Book Review 1- The Gotcha Smile

[Luisa]

Book Review 1
This is a heart-warming story that portrays a loving message. After moving with her family, the story begins with Clarine experiencing her first day at a new school. As it is her first day, Clarine is very excited to start but the children were not as welcoming as she first thought. Throughout the story we see Clarine trying desperately to discover ways of making friends. We meet Mum & Dad, who we see giving advice to Clarine on how to make friends…but it does not seem to work. When she is about to give up, Clarine looks to her Grandfather Ben, claiming she does not want to be a schoolgirl anymore. When he asks her why, Clarine explains and Grandfather Ben gives her a little tip as to how he made friends at school…calling it ‘The Gotcha Smile.’

This book is one that is clearly close to the author’s heart, as she writes so personally about the relationship between Clarine and her Grandfather Ben. The author provides a prologue that says her childhood memories of her Grandfather Ben inspired her to write this story & that she hopes it makes us smile too. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story with a mix of sad and joyous scenes.

A brilliant read for those children who are new to a school or generally their fellow pupils, as it could help them to understand how it may feel being a new pupil in the school. I believe this story would be appropriate for EYFS- from Reception up to Yr2. It could be used to positively the influence the social development of children. Potentially, it could be used as guided reading material- as there are many discussions to be had about events that take place within the story.