I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Bigg School: Best Friends Forever is a relatable fiction book for children about the breakdown of friendships.
Lola and Evie have been best friends since infanthood. When they start at a new school and find that they no longer have any classes together. Evie makes a new friend straight away called Cleo, and Lola is made to sit next to a boy she can't stand. And to make things worse, Cleo is coming between Lola and Evie, and Lola isn't prepared to lose her BFF. Mix in all the other anxieties and changes going to a new school/ high school brings and not only does this book make it a perfect read for children when starting high school, but it helps them to see these things are happening to others too which will help the reader feel a little less alone.

"Bigg School: Best Friends Forever" by Lisa Williamson is a heartwarming tale of friendship, adventure, and the bond that conquers all. Perfect for young readers.

A lovely story about the normal anxieties and problems kids might have when starting school: relationships change, as does everything else in life, and we must learn to adapt. It's very well done, too--sweet, funny, easy to read. The illustrations are comical but empathetic. In all, an excellent book for first readers!

I’ll be getting a hard copy of this to share in my class library because I think it’ll be great for 6Y6 children, who sometimes struggle with friendships. This is a lovely portrayal of friendship and how it can be done.

Avoiding the sunshine, so read this gorgeous new #UKMG from @lisa_letters (with great illustrations by @VenkmanProject), 1st in a new series published by @guppybooks. Best Friends Forever takes place in the 1st term of yr7, with all the associated drama...

A really lovely story about transitioning to secondary school and dealing with all kinds of changes. It touches on anxiety, friendships, and growing apart - themes that will be deeply relatable for readers.

My 8 year old read this with me.
She liked the plot (even though it was a bit sad), characters and the pacing. She was even doing the victory dance at the end when they became friends again. 4.5 ⭐️

I received a free copy of, Bigg School: Best Friends Forever, by Lisa Williamson and Jess Bradley. from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Best friends forever Chloe and Evie are best friends until they start a new school year and have no classes together. School is hard enough with out friendship problems, Chloe is feeling a little lost without her supposed bff Evie, life is not the same, and change is never fun. I would never want to go back to elementary school again, so much angst and anxiety, this is a really good read.

I really enjoyed this book. Perfect for those navigating those early days of high school and all the changes that come along with it.

I love how accessible the writing is without being too simple. Lisa Williamson really is insightful about the feelings and thoughts of Y7 girls. The writing sometimes brings back fond memories of my old self at that age (and not-so-fond ones as well).

By the way, I am from Hong Kong originally, but for the life of me, I don't get how Jiayi could mean "lucky one". Does anyone have the Cantonese word for it?

Lisa Williamson and Jess Bradley are the perfect duo for this new series. Williamson shows a rich insight into the emotional life of a Year 6- 7 child going up to secondary school and manages to portray all of the pain and delights of this without making anyone too much of a villain. 'People grow apart' is the sad but true theme of this story, it's echoed in the lives of the Lola's recently divorced parents as well as with Lola's own significant relationship with her Primary School best friend but it's lightly and amusingly told with such cute illustrations from Bradley. The repeated visual gag about the meaning of Lola's name made me laugh every time I saw it and it's touches like this that are fresh and fun. I really enjoyed the fact that (spoiler) it is Lola's otherwise monosyllabic older brother who ultimately saves the day and puts things into an emotional framework and context that she can accept. Tween boys experience just as much heartbreak at these partings in life as tween girls do so it was lovely to see this depicted so sensitively. It's written in plain, simple language and with Bradley's illustrations making it look so attractive and fun I think that this will appeal to readers of all ages and abilities. I can't wait to get this into my school library as it's going to be very popular I think.