Tomi Adebayo has a new blazer, polished shoes, and a quiet plan: start secondary school properly, stay out of trouble, and do what is expected. But the first bell at a modern British secondary school brings more than lessons and lockers. It brings Jayden Walsh, whose jokes arrive before his feelings; Sam Mensah, who wants to be known for being excellent; and Ethan Donovan, who watches everything from the edge.

Together, the boys enter a world of crowded corridors, changing friendships, classroom pressure, playground rules, family expectations, and the strange bravery it takes to admit you are lost. When an early mistake threatens to define one of them, the boys must decide whether school is a place where everyone protects themselves — or where unlikely friends can start protecting each other.

Funny, heartfelt, and sharply observant, New Shoes, Old Rules begins a five-book coming-of-age journey about friendship, faith, courage, and the choices that shape a boy long before he understands their weight.