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Moving up to secondary school can come with a whole raft of conflicting emotions. Fortunately, there are some great books to help primary school leavers explore this time of change.
So whether they can’t wait to get stuck in, want to reinvent themselves, or just want a straightforward guide to life in secondary school, this collection is a great place to start. And if your school days are long behind you? Reading these books will no doubt spark a bit of empathy for those doing it all for the first time.
Go Big : The Secondary School Survival Guide
Matthew Burton
A friendly and encouraging guide to all aspects of secondary school. Great for building confidence.
Being Miss Nobody
Tamsin Winter
A selectively mute girl starts a blog to speak out about her experience of bullying after starting secondary school. Deals with anxiety, friendship, and social media with intelligence, empathy and humour.
Splash
Charli Howard
Molly has always lived in the shadow of her manipulative best friend, but now in her final year of primary school she has a chance to compete in a regional swimming competition. Pits popularity against chasing your own dreams. A great story and a great message for when moving on.
Vote For Effie
Laura Wood
Effie has just started at a new school, and is now determined to become student council president to fight for feminism and equal access to chocolate cake.
You Are Awesome
Matthew Syed
Two-time Olympian and best-selling mindset author lays out how to become your best self in this readable and practical guide to developing a growth mindset.
New Kid
Jerry Craft
Jordan Banks loves art, but his parents have enrolled him in a super-academic private school where Jordan is one of the only kids of colour. Can Jordan keep his old neighbourhood friends and navigate life at his new school without betraying his roots?
Ella On The Outside
Cath Howe
Ella is the new girl at school. She’s anxious and shy, and is surprised when the most popular girl in school suddenly wants to be her friend. A gripping story of secrets and blackmail that also contains a heart-warming message of recognising real friendships and finding inner strength.
The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks
Katie Kirby
Hilarious story charting the intense mortification of starting secondary school when you really don’t feel as glamorous as you imagined you would.
No Worries: Your Guide to Starting Secondary School
Jenny Alexander
Full of information, tips and reassurance about going to secondary school. A fun, accessible guide that doesn’t patronise or preach.
How To Be A Human
Karen McCombie
Kiki’s starting to think she may have made a mistake by ditching her old best friends as soon as she moves to secondary school. Wes has always been an outsider. And Star Boy? He’s just dropping by to find out more about humans.
