New Beginnings By Rebecca Emin Review

Eleven year old Sam has to go to a new school. She is nervous and she has every reason to be. When she goes to school, it is hard to make friends and one girl (Molly) has it out for her. It takes Sam awhile, but she finally finds friendship with Chloe who is one of her classmates in the new school. When on vacation with her parents, Sam meets a boy who is a computer nerd, but he can sing and act too. Both are very shy, but they begin a friendship between each other. This is the part of the story where the author brings in computer use. I like how the computer use is limited to email and educational activities.

The story continues with Sam learning how to deal with friendships while she is being hurt constantly by Molly in her school. The story shows how Sam is nervous each morning when she has to go to school because of the bullying situation. Sam meets a man who teaches her about self-defensive, she gets an opportunity to get the leading roll in a show opposite her friend Nathan whom she met on vacation with her parents. The story shows how bullying is horrible and how to deal with it. I remember dealing with bullying when I was a child and it is hard to tell your parents, friends and teachers what is happening to you.

By the time eleven year old Sam turns twelve, she has a group of close friends, she has dealt with the bullying problem and she becomes successful in her young acting and singing career. The best part of this story is that it gives hope to young pre-teens and teens at a most difficult time in their lives. It shows them how to deal with bullying, how to and not use the internet and the importance of real friendships. The book is clean and should easily be read by children ten and above.

About The Author:

Rebecca Emin lives in Oxfordshire, England, with her husband and three children. Her debut novel, 'New Beginnings' was published by Grimoire Books on 23 January 2012. Her second novel 'When Dreams Come True' will be published later in 2012. Rebecca is currently working on her third novel for children. Rebecca enjoys writing flash fiction and short stories and has had several stories included in fundraising anthologies, including '50 Stories for Pakistan' and 'Literary Mix Tapes: Nothing But Flowers.' She was also involved with the selection of stories for '100 Stories for Queensland' as a voluntary reader. 'A Knowing Look and Other Stories' is a collection of short stories for adults, available now. Rebecca is also an author for Ether Books who publish short stories and essays via their app which is currently available for iPhone and iPod Touch. You can find out more about Rebecca's writing… Read more