6 books about starting secondary school

On my author visits to primary schools, I sometimes ask the Year 6s what they’re most worried about. Top of their list by some distance is always ​‘starting secondary school’. 

I wanted to write a book that was both reassuring and yet at the same time acknowledged that transitioning to secondary school can sometimes be the cause of much anxiety. 

In Zak Monroe is (Not) My Friend, Sam Taylor overhears his oldest friends saying they don’t want him in their tutor group when they get to secondary school. Can Sam convince them to change their minds? Should he keep hiding his friendship with ​‘weird’ new boy Zak Monroe? And what will happen when the two sides of his life collide?

Here are some more books about the transition to secondary school that I recommend.

11-year-old Billy Plimpton is desperate to fit in at his new secondary school. His greatest dream is to become a stand-up comedian. There’s just one problem: Billy has a stammer. 

Full of great one-liners and with a hugely loveable protagonist, this is a warm, funny read that underlines the importance of empathy and friendship. 

Mo is autistic. The transition to secondary was never going to be easy. The other kids call her weird, her old friends have deserted her and she feels more alone than ever. It’s only when Mo makes friends with Carys, or Onyx as they prefer to be known, and they begin to explore a deserted Victorian Asylum (where Mo’s great uncle may have been incarcerated simply for being autistic) that her life starts to improve. 

It’s great to see an authentic neurodivergent protagonist (the writer is herself autistic) in a warm and sensitive story about acceptance and finding your own voice. 

Go Big: The Secondary School Survival Guide by Matthew Burton 

Anyone who saw Channel 4’s award winning series Educating Yorkshire will remember the inspirational English teacher, Mr Burton, and the way he helped Musharaf to overcome his stammer. Mr Burton is a headteacher now and has written this comprehensive guide to surviving secondary school. 

Packed with brilliant (but realistic) advice, it’s designed to dip into whenever you feel worried or overwhelmed by school. And there’s a particularly helpful chapter about making the big step up from primary school. 

New Kid by Jerry Craft 

Seventh-grader Jordan Banks loves drawing cartoons. But instead of sending him to a school specialising in art, his parents enrol him at the elite, ultra-academic Riverdale Academy, where he’s one of the few pupils of colour. 

Set in the US, this gripping graphic novel charts Jordan’s attempts to fit in at his new school whilst remaining true to himself and his neighbourhood friends. 

Being Miss Nobody by Tamsin Winter 

11-year-old Rosalind has selective mutism, meaning she finds it difficult to talk. This makes starting life at a new secondary school extremely hard for her and she very soon experiences bullying. As a way of finding her own voice and fighting back, Rosalind reinvents herself as the blogger ​‘Miss Nobody’. The trouble is, it seems like Miss Nobody is becoming a bully herself. 

This multi-layered story, with some lovely illustrations, tackles difficult themes (cyber-bullying, anxiety, childhood cancer) in a sensitive and relatable way. 

Written in diary form, this is the first book in the popular Lottie Brooks series. Lottie’s best friend Molly has recently moved to Australia, so Lottie must negotiate the trials and tribulations of starting secondary school (not to mention the onset of puberty) without her. 

This is a very funny book with some nice, doodle-style illustrations and it has a lot to say about forming new friendships and learning to be yourself. It’s set in my home town of Brighton too! 

Zak Monroe is (Not) My Friend by Simon Packham is out now.