Breathe

Nicole has a secret she is hiding from everyone; even her boyfriend, Alex. She suffers from anxiety. Sometimes her worries threaten to overwhelm her. To Alex she appears calm and confident. He has no idea how scared she often feels inside. But Nicole begins to find it impossible to keep her feelings hidden. She is faced with a choice. Reveal her secret - or lose Alex. What will she decide? 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.