☆☆☆☆☆ Matheson's Mike Beckett makes an engaging protagonist with some sharp observations on the realities of school life and an endearing awkwardness in work and in relationships that rings very true. 

The characters, both student and teacher, are well drawn and realistic. There are no real villains, so much as victims of circumstance and many of the descriptions took me to back my own days of teaching or walking the corridors in support of other staff.

Matheson's prose flashes with self-deprecating humour, for example his ancient car too hideous to be a worthwhile target for car thieves despite its feeble security protection.

I am sure popping the lock on the car wasn't too much of a challenge. A credit card, a coat hook, a stern look, they'd all work.

Teaching is a job which is 'never finished' because there is always more marking, feedback, preparation that one could be doing. All teachers ultimately make a decision about where to draw the line between 'work' and 'life'. Beckett finds this quickly.

☆☆☆☆☆ Mike, the main character, seems to me to be a self-effacing man with a somewhat unusual sense of humour, and imagery, and I found myself smiling or laughing from the very beginning. This continued as Mike, meets both work and personal challenges with a similar wry or dry wit and often an amusing scenario. However, there was a marked inclusion of self-reflectiveness, sensitivity and a seriousness which touched my heart on a number of occasions.

☆☆☆☆☆ An excellent first novel, which for me evoked memories of my own school days (a very long time ago), but also rings true with tales I hear from friends who are still in, or have been in, the teaching profession.

Tom uses some amusing and charming metaphors, and paints pictures of the main characters that make them endearing. The simmering romance is enthralling, as are Mike's struggles with an unruly pupil. The family Christmas dinner, and the school trip, will probably strike a chord with many readers.

Learning the Rules is an easy read, and I found it hard to put down. The book structure, broken down into the months and 'rules' worked well for me.