Fresh Start: The Story of Sam - Book One

SAM is nine years old and in Year 4 at school. Mum and dad tell him that they don’t want to live together anymore, so Sam has to move to a new house and new school. He is so upset that he plays football badly and loses his place in the team. All Sam wants is to climb into one of the packing cases and wake up when it’s all over. But then he meets his new neighbours and their dog, Muttley. Maybe a fresh start isn’t so bad after all.

First published by Scholastic for “Literacy Time”, the first two stories of Sam and Katie (his new neighbour) have already been enthusiastically received in schools. Centred around emotional literacy, each chapter is a complete short story, appealing especially to boys and encouraging reading skills and a love of books. Two of the stories feature Sam and Katie going back in time to the days of World War 2.

The mini biography of Muttley the dog has also proved very popular and Sheila Hoeman has promised that future titles in this series will feature him more prominently.

A sensitively written book about a child’s experience and feelings about family breakup, this is just the book for PHSE and circle time to promote discussion, as it focuses on boys and single dads coming to terms with their new situation and showing how a fresh start can have a positive outcome. It provides a learning experience for the whole family.

Readers of this collection have commented on the way that the emotional issues that it addresses have facilitated valuable discussion—and children have responded very positively. Parents and carers, as well as teachers, have found that aspect of Fresh Start extremely useful and we hope that you will do so too.