Turning Cartwheels: When Trying to Fit in Leaves You in a Spin

(Hardback)

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Description

Turning Cartwheels tells the story of Emmas desperation to join queen bee Carlys Cartwheel Club, who show off their acrobatic tricks in the playground at lunchtime. Week after week Emma lines up for a try-out, only to be told by Carly that she hasnt made the cut. When Emma is finally accepted, she finds that Carlys rules and requirements take all the joy out of cartwheeling, and that being part of the gang isnt as awesome as she expected.

The book explores themes of determination, persistence and self-confidence, but has a central focus on bullying in particular, the subtle, underhanded social bullying often experienced by primary school-aged girls. The character of Carly represents the frenemy that many young girls encounter a strong, popular girl who seems to be their friend, but whose behaviour is often actually manipulative and mean.

While girls often gravitate towards frenemies, preferring to stay on their good side and remain part of their social group, Turning Cartwheels introduces the idea that there are alternatives, and that children should choose their friends based on kindness, and having fun together. A sensitive and compassionate guide to finding true friendship, this story will help any young person struggling to find friends who make them feel like they belong.

Reviews

Turning Cartwheels is a wonderful way of showing children alternative ways to solve problems

"Turning Cartwheels is an excellent book to read to school aged children to start a discussion on how to be more inclusive of everyone despite their differences in abilities."

Turning Cartwheelsis an excellent story for exploring the desire to belong and the subtle bulling and exclusion children can feel. I can envisage it being used to discuss how children treat one another in the playground.

This book, as youll have gathered, covers the issues of social bullying, peer pressure, manipulative behaviour, and what real friendship is (and is not).

It will be a great resource for both schools and homes, especially useful when discussing navigating the social terrain of school. It shows the value of resilience and emphasises that we can make our own personal decisions about how we act in society.

Author Bio

Amy Adeneyis a teacher with a special interest in Literacy education in the early years. She writes books, hosts Storytime and runs workshops as part of her mission to inspire in children a love of reading. Amy Calautti loved to draw from a young age and often made up games based around drawing to entertain her younger brother and cousins. Amy now lives with her small tribe of humans who inspire her every day.