If you liked those school books by Gervase Phinn, then you may or may not like this. IMO, it's a pretty poor imitation.
Typical story: a school year with all its ups and downs, funny things children say, scary school inspectors, uncertain romance, ordinary Yorkshire folk, stroppy cleaners... Trouble is, I've heard it all before.
My main complaint is the bad writing: this is full of cliches, stereotypical characters and, perhaps worst of all, clumsy, intrusive, usually irrelevant references to the 1970s in an attempt to place the story in real time. As a previous English SATs marker, I would give it no more than a Level 5 - the standard expected for an average 13 year-old. Hard to believe it's written by a headteacher (maybe he is more of a Maths specialist?).
It's not all bad: a nice touch is, at the beginning of each chapter, a quote from what looks like a genuine school logbook, which relates to the story to follow. And it's clear that at least some of the details ring true, as anyone who grew up in the 1970s can testify. The events in school also have an authentic feel and show just how much things have changed since then.
But if you prefer good writing, read Gervase Phinn instead - he's a far superior writer.
