New Release Book Review & GIVEAWAY: The Things That Matter Most by Gabbie Stroud

New Release Book Review & GIVEAWAY: The Things That Matter Most by Gabbie Stroud

Title: The Things That Matter Most

Author: Gabbie Stroud

Published: August 1st 2023

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Pages: 368

Genres:  Fiction, Contemporary

RRP: $32.99

Rating: 4.5 stars

The staff of St Margaret’s Primary School are hanging by a thread. There’s serious litigation pending, the school is due for registration, and a powerful parent named Janet Bellevue has a lot to say about everything. As teachers they’re trying to remain professional, as people they’re unravelling fast.

There’s Tyson, first year out of uni and nervous as hell, Derek the Assistant Principal who’s dropped the ball on administration, Bev from the office who’s confronting a serious diagnosis, and Sally-Ann who’s desperate for a child of her own.

Thank goodness for kids like Lionel Merrick. Lionel is the student who steals your heart and makes the whole teaching gig worthwhile: he’s cheerful, likeable, helpful – and devoted to his little sister Lacey. But Lionel has a secret of his own. As his future slides from vulnerable to dangerous, will someone from St Margaret’s realise before it’s too late?

As secrets threaten to be exposed and working demands increase, each staff member struggles to recall the things that matter most.

A moving and compelling novel about teachers and their students by the acclaimed author of the bestselling books Teacher and Dear Parents.

Review:

Recovering primary school teacher and freelance writer Gabbie Stroud is a strong advocate for Australia’s flawed education system. Since the release of her popular memoir Dear Teacher, Gabbie Stroud generated plenty of worthy discussion around education today. The Things That Matter Most is Stroud’s fiction debut, charting the challenges faced by staff and their students as they navigate the day-to-day routines of school life.

St Margaret’s Primary School is the case study for this latest Gabbie Stroud composition. When the story begins, we learn that the staff at this small country school are struggling like many other schools around the state and nation to stay afloat. With the general demands of teaching, the school is also preparing for its registration process and an influential parent is targeting St Margaret’s creating more undue stress. This impossible situation impacts the staff in different ways. There is Tyson, a new teacher who has so much to learn but is eager to please. Then there is Derek, a veteran teacher of forty years who knows the pressures of both teaching and the demands of administrative duties following his stint as an Assistant Principal. Sally-Ann is a passionate year one teacher but her home struggles have encroached on her professional life. Finally Bev the office administration figurehead now faces a very tough personal health battle. While the staff at St Margaret’s grapple with the demands of the job and their various personal life issues, there is a special student and his sister who will soon need as many helping hands as the school can muster in the wake of a personal tragedy. Will the St Margaret’s teaching community be able to save this family while juggling the demands of a broken education system?

As an educator of nearly two decades in the primary school teaching system here in Western Australia I wasn’t sure how I felt about reading this book. I did delay reading The Things That Matter Most until I had a clear head and was on a break from school. To be honest Stroud’s book was utterly on point, heartbreaking and powerful at many, many points of the novel’s duration. However, I will say as a teacher I found it very close to home and it send some triggers my way. So if you currently work, have previously worked in the system, or you are studying education you may find this book quite hard hitting.

I liked how Stroud was able to give us a well-rounded view of all the key players who make up a school environment. In The Things That Matter Most we have a good cross section of staff covered from to a graduate teacher, to an established teacher, a senior administrative staff member and Bev an essential office pillar for the school. Added into the mix is a bright student and his sister who contribute significantly to the novel and the complication that arises for this already stressed school. I appreciated the representation of the cast in this story, to me they felt very credible and accurate. Stroud balances the general issues of a broken education system with the personal conflicts of each respective main protagonist in this story. Each core cast member is grappling with some sort of personal life issue ranging from ill health, disillusionment, doubt, sexuality, relationships, infertility and guilt. The inability to balance home and work life seemed eminently clear in this novel. This is just one of many downfalls of the education system of late, as parents, along with bureaucracy press down on their demands placed on school staff. It really is a hopeless situation that grows by the day, which is witnessed by the droves of staff who are leaving the profession.

The little light in this novel goes to Lionel Merrick. This student character is bright, intuitive and enthusiastic about learning. Throughout the book we read various pieces of writing from this special year six student, which was a nice additional touch from Stroud. We also get to know Lionel’s sister Lacey, who he will do anything for. It is through these children that we see just how strained, overworked and damaged our schools are around the nation. St Margaret’s is a true representation of the troubles faced by many schools, which is a sad fact. Unfortunately in the face of such administrative push-down and increasing demands on staff, other issues in regards to general wellbeing of both students and staff can be ignored. Sadly, as this book raises so clearly, the best of us goes into school work and then our personal lives take a dip. This is what I gleaned from Gabbie Stroud’s fiction debut.

Be prepared, this one will hurt your heart, especially if you are close to the education system. For general fiction readers The Things That Matter Most is a compelling and robust tale with plenty to say about the current education model.

The Things That Matter Most by Gabbie Stroud was published on 1st August 2023 by Allen & Unwin. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.

To learn more about the author of The Things That Matter Most, Gabbie Stroud visit here.

*Thanks extended to Allen & Unwin for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.


Giveaway!

I am offering 1 lucky reader an opportunity to win a copy of The Things That Matter Most. Simply leave a comment below on your favourite teacher to win a copy of this book to be entered into this competition! Good luck!

*Competition open to Australian postal addresses only. Winners selected at random. Closes Wednesday 4th October 2023, 11pm (WST).

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