As the school year hurtles towards the summer holidays, Coram Beanstalk was thrilled to be able to offer a very special online Bookfest event exclusively for our partner schools this week!

Year 5 and 6 classes in all of our Coram Beanstalk schools were invited to join us for a talk by award-winning poet Matt Goodfellow, author of the highly-aclaimed 'The Final Year' (winner of The CLiPPA Award for Children's Poetry 2024, The Children's Book Award for Older Readers 2024 from The Federation of Children's Book Groups and The Spark! Book Award for Readers 11+, 2024).

Almost 1300 children were able to hear Matt read from 'The Final Year' along with several other poems. Matt spoke about his writing and how he found in poetry a space where he could put down the thoughts in his head. He talked about the power and importance of words and how life is always moving and changing.

Which led nicely to him sharing his latest book, 'The First Year', in which Nate, the protagonist in 'The Final Year' moves to High School! As many of the children who were listening will also be facing a move to new schools in September Matt offered reassurances about the differences they would experience but told them "You will find your space and you'll find the people that matter to you". 

The children had an array of questions including "Will The Final Year be made into a movie?" - sadly Matt was unable to answer that question but there was a general agreement amongst the attendees that it should be! 

I began reading the final year to the class during SATs week and was initially met with frustration - 'we're reading instead of going out to play? But we've worked so hard this morning!' However, after a few pages the class were quick to settle in to their seats ready to see what was going to happen next to Nate. Children would comment that this is the only book they've ever loved, with many desperate to take it home - but we only had one copy so I had to protect it until we'd finished. When we reached the cliff-hanger ending there was silence - seemingly disappointment that the book they'd enjoyed so much had come to an end. The similarities between the text and their current situations meant they were thrilled when we told them about the Zoom opportunity and Matt did not disappoint. The way he spoke so openly about his struggles in education and how keen he was to write a story reflective of the kids he grew up with was inspirational. Following the zoom we discussed whether there are any books out there that really tell the stories of children like those in our class, from similar backgrounds and in similar circumstances -we agreed there are not. I believe that some left with a determination to make sure that one day such stories exist.

Year 6 teacher, Heywood Primary, Rochdale

The session with Matt was a real highlight for our class. The children thoroughly enjoyed it and were completely engaged throughout. They especially loved hearing their own questions read out and answered – it made them feel seen, valued, and part of something special.
Here are a few comments from the children afterwards:
“I couldn’t believe it when my question was picked – I felt famous!”
“It was so interesting hearing about how the books were written and where the ideas came from.”
“I liked how Matt answered us like real writers, not just kids in a class.”
It was an inspiring experience that sparked lots of discussion and ideas, and really encouraged the children to think like writers. We’re so grateful to have been involved.

Year 6 teacher, Michael Faraday School, London

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