On The Wall: Finding Happiness in the Strangest of Places

*A 2025 READ FOR EMPATHY BOOK*

*LONGLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR WRITING 2026*

Can you find happiness anywhere? Anywhere at all?

Amid the chaos of breaktime, Finley Tandy sits peacefully on the wall. Mr Goodhew, watching from the staffroom, is in awe of the boy's gift for stillness, and his seemingly cast-iron happiness. But tranquility may be catching. Because gradually everyone in the school comes to appreciate what Finley's long silences can offer. Even Juliet finds answers to her crushing worries when she's close to Finley, up on the wall.

A warm and witty novel, with a lot to say about the value of silence and self-acceptance, this new young teen story from Anne Fine is the perfect 'transition read' for those approaching the new challenges and joys of the first year of secondary school.