"A stunning emotional verse novel about grief, reconciliation and healing"
June 2026 Book of the Month
Following on from his award-winning success with The Final Year and its sequel The First Year, and in partnership again with illustrator Joe Todd Stanton, Matt Goodfellow has written another breathtaking verse novel, which I think is his best work yet.
I have always described the power of verse novels as ‘mainlining emotion’; with each carefully placed word you are drawn completely into the character’s heart and mind. The opening suggests that Alfie Piper is writing this himself as a means of trying to understand his life, which changed so dramatically when his mum died of pancreatic cancer just two weeks after her diagnosis.
Alfie warns the reader 'you might need to take a breath’ before he describes what has happened. The intensity of his grief and that experience is symbolised by the black pages the heartbreaking words are written on. Black is used very effectively in another way. After the funeral, Alfie insisted that he wanted to live with his dad, Sophie and baby Alice born the day after his mum’s death, and not him, his mum’s partner, whose references are always in bold to signify Alfie’s long-standing animosity towards his stepfather.
The book then moves on to the beginning of the next summer holidays, the titular six weeks, during which he will have to face the anniversary. Alfie has a lot to contend with - understanding why his parents split up, why his Gran is so difficult and why she has not contacted him since the funeral and why his mum chose him.
He understands only too well why his friends have disappeared ‘Fun isn’t being the kid who’s got the dead mum,’ but he knows that he has pushed them away.
Week by week and verse by verse we follow Alfie’s emotional journey towards some light and hope in his life and to a moving reconciliation, just as his mum had begged him, to Chris; whose first naming by Alfie is incredibly poignant. This is a masterful, subtle and utterly authentic portrayal of grief in all its complexities and differences for different people.
As Alfie begins to understand the full back story of the people in his life, there is room for him to find some peace and to be able to move on. Truly outstanding, this is a moving and unforgettable read.
The hotly anticipated new book from rising star Matt Goodfellow, author of bestselling The Final Year. Meet Alfie Piper, embarking on a summer he'll never forget ...
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The hotly anticipated new book from rising star Matt Goodfellow, author of bestselling The Final Year. Meet Alfie Piper, embarking on a summer he'll never forget ...
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Six Weeks and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
Six Weeks features in the following genres: Featured Books for 9+ readers, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Books of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Stories about Family and Friends, Stories in Verse, PSHE: Bereavement and Grief, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage poetry, anthologies, annuals
Paperback. £8.09, down from the £8.99 cover price. In Stock.
Six Weeks was written by Matt Goodfellow and published by Hodder Children's Books an imprint of Hachette Children's Group
Six Weeks has 292 pages
£8.09, reduced from £8.99. In Stock.
