your people.
It’s a story that will change you.
Often we read a story, enjoy it and move on.
Sometimes we read a book that makes us think, and make a small change.
Occasionally we read a book that impacts is and changes the way you think.
And rarely, a book comes along and whacks you so hard in the chest you have to catch your breath, that so profoundly impacts you, you are a different person than the one who just a few hours before sat down and picked up a book.
This is one of those books. I had to catch my breath. And I haven’t stopped thinking about it.
Such a powerful story.
It’s Nate’s final year of primary school and there’s a lot going on - tests, high school looming, the pressure of being the role models in school. Nate feels like everyone’s eyes are on him and he’s worried that he won’t be able to manage The Beast - the outbursts of destructive behaviour - inside him.
Nate’s life isn’t easy - he has two younger brothers who he does a lot of the caring for, absent father(s) and a mother who has her own demons. But he has his best friend to rely on. Until they are put in different classes. And then his littlest brother gets sick. Really sick.
I have taught kids like Nate, kids whose lives are so much harder than their peers. Kids who might be labelled ‘challenging’ until you realise that it’s their lives that are challenging, and they are coping with much more than any child ever should.
This is a story about coping. About strength. About grief. About loss. And above all about hope.
I have never read a page more powerful than the two blank (yes blank) pages in this book. They completely winded me.
It’s also a story about the power of poetry, about the power of words. About friendship and family. A story which shines a light on the value of a caring and passionate teacher who sees, really sees, each child.
It’s a story about growing up. About finding your voice. Finding your people.
It’s a story that will change you.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Read it greedily in one sitting. Sometimes a book comes along that reminds you why you teach Year Six. Why you love it. Why you hate it. Why you live and breathe it. This book gives me courage to teach how I want to teach. And gives you empathy in droves.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated