HOLLIE: ROOM TO DREAM!

Reader Hollie tells us about her hideaway... a perfect place to chill and dream!

Hollie says:
I have the smallest room in the house (it’s even smaller than the bathroom!) Being the second child, my sister was automatically assigned the large room with three windows looking out onto the garden and I have the room that London buses go past at 11.34 at night. But my room is my heaven. It’s small, but perfectly formed!

Because it’s so small we could afford to have Laura Ashley wallpaper and wooden flooring put through it, but, to be fair, you can’t see a great deal of the wallpaper for all the pictures and paintings on the wall!

As you can see, I’m not a minimalist sort of person; I don’t do classy wallpaper on a feature wall and clean white furniture and a pot plant. I have Ikea furniture up to the ceiling on one wall (God bless Swedish Flatpacks) because of course you need somewhere to store the large amount of notebooks and socks I have acquired over the years. Any visible wall is full of photographs of the people I love, paintings my gorgeous friends have done for me, and a MASSIVE nail varnish station because I went through a phase when I was 14. It’s busy, and it’s quirky and it’s not for the claustrophobic. But it’s for me, and when I lie down with three sets of fairy lights a-glow at bedtime (I have to use a tower because I only have two plug sockets) then the world just seems warmer, and more Hollie-fied. And isn't that just what a bedroom should be?

Cathy says:
Lovely! Your room looks so cosy, Hollie! It's fab to have your own space, even if it's tiny... it gives you room to dream! Do YOU have a cool bedroom retreat? COMMENT BELOW to tell us more!

AMELIA: I THREW MY IPHONE AWAY

Reader Amelia writes candidly about why she was driven to throw her smartphone away... and what happened next...

Amelia says:
I got an iPhone on my thirteenth birthday - before that I'd had a cheaper version, which I'd had since I was ten. I saw having a phone as a right of passage and a sign of being grown up. Lots of my friends had them, almost all by the time I was thirteen. I didn't know a single person who didn't. It was the number one way of staying in touch for me and my friends. It sounds gross but I took it to the bathroom and everything, and checked messages two or three times a night. I was addicted, but I didn't worry about it because everyone else I knew was the same... it wasn't a problem, it was just the way things were.

I would never have questioned it at all if the bullying hadn't started. I posted a selfie one night - I got loads of likes on my Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter and then, on Twitter, some negative posts that told me I was ugly, stupid, shallow, vain. I didn't know the posters so I tried not to take it personally but who doesn't get upset when people label them that way? I got sucked into it. I posted more selfies, trying to look better, less shallow (I did pics of me with books, or doing stuff). My Instagram page began to turn nasty, people saying I was trying too hard, that I thought I was better than other people. I deleted the bad stuff. Twitter was worse. I didn't know what to do. The people posting the bad stuff weren't people I knew, but some people I knew did click like on comments that were critical and that hurt.

Suddenly, I felt paranoid, depressed, scared. I tried harder and harder to get people to like me online, and became a bit of a hermit in real life. The harder I tried the worse it got, and every time I checked my phone there'd be something horrible there. I became withdrawn and stopped trying at school, my friends commented and my parents were really worried. I couldn't tell anyone what was upsetting me and I couldn't delete the people who were commenting, I wanted to win them over even though it seemed impossible. We broke up from school and that was worse, I felt alone with it... a phone buzzing every few minutes telling me I was rubbish, and I had to hide the bullying from everyone. I got so low I started thinking about running away or evening ending it all, because I wanted it to stop, but I knew I didn't  have the guts.

One night I was looking at my iPhone in the bath and another horrible comment came up. I started to cry, and I let the phone slip through my fingers into the water. I scrabbled to get it back again but then I realised - why? Without the iPhone, the comments would stop. I dropped it back into the water and left it there, and after my bath I fished it out and stuffed it into the outside bin. I felt scared - what would happen to my Instagram account, my Twitter? I had three or four days of quiet, and it was amazing - I stopped worrying about what comments would come next, started to relax again, breathe again.

On the fourth day my friend K turned up at the house to see if I was OK, and I told her about the messages and what I'd done. She hadn't even realised. I told my mum I'd lost the phone and I didn't want to replace it, at least for a while, and I've gone through the last few weeks without it. I couldn't bear to be without my phone before, but now I see how addicted I was, how hooked on it. K and I have done more stuff in the last few weeks than we have in years. Gone to see plays and films in town, winter picnics in the park, swims at the leisure centre, joined a drama group. We meet up every day and do stuff with other friends, and K is using her phone less now. I don't feel left out, I feel relieved. Will I get another iPhone? I don't know. I feel so much better without it... I'm going to see how long I can last without.

Cathy says:
Amelia's post is really interesting - research has showed that too much screen time is really bad for our health. Could YOU go screen free? For an hour, a day, a week... or longer? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!

FIVE MINUTE FICTION: THE FOX

A gorgeous short story from our talented regular Blue... a wintry story with a twist!

I didn't dare breathe as I inched towards this strange but beautiful creature. I didn't want to frighten him. I'd heard they were jumpy creatures, prone to scampering off if we got too close. My family had warned me away too. 'Don't go near those nasty things,' they'd said 'They're vermin. Horrible creatures! They probably have all sorts of diseases!'

I wasn't so sure though. I wanted to listen to my parents, trust their advice... but this one seemed different. His eyes were anxious but bright as he sat in the snow, lost in thought, his nose was pointed and twitched occasionally (mine did too, someone nearby must have been cooking a roast dinner and it smelled heavenly). His fur was silky and speckled with snowflakes, ruffled by the slight wind. He didn't look diseased. He looked intriguing.

I wondered if I'd be able to touch him. I stepped closer and he noticed me, his wide eyes darting towards me. We froze simultaneously, stock still on the icy ground. I thought he might run away, but he didn't move. I didn't either. It felt like hours that we both stood there, staring at each other, waiting for one of us to make the first move.

He broke our game of statues, rising and venturing cautiously towards me. I flinched, my parents' words ringing in my ears. 'Vermin.' 'Horrible.' 'Diseases.' Yes, I thought he was cute but what if they were right, what if, despite his long dark fur and shining intelligent eyes, he was riddled with fleas, ticks, diseases, even something fatal? Part of me wanted to run back home and hide... but part of me was curious. I took a step forward.

The human produced a piece of gingerbread from his pocket and I wandered closer, sniffing cautiously. He smiled encouragingly and I closed the distance between us, my paws crunching on the ice hidden beneath the powdery snow. I twitched my whiskers back, out of the way, as I reached for the gingerbread in his outstretched hand. I tentatively took a bite. It was spicy and still warm. The human grinned and gently squatted down so we were at the same level. I reached for the rest of the gingerbread as he scratched my neck, the anxiety in his eyes fading.

'Good foxy' he murmured, his voice quiet and low. I liked this human. My parents said that humans were monsters, plagues who were ruining the earth and destroying our homes. But here in his garden, sharing gingerbread, calm together... I thought this one could be different.

I thought we could be friends.

Cathy says:
What a fantastic, unexpected twist! Brilliant stuff, Blue! If YOU love to write, why not give a 'like' to the CC Facebook Fan Page and join in with the regular story challenges? And feel free to COMMENT BELOW to have your say!

TAYLOR: YOU'RE GOING TO DO AMAZING THINGS!

Reader Taylor has struggled with self-esteem issues, gender dysphoria and eating disorders - but a conversation with an understanding nurse has helped him to see things in a different way...

Taylor says:
I’ve got two separate eating disorders and also gender dysphoria, so it’s pretty safe to say that I definitely have self esteem issues. Until recently, I didn’t understand how someone could look down at their body and not want to cry, but things have begun to change for me and perhaps some of what has triggered that may help other readers too.

Five months ago, I was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and I was discharged just under a week ago. For most of this time, I didn’t really make much progress self esteem wise. Then something happened that changed my life. Eight weeks ago, we got a new student nurse who was in her second year of uni. I’ll call her Lauren. To start with, I felt quite awkward around her, but after a couple of days, we talked more and then gradually got incredibly close. I learnt that I could trust her, and she started to trust me too. We talked a lot, I opened up to her properly about how I felt about myself. She broke down and cried during the conversation, and kept on hugging me - this was seen as unprofessional by other staff - how dare nurses have feelings! 

She kept on apologising, and I didn’t get why. She then told me this: 'I had this same conversation when I was a bit older than you, with one of my teachers. We’re not so different, actually.' Side note: this seriously shocked me, as Lauren seemed like the last person who would have self esteem issues. 'My teacher was not the sympathetic kind, I have no idea why I went to her,' Lauren continued. She wiped away tears and laughed a bit at this point. 'She didn’t really help me at all. You know what I found out on my own, though? Every human being is special. Everyone has potential. Look at you...' - meaning me - 'You’re young, you’re so young. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Man, I know that I’m going to switch on the TV one day and see you in a movie, or on the music channel, or on stage...'

She actually thought I’d be good enough to become an actor/ musician - I’m still not sure what she was basing that on seeing as she’d never heard me sing but oh well! 'Even if you don’t go down that road,' Lauren went on, 'You’re still going to do amazing things, and how you look isn’t going to change that. How you look defines nothing other than what the mirror shows you.'

That was it. Life changed forever. After the conversation, I went and watched TV with the other patients. When I went back to my room that evening, the photos covering my mirror had been taken down, and I could see myself for the first time. Well, partially anyway. Lauren had written all over the edges of my mirror. She had put down loads of positive things that she thought about me, things like she liked my hair colour and my glasses suited me. Of course, that didn’t instantly solve everything. I had to (and still have to!) work so, so hard to get to where I am now, where I’m able to look into a mirror and not breakdown in tears, and sometimes actually like what I see! To some people this may not sound like much, but honestly, for someone who from the age of seven had cried almost every time there was a mirror, it’s a lot.

So, my advice to other people? Get yourself a Lauren. Or listen to her advice. YOU are capable of doing amazing things. YOU are capable of doing amazing things. How you look (or how you think you look) does not define you.

Cathy says:
Wow... such an honest post, and so simple and life-changing too. I think there is something we can all take from this, myself included! Have YOU got any tips on boosting self-esteem and confidence? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!

AVA: A PASSION FOR DANCE!

Reader Ava has a talent for dance - and the passion and determination to push it as far as it can go! Read her inspiring story!

Ava says:
I started dancing when I was five years old - I went to a local dance school not far from where I live and took lessons in ballet, jazz and tap. At the age of eight I decided I wanted to learn new styles of dance; I loved watching Dance Moms on TV and Maddie Ziegler was a huge idol of mine, someone I aspired to be like. I pestered my mum and she did a bit of research and found out about a dance school just a few miles away which offered more of a variety of dance styles. I went for a taster session in lyrical and was immediately hooked. I’m normally a quiet, shy girl, especially in new places, but I was so determined that I made the big decision to leave behind the comfort of my old dance school and start somewhere new. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.

Since being at The Big Dance Company I have grown as as a dancer and performer and I feel I am at my most confident when I am dancing. 2017 was a fantastic year for me - I was among the 150 9-15 year olds that received a callback to  the CBBC dance show ‘Taking the Next Step’ and the only nine year old to audition in London. The junior company ‘Animate’ which I’m a member of at The Big Dance Company came first in every competition we entered, and in July I won a three year full dance scholarship.

All of this is very exciting but I know that winning isn’t actually what dance is about. Dancing for me is a feeling within me, I am a dancer above anything else. It’s about making others happy, about me being able to express my feelings and emotions and putting them into my dancing whether I’m happy, sad or angry - this is what makes me the dancer I am. A highlight of last year was taking part in a performance and dance workshop with the poorly children at Chelsea Children’s Hospital just before Christmas. To be able to put smiles on their faces and bring fun to their day was a great feeling!

I am now doing at least 12.5 hours of dance a week although at the moment it’s more like 15-16 hours a week because of extra training. There is always something we are in training for - my mum says she has crossed the whole of March out of her diary  as we have exams, our annual show, British hip hop Championships and then a group of us are going with our dance teacher and our mums to L.A. to attend a dance festival. We are going to be taught by some of the best choreographers and dancers in the world, and will be performing on a stage at Disneyland!

I’m always busy but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be part of such an amazing dance school and in my opinion I have the most inspiring and supportive teachers on the planet. I’m living my dream but I wouldn’t be doing any of these things if I hadn’t believed in myself enough to make the leap. If quiet little me can do it, anyone with similar passion can too!

Cathy says: 
I LOVE this story! As Ava says, believing in yourself is key to making yourself happy - it's difficult sometimes, but never give up! Have YOU got your own story to share? COMMENT BELOW...

BEST & WORST THINGS...ABOUT JANUARY!

We asked what your best things about January were... and your worst! This is what you said - and what I said, too!

Cathy says:

I'll start! My best... wood fires, thick socks, frosty morning walks, soft scarves, fairy lights, books, hot chocolate, a sense of fresh starts. My worst... sleet, high winds, dark days, ice.

Helen says:
Getting up in the dark, going to school in the dark, coming out of school in the dark, going home in the dark... those are my worst things!  Roll on longer days and lighter mornings & evenings! Best things? Spotting early signs of Spring!Snowdrops and other bulbs coming up; robins beginning to sing to stake their claim in their territory!

Katie says:
Best: Exam results are coming out tomorrow...
Worst: Exam results are coming out tomorrow. Now that we’ve cleared that up....
The best things are being absolute Newt Scamander trash, like every other month of the year, buying goods online to feed my Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts addiction, Mum giving me an allowance so I can very carefully manage my own finances (a little bit daunting,) seeing friends, reading, watching the Harry Potter movies (like every other month of the year,) swimming, It’s 2018!!! (which is also scary,) writing for/to you, Cathy!! ... seaside markets, fangirling. And the worst... holiday boredom,
going back to school next month (which is also a good thing... I live in NZ by the way!) and the fact it’s not 2017! (Which is also a good thing)

Sophie says:
Best... cosy blankets, cosy boots, hot chocolate, winter craft activities, making bird food, books, libraries re-open. Worst... dark mornings and dark afternoons, freezing cold weather (not many really!)

Melissa says:
The best thing about Jan is my birthday! It lifts the whole month, and gives me something to look forward to, because otherwise it feels like a VERY long month! I hate the dark nights and the cold, wet days but I do love it when it snows!

Kellie says:
I love the sense of a new beginning, and the buzz of feeling that all my plans and resolutions for the new year will come true. That buzz doesn't always last but it's great while it does! I am very determined this year and hopeful that things will work out well! Those hopes light up a dark, gloomy month!

Cathy says:
Great to hear so much positivity in what can be quite a gloomy month! Keep it up! How do YOU feel about January? Post-Christmas blues? Or New year - new you positivity? COMMENT BELOW...

NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES: YOUNG CARER'S AWARENESS DAY

25th January is Young Carer's Awareness Day... mum and daughter Victoria and Adele-Caitlin tell us just why that awareness matters...

Victoria says: There's a hidden army in this country, doing an incredible job, helping communities and saving the government almost £60 billion a year, but do you know who they are? Carers! Yes, unpaid carers of all ages including children (young carers.)  A young carer is a child/young person under twenty five years of age who helps to look after someone at home and takes responsibility for them. It might be a parent, sibling or family member who has a disability, long term illness, mental health condition or a problem with drugs or alcohol. Illness and disability don't discriminate. - they can affect anyone at any time in their life. 

When someone becomes disabled or has a long term illness it has an impact on the entire family, and children become young carers.  This is exactly what happened to my family in 2003 when my children were only five and two years old. Their Dad was diagnosed with an incurable rare brain condition called Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (I.H.) Our lives changed overnight and we became carers (with it being such a complex condition everyone was affected.) More recently my children have started caring for me after I was diagnosed with Ehler Danlos Syndrome.  The Caitlin's Wish young carers awareness work has evolved from what we've experienced as a family. My daughter Adele-Caitlin's 'wish' was to make a difference for other young carers... our aim being to raise awareness of what it's like to be a young carer so that they're treated with the respect and understanding they deserve. That's the aim of Young Carers Awareness Day too!

Adele-Caitlin says:
Being a carer is never easy. It’s full of ups and downs; one day, life seems perfect and another it’s falling apart. Caring makes us too empathetic, so we feel everyone's pain but we feel as though nobody understands our pain. Caring makes us feel lost and alone at times, so I asked my Mum (Victoria) to write books to help all young carers, including myself, to realise that we’re not alone and that although it causes heartache, being young carers can make us stronger, smarter and braver than most kids our age.

For more info please go to -
www.caitlinswish.com
www.victoria-lewin.com
https://www.slideshare.net/VTaylorAuthor/caitlins-wish-young-carers-awareness
https://www.slideshare.net/VTaylorAuthor/what-is-ih-and-how-does-it-affect-families
http://https://youtu.be/pDPSE_jV17o whocares4us.wixsite.com/website
https://www.facebook.com/CaitlinsWishOfficial/
https://carers.org
http://aacy.org
http://www.youngcarers.net.au

Cathy says:
I know how very exhausting it can be to be a carer, emotionally and physically, and can only imagine how much tougher this must be for young carers. Have YOU ever had to look after someone in this way? COMMENT BELOW to have your say.

MOLLIE SAYS: MY FEELINGS ARE ALL MUDDLED UP...

It's problem page time again on DREAMCATCHER, and reader Mollie has a problem for SKYE TANBERRY to solve...

Mollie says:
I have this friend, and he's a boy, and I used to have a crush on him but now I am just really confused and I don't know if I still like him or not. I know who HE likes, and I try my best to be a good friend and give him advice... but I don't know why I do that when I'm so confused about how I feel about him. We chat online no problem, but when we talk in person it always feels a little awkward and that makes me feel bad because he's a great friend and I don't want to lose that connection. I hate it when we chat when others are around, too, because I always think his friends - or mine - are judging us. It's such a muddle - help!

Skye says:
I think the crush may be fading - or you wouldn't need to ask me if there's an attraction or not! That's the nature of a crush - it can be quick and intense and all-consuming, and then it's over almost before you realise. You're left with a good friendship and that's great - just don't try to push it. I can't help wondering if the friendship is part of why the crush is fading - as you know each other and get on well, there would have been a chance to take things further, but I suspect neither of you would be ready for that. Keeping things on a friendship basis is safer! I hate the feeling that people are judging me for who I talk to, but in school people can be silly and make assumptions when nothing is going on. Brush off any silly remarks and just enjoy this friendship for what it is! Good luck!

Cathy says:
I agree with Skye - a crush can be short and sweet, at this age especially! If Mollie's feelings DO deepen at any point, she will have a strong friendship base to work from, and that can only be a good thing, but for now I think the muddles feelings signal that that friendship is all that she wants. What do YOU think? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!

FIVE MINUTE FICTION: SNOW MAGIC

A magical wintry story from talented young writer Blue... take five minutes out of your day to relax, curl up and enjoy!

Stepping out of the front door, I exhale and watch my breath swirl in the air before drifting away. I love winter. Yes, it's cold, freezing actually - but it's magical all the same. Especially January. It's often overlooked in favour of December, but January, smack bang in the middle of winter, is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts, a time when anything seems possible. Well... almost anything.

A young girl jogs down the street, struggling to keep pace with the lanky teenage boy she's with, dragging an old-fashioned sled behind her. She beams at him in admiration; he looks like he'd rather be anywhere else than with his little sister, heading for the play park. From my bench at the edge of the park, I can hear everything they say. 'What d'you want to do first, Cleo?' the boy asks, shivering in his hooded sweatshirt. 'I can push you on the swings?'

Cleo pouts. 'No... I want to go sledding, Ben!' she says, gesturing to the wooden sled.

The teenager runs his hands through his hair. 'Cleo, we've been over this,' he sighs. 'You can't go sledding when there isn't any snow. We tried last year, remember? You fell and tore your new jeans, and Nan yelled at us. No snow, no sledding. I'm sorry, Cleo.'

Cleo is dangerously close to tears now. 'But it never snows!' she argues. 'It hasn't snowed in years! I am never ever ever going to get to go sledding again because you won't let me - you're the meanest big brother in the whole wide world!' She sits down on the sled, head in her mittened hands.

'Cleo, I don't control the weather!' Ben snaps. From my vantage point on the bench, I smile. They remind me of my younger brother and I growing up... we were forever fighting and throwing tantrums. Cleo does have a point, though. Winter, though bitingly cold, rarely brings snow these days. Soon enough, Cleo will grow up, wrapped up in teenage life like my own little brother is now, sleeping till noon. She'll forget about simple joys like sledding down a hill on a blanket of fresh snow. Her brother may not be able to control the weather - so it's a good job I can.

Slipping off my gloves, I rub my hands together, feeling the chill spread from my wrists to my fingertips. I shake my hands and small, barely noticeable blue sparks shoot up into the atmosphere. I grin as the first flakes of snow start to fall, gently at first and then a flurry.

'Wow!' Ben splutters, pulling his hood up. 'Where did this come from? Looks like we get to go sledding after all!' The excitement in his eyes betrays the nonchalance in his voice and I realise that eight or eighteen, you are never too old for sledding.

Cleo is spinning in the snow, her hands stretched out to catch the flakes as they fall. 'Magic!' she breathes.

Magic? I'm not sure about that. It's simple atmospheric excitation, no wands or abracadabras required. Slipping my hands back into my gloves, I get up and head for a walk in the snow, Cleo's squeals and Ben's laughter still ringing in my ears. I love midwinter, the start of the new year with the future spreading out before me like a fresh blanket of snow. Anything is possible. Anything at all.

Cathy says:
This gorgeous story gives me shivers... I LOVE it! Brilliant stuff, Violet! If YOU love to write, why not give a 'like' to the CC Facebook Fan Page and join in with the regular story challenges? And feel free to COMMENT BELOW to have your say!

PLEASE HELP OLIVIA!

Four years ago, a cool, clever and feisty girl called Olivia won our MY BEST FRIEND ROCKS competition with her friend Ella. Now, Olivia is suffering from a serious spinal condition... she and her mum Estelle explain how WE can help...

Estelle says:
I still remember how excited Olivia was to win Cathy Cassidy's MY BEST FRIEND ROCKS competition in 2013... now fourteen, Olivia has been diagnosed with severe scoliosis, a deformity of the spine which has left her misshapen and in a great deal of pain. We first noticed a hump in Olivia's back just before Christmas 2016, and a consultant gave us the devastating news that she had adolescent idiopathic scoliosis which sometimes occurs during puberty for no known reason.

There was no cure, physiotherapy would not help and Olivia would have to wear a thick plastic brace to slow the curvature - but only major spinal surgery could prevent ongoing deterioration and disability. Sadly, conflicting advice and admin delays have held up this urgent treatment and caused great stress to us all. When we heard of a new kind of scoliosis surgery which was less invasive and could restore full spinal flexibility, our hope soared. We travelled to Germany to meet the surgeon, and were certain this was the right thing for Olivia - but it was not available on the NHS. We need to raise £35,000 to fund an operation in Germany in March... can YOU help us?

Olivia says:
I started noticing the pain in the summer of 2016; it is a deep and constant pain and it's hard to stand for long periods. The brace feels quite primitive - it's like a plastic corset, thick, restrictive and unwieldy. I cover it up with baggy t-shirts, and at least wearing it is a positive thing as it supports my spine. I have to wear it every day, only taking it off for sports or showering, but I'm getting used to it. I am worried about the surgery, but we met a girl who had successful VBT surgery and that was reassuring. I would like to start a national campaign to get all primary schools to carry out spinal checks so that problems like mine could be spotted and corrected earlier, and other children wouldn't have to go through what I'm going through now.

Can YOU help Olivia to get this ground-breaking surgery before it's too late? All money raised will be put towards the cost of Olivia's life-changing surgery and associated costs. If the option for VBT becomes unavailable, all donations will be refunded. Please share our story with friends and on social media - any donation, however small, can help.

To donate, click HERE - but please check with your parents/carers first if you are under 18!

Watch Olivia and Ella's awesome entry for MBFR 2013 and please think about donating and help Olivia find the fun in life once again.

Cathy says:
As you can imagine, this story feels personal to me... no fourteen year old should be going through what Olivia is. If your family can donate - or your class at school perhaps - that would be amazing. THANK YOU on behalf of Olivia and her family! Please COMMENT BELOW to leave a message of support for Olivia.

KATIE: LOVING LOVE FROM LEXIE!

NZ reader Katie reviews LOVE FROM LEXIE in her own inimitable way... best review ever! Blush, blush! And thank you!

Katie says:
LOVE FROM LEXIE - the novel in which Cathy Cassidy does All The Things!

- THE TORTOISE THING. Mary Shelley is tortoise goals and she is the reason I was hooked before the 30-page mark. Like, 'Oh, look, we're going on a tortoise hunt!'!

- THE BAD BOY THING. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. We have another bad boy on our hands. He;s just as scrumptious as the last ones but he's got a big ol' secret. Nevertheless, the show must go on! Can you tell I'm pumped?

- THE LIBRARY THING. OK - so there's this librarian based on a real life person and her dresses are just TOO MUCH. I have a Harry Potter dress that I think Miss Walker would approve of! The tears and the hot chocolates and the cookies - librarians are the best, right? And the super cool library with the super cool things and the importance of the libraries. I just can't. Libraries are SO VERY IMPORTANT. My local librarians didn't bat an eyelid when LOVE FROM LEXIE got chewed up by my puppy Luna! She didn't mean it!  cannot stress enough the importance of reading, ad Cathy Cassidy articulates it so beautifully, and what a library has to offer, which is a whole heckin' lot!

- THE HARRY POTTER THING. I can't breathe. I. Am. Obsessed. As if BROKEN HEART CLUB wasn't enough (go read it!) Cathy Cassidy did the thing and sprinkled Harry Potter references all through LOVE FROM LEXIE and now I can't even... because Harry Potter is MY LIFE and Cathy Cassidy recognises and acknowledges this and she is willing to raise other children's books up. To be honest one of the parts I cried at was the library performance for the TV news, because they used PHILOSOPHER'S STONE...

- THE HITTING ME IN THE FEELS THING. So there's Lexie who narrates the story, and the whole time I am thinking, 'I will protect you from the Dementors, child...' and then there's the band, and then there's MARLEY. Marley is just a whole other level of feels and I thought LOVE FROM LEXIE couldn't get any more powerful, more important, and then the thing with Marley happened. Wow.

Honourable mentions go to THE CAKE THING; THE MINORITY INCLUSION THING; and THE SONG LYRICS THING. Roll on the sequel!

Cathy says:
I totally love this review... if LOVE FROM LEXIE never gets another one, I'll still be content with all the loveliness here! Have YOU read LOVE FROM LEXIE yet? What are you waiting for?COMMENT BELOW to have your say!