Matt Goodfellow's first book 'The Final Year' was extraordinary. I read it with a group of children in Year Six and they never stopped talking about it. Every other book we read together was compared to it, and none came up to the mark.

When I heard that the author had written a sequel I was both desperate to read it and also nervous. Could he possibly do it again?

Well, he has. This is also a fantastic, fabulous, wonderful book.

Written in free verse, it's powerful, emotional, gripping and uplifting. It's full of hope and courage while also being real, dark, sad and challenging.

Nate has just started secondary school with his two best friends. Home life feels good because his younger brother Dylan has recovered from his life-threatening heart condition, and his mum and Auntie San, and Nate's other brother Jax are all getting on well and are loving and supportive of each other. 

But the new school does take some getting used to and there's also the bully Turner to deal with. Nate has to manage his response to difficult situations - his fits of anger, which he names The Beast - and then there's something very big indeed to deal with as a figure from the past enters all their lives. 

With illustrations once again from Joe Todd-Stanton, this is another hit. Breathtakingly brilliant.