A really sensitively written story. Life for Amy has turned topsy turvy. Not only has she had to move because of her Dad's accident, she's leaving Primary school and facing the possibility of having to attend secondary school without any of her friends. On top of all this Gran has hurt her ankle, her Pops dementia is getting worse and the plans she had for Summer look as if they're being derailed. But then she meets Jay. A quiet and kind boy who helps Amy realise that every cloud does have a silver lining. This is a beautifully written story that shows that friendship has many forms. Ros deals with the heart breaking topic of dementia with immense thoughtfulness enabling the target audience to understand how the illness robs the sufferer of the present. She delicately describes Pops condition likening it to a spinning top. "Time twists and spins and then you wait and wait for it to settle." This is a thoughtful tale. Perfect for those transitioning to secondary school or just seeking a book that has depth. 5 stars.

A really sensitively written story. Life for Amy has turned topsy turvy. Not only has she had to move because of her Dad's accident, she's leaving Primary school and facing the possibility of having to attend secondary school without any of her friends. On top of all this Gran has hurt her ankle, her Pops dementia is getting worse and the plans she had for Summer look as if they're being derailed. But then she meets Jay. A quiet and kind boy who helps Amy realise that every cloud does have a silver lining. This is a beautifully written story that shows that friendship has many forms. Ros deals with the heart breaking topic of dementia with immense thoughtfulness enabling the target audience to understand how the illness robs the sufferer of the present. She delicately describes Pops condition likening it to a spinning top. "Time twists and spins and then you wait and wait for it to settle." This is a thoughtful tale. Perfect for those transitioning to secondary school or just seeking a book that has depth. 5 stars.

Digger and Me, the author’s debut title, was a book that I absolutely adored when I read it last year. The heart-warming story of one boy’s enormous love for his dog, it was one that really hooked me in and when I was offered the chance to read and review this standalone new title, I jumped at the chance – hoping for more of the same empathetic writing that would tug on my heartstrings. Here is a totally new tale, covering issues such as moving house, transition to high school, being different and dementia, which is again a brilliant read that will resonate with many young readers who will recognise themselves, their friends and families described so clearly on the pages here. Utterly believable throughout, I adored it and am confident that you will too. For our protagonist Amy, who should be enjoying the end of Year 6 and anticipating the summer break, things are not looking good. Forced to move house with the rest of her family after her father had a serious accident, Amy has found herself living outside the catchment area for her first choice of high school and despite being on their waiting list faces the very real prospect of being the only one in her social group who will be going to Thornberry – something ‘friend’ Cassie delights in reminding her about. With almost all of her year going to Valley High for a transition day, Amy finds herself left behind with Ralph – who is excited to be going to a school specialising in drama – and Jay who she barely knows but will also be going to Thornberry, and who despite saying very little reveals his sharp sense of humour to her. Following the district sports day, where Amy makes no real attempt to speak to the children from other schools also destined for Thornberry, she returns home only to be told by her mother that, together with her and her younger brothers, Amy is to spend the first two weeks of the summer break staying with her grandparents to support her grandmother who has hurt her ankle and is trying to care for Amy’s grandfather who has worsening dementia. Initially resentful that her plans to spend her time with her friends have now fallen through, Amy tries to help her mother and grandmother as best she can and soon discovers that Jay and his father live opposite her grandparents’ house. Slowly, she and Jay start to make friends and as they spend more and more time together she starts to see that Thornberry might not be so bad after all. But with her name edging closer and closer to the top of the waiting list will she still be forced to go to Thornberry? It’s a few years since I taught Year 6, and considerably longer since I was at primary school, but I am very well aware of the stress that the oldest children in my employing school go through when their high school places are revealed. For those whose dreams are crushed, this is often the first time that they have experienced such broken hearts and although – as an adult – I know that from experience that things will most likely work out, for those affected it really can feel like the the end of the world. For Amy, the situation in which she has found herself seems so much worse because her parents have promised that she will go to Valley High – a stark reminder to adults that we have no right to make promises on which we cannot deliver. Although she has known Jay – by sight at least – for some time, Amy only starts to find out what sort of a person he is when the two of them are thrown together by the proximity of his father’s house to her grandparents’. When he starts to visit and forms a relationship not only with Amy but with her increasingly forgetful and confused grandfather, all three of them benefit from the support they provide for one another in what is the most beautiful of inter-generational friendships. While many of my Year 5s would adore this story, it really is begging to read out loud to a Year 6 class ahead of transition to high school. So much valuable discussion about worries and friendships could be supported by sharing this text and I will be offering my copy to my colleague in Year 6 to read with his class after the Easter break before I add it to the shelf for my children to read.