Keep calm! Gwyneth Rees's top tips for tweens facing change

How do you keep calm when everything is changing around you? Author Gwyneth Rees, who was a child and adolescent psychiatrist before she became a full-time writer, suggests the best ways for tweens to tackle difficult timesIn my book Cherry Blossom Dreams, the main character and narrator of the story, 12-year-old Sasha, is faced with a lot of changes in her life. Her twin brother Sean seems to be growing apart from her as they both move into adolescence, and starting at secondary school has brought about a shift in her friendship group. Her widowed mother has just got engaged to a teacher at her school and she’s about to lose Blossom House, the one place she’s always escaped to when she needs some time out from all the stresses of home and school. In addition to this she’s starting to feel self-conscious about the changes taking place in her body and also in her emotions, and she’s mortified by the uncontrollable blushing she suddenly finds herself experiencing whenever she sees her best friend’s big brother. Plus Sasha’s mum is a bit too preoccupied with managing her own stress to focus on helping Sasha.

Related: Gwyneth Rees's top 10 books about siblings

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