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The Things That Matter Most

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The Things That Matter Most

By: Gabbie Stroud
Narrated by: Jo Van Es
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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 fast unravelling. 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 and 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 begins to lose sight of 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.©2023 Gabbie Stroud (P)2023 W. F. Howes Ltd Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Tear-jerking Student
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It's authenticity, such an accurate snapshot of some of the things our teachers are facing in these troubling times. So sad...

Wonderful but sad story

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As a teacher, I almost couldn’t listen to the story at first. As it went on though, I saw in the characters teachers that I knew. I saw me.
The narration is wonderful. The story is quite simple at its core, but the twists and turns and laughs and heart ache make it a book to embrace. It’s a book teachers and non-teachers alike need to read, although I suspect that some readers might not accept that the trials and emotions in the book are very closely aligned to real experiences teachers face. It’s real all right. A wonderful book.

Gut wrenching and real

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Needs to be made into a movie so all the Janet’s out there can hopefully have a bit more empathy for all the hurdles teachers face trying to provide the best learning experience for their children

Make it into a movie

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Loved all the characters. Shows how we can get caught up with all the paperwork and miss the important things under our noses.

Throughly enjoyed listening to this story.

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Excellent story!
So relatable for anyone working within a school setting. Highly recommend, east listen

Recommend for anyone working in a school setting

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