Luisa Plaja

Jordan likes Hannah even though his friend says she’s bad news. Jordan is sure it’s just gossip… until Hannah starts cancelling their plans for no reason. Hannah likes Jordan, but she has to look after her dad and sister. She can’t always find time to go out and have fun. Does Jordan care more about what his friend says than he does about Hannah?

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.

Fifteen-year-old Molly actually lives in the residential wing of her local mall, and mysterious twins Jewel and Jasper have just moved into the flat upstairs. As Molly grows closer to them, she becomes more determined than ever to find out their secret and so do her other friends. Will their prying spoil Molly’s chances of happiness?

Jo has just moved to America with her mum. She’s always been a fairly average girl – not a nerd but certainly never one of the popular kids. But on her first day in her new school, she seems to be adopted by the It girls – and is invited to one of their parties. There, she meets Jake Matthews, officially the hottest boy in school, and when they begin to play the kissing-in-the-closet game, Seven Minutes in Heaven, amazingly Jake picks Jo join him in the closet! She can’t believe her luck. But the reality of being kissed and groped by Jake is not quite as great as the fantasy… Jo has a choice to make: should she carry on, kiss Jake and secure her position in the It crowd – or should she tell him where to get off and risk relegation back to the land of the ordinary . . . ?

At this moment – Jo splits. She’s Josie the Cool – girlfriend of Jake, member of the It crowd. She’s also Jo the Nerd – rejected by the It crowd, single . . .

Will her two halves ever come back together again? Is Jake the guy she’s meant to be with or could some of the other people she meets along her journey – Rachel the scary goth, David the misfit or Albie the rocker – be the answer?

A fabulously inventive, heartwarming and funny take on the Sliding Doors idea, for teen readers.