Looking After Mum

Dani is looking forward to Matt's birthday meal with their friends at the local pizza place. But Matt doesn't show up. Then, when Matt doesn't reply to her texts, Dani is upset. She can't believe Matt is the kind of guy who'd behave like that. But Matt has problems of his own at home. Problems that he can't bear to share with anyone, least of all his friends. Will Dani discover the truth?

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.