Sam

Sam's friends haven't been round for months. He spends most of his time online. His schoolwork is suffering. His mum is worried, but Sam reckons she doesn't understand him, not like his online friends. Plus she's really busy working two jobs. Sam can't talk to his dad either because he's gone and got himself a new family. Will Sam tell anyone his secret, before it tears him apart?

The Two Sides series take important themes faced by many young people in today's world such as sexual identity, domestic abuse, racism and being a young carer and bring them to life through the words of a young person struggling to come to terms with them. These innovative books are written both from the main character's point of view and someone else who has made an assumption about the situation coloured by prejudice or ignorance. Appearances can be deceiving. In a judgemental world, can you see Two Sides?

This hi-lo series for struggling and reluctant readers has been written for children aged 13+, whose current reading age is 8-9. These age-appropriate short reads range from 32 to 42 pages and are written by gifted authors writing stories with relatable characters. They incorporate a large font size and text separated into bite-sized chunks, along with carefully considered letter and paragraph spacing that can reduce visual stress. The series has plenty of practice at one level, allowing consolidation of learning before moving on to more challenging reads.