LoveReading4Kids Says
Simon Packham is very good at describing the emotional landscapes of Years 6 and 7, and Zak Monroe Is (Not) My Friend is a typically sensitive, honest and involving story that feels both particular to its characters while delivering universal truths about our emotions and behaviour.
It’s the end of the final year of primary school and Sam is worried to epic levels. He’s overhead a conversation between his three oldest friends and discovered that they’re not going to put him on their all-important ‘friends list’ for secondary school: he doesn’t play football, likes singing, and spends too much time with his nan amongst their reasons.
Sam has just weeks now to change and disrupting their growing friendship with the class bully would be good too. When his mates all go on a half-term trip to Barcelona, Sam has no choice but to hang out with ‘weird’ Zak Monroe, and to his surprise, finds himself having real fun. When school starts up again, his fears and anxiety return, and he does some things that will shock readers for their cruelty. Has the real Sam gone for ever or will he see who his true friends really are?
It’s a page-turning read, often funny and full of drama as well as genuine insight into the way fear and the urge to be in a group can make us behave in ways that we wouldn’t normally.
Reviewed by Andrea ReeceAndrea Reece has spent almost her entire working life in children’s books, first as publisher, latterly as consultant, project manager and critic.
More reviews by Andrea Reece About Zak Monroe Is (Not) My Friend
Sam has been best friends with Cal, Fin and Jay for EVER. They're all about to move up to a new school together - scary but exciting.
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Zak Monroe Is (Not) My Friend Synopsis
Sam has been best friends with Cal, Fin and Jay for EVER. They're all about to move up to a new school together - scary but exciting.
But then he overhears them saying they're not going to put him on their Friends Lists!
So Sam will be stuck in a different tutor group with a lot of kids he doesn't know. Help!
How can Sam convince them to change their minds?
Can he keep on hiding his new friendship with 'weird' new boy Zak Monroe?
And what will happen when these two sides of Sam's life collide?
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781916747555 |
| Publication date: |
3rd April 2025 |
| Author: |
Simon Packham |
| Publisher: |
UCLan Publishing |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
234 pages |
| Suitable For: |
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Simon Packham Press Reviews
Praise for Worrybot:
'What unfolds is a gentle, but profound story about friendships, confidence and school refusal – with an absolutely audacious plot twist.' - The Observer
‘I can imagine lots of children getting a great deal from this book, particularly those who have their own worries and fears to deal with' - Steve Ince
About Simon Packham
A Q&A with Simon..
What inspires your writing? A need to try and make some sense of the world. My children.
What has been the most exciting moment of your career so far? Seeing my first review in The Observer (totally unexpected – and good by the way), and having my work translated into other languages.
How did you first become an author? I’d taken a break from acting to be a ‘househusband’ and look after our two small children. I’d always written since I was about 9 years old (plays to begin with), but it really helped me stay sane amidst all the nappy changing. My first adult novel The Opposite Bastard (about an out of work actor who is forced to become carer for a teenage quadriplegic at Oxford University) was published by Macmillan New Writing. I started writing for a younger audience in an effort to entertain my son (then about 12 now 18). I hoped I could interest him in something that didn’t involve teenage spies or wizards.
What are you reading right now? Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon and before that Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner.
What was your earliest career aspiration? I always wanted to be an actor, and that’s what I did for the first twenty years of my working life. Specialising in small, but mainly insignificant characters in West-End shows, I still had a great time and got to work with
some amazing people. (Dame Judi Dench, Omar Sharif, Frank Finlay, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Ann Aston off the Golden Shot etc...)
What advice would you give to budding writers? Don’t let your inner critic put you off before you’ve even started. There’s no such thing as a bad idea – it’s all in the way you tackle it.
What was your favourite childhood book? I loved William books by Richmal Crompton and Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking.
Where is your favourite place to write? I used to write in the bedroom, but then we had a loft conversion so now I’ve got my own room. I still can’t decide if I’m more productive when I face the window.
How do you read- print, digitally or both? I’ve got a Kindle, which I find brilliant for editing my own work and reading non-fiction, but I still prefer reading novels in the old fashioned way.
Who do you most admire? Peter Tatchell – teachers in state schools.
Are there any books you wish you had written? American Pyscho (Bret Easton Ellis) and Vile Bodies (Evelyn Waugh)
More About Simon Packham
