Sam Hendry is not looking forward to starting at her new school. Things go from bad to worse as the day of truth arrives and all of her fears come true... and then some.
When Sam meets a different group of people who immediately accept her as a friend, she begins to feel more positive.
With her new friends and interests, will Sam finally feel able to face the bully who taunts her, and to summon up the courage to perform on stage? (via Goodreads)
New Beginnings is a great book for children who are having a hard time at school dealing with bullies. It very realistically tells the tale of an eleven year old girl named Sam who has transferred from a comfortable and familiar primary school, to a secondary school where she doesn’t know anyone and struggles to fit in.
I found it so easy to identify with Sam’s situation that I was actually brought back to my own days at secondary school. This was something I didn’t appreciate at first and even disliked, until I realised that this is exactly the way the book should make me feel. The children that read it are going to want to identify with Sam, especially if they’re facing bullies and need someone to relate to. Also, at this stage in my life, it helped me appreciate my freedom as a twenty-something not having to deal with school anymore! Well okay, apart from uni (but that doesn’t really count! Heh.)
New Beginnings is a very easy read (I managed to finish it in under 24 hours), so children won’t have a problem with it. There’s also a lot of extra advice for them on how to deal with bullies, and this will also prove valuable for parents who know or suspect that their child is being bullied.
Rating: 4 / 5
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To learn more about New Beginnings and author Rebecca Emin, visit her blog: http://www.rebeccaemin.co.uk
