EBONY: THE FRIENDS I LEFT BEHIND...

Reader Ebony thought her friendship was forever… until Jeanette came on the scene…

Ebony says:
I met Harriet at the start of Year Three. We were inseparable - we had so much in common and our personalities just matched really well. She understood me like nobody else ever had - it felt amazing to finally have a friend I could trust with anything. We were best friends right up until Year Six, and that as when everything changed. Just after Christmas, Harriet made friends with a girl called Jeanette. Everyone knows girls like Jeanette… popular, mysterious, a bit of a troublemaker. She had a reputation of coming between friends, of getting in the middle of a friendship and stirring up trouble, then walking away to leave a big mess and a shattered friendship. And that is exactly what happened with Harriet and I.

It began gradually. Jeanette started to influence Harriet's style… and then my best friend changed the way she talked, the way she acted towards people, her attitude towards work and school. Things got more major. They started to have private chats that didn't include me, they'd go places without inviting me, have inside jokes, leave me out, block me out. Eventually it seemed like every time I opened my mouth to speak they looked right through me as if I wasn't even there. I felt alone, boxed out, angry.
The girls in my class picked up that something was wrong and tried to help, but nothing worked. In the end, I walked away from the friendship - I had no choice. They didn't take it well. I got glares, giggles, whispers… but I didn't care. I had let go, moved on - I was free.

Fast forward three years and I am now in Year Nine, and life is good. I text Jeanette occasionally. She has apologised for what she did and I forgave her, but I still don't trust her. I haven't seen or spoken to Harriet since the last day of Year Six, but I have to say I don't miss her at all. I've moved on. Her friendship wasn't worth the hurt. I am happy, healthy and I have friends and family who love me… what more could a girl want? I sometimes wonder what might have happened if Harriet had stood up to Jeanette, showed some loyalty - but she didn't, and that showed me that the friendship I'd valued meant very little to her. Sometimes I think of the friends I left behind... but I have no regrets.

All names have been changed; picture posed by model Jacqueline. Thank you!

Cathy says:
Ebony's story is not unusual… sadly, friendship isn't always forever. Would you have done the same as Ebony? COMMENT BELOW to have your say.

LISA: I WAS BULLIED WHEN I WAS THIRTEEN...

Awesome new YA author Lisa Williamson writes about a subject close to her heart…

Lisa says:
Hands up if you've ever been bullied. For the record, mine is waving madly in the air right now and I have a sneaking suspicion yours might be too. I think we've all been the victim at some point, or the bully, or even both.

Being bullied is horrible. It's lonely, confusing, exhausting. If I were King of the World, my first decree would be to eradicate bullying entirely. I was bullied when I was thirteen; my bully was a friend who turned against me, branding me a 'baby'. Embarrassed at being seen as the 'victim', I didn't tell anyone… instead I pretended to be ill day after day, so I didn't have to go to school. My bully's campaign gathered momentum, attracting other girls who joined in with the taunts; then someone alerted a teacher and within days it was all over. It took me years to realise that if I'd spoken up earlier, it's likely the bullying would never have escalated to the level it did.

Having blocked things out at the time, my memories are very hazy, but what I do remember definitely influenced certain scenes in my new book, THE ART OF BEING NORMAL. The characters David and Leo both suffer at the hands of bullies. Although I didn't experience anything like the level of pain and humiliation they go through, that sensation of being singled out as a target is universal, one that all of us can relate to. There will always be bullies, but there's never a good reason to suffer in silence. If you're being bullied, speak up and ask for help no matter how scary it may seem.

When I'm sad or upset, the first thing I do is open a book. Sometimes we read to escape to a different world for a bit; other times we read to make sense of what's going on in our lives right now. The first book I ever read that made me think about how bullying works was Blubber by Judy Blume. It's told from the viewpoint of eleven-year-old Jill who joins her classmates in bullying an overweight girl they nickname 'Blubber'. As Jill's allegiances shift, she suddenly finds herself in the role of victim. It's a brilliant book, dark and real, and perfectly captures the loneliness and confusion of being bullied.

Here are a few more favourites that tackle the subject of bullying sensitively and truthfully, reminding us we are never alone:
Seven Days by Eve Ainsworth
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Wonder by RJ Palacio
Feather Boy by Nicky Singer
Bad Girls by Jacqueline Wilson

Cathy says:
Older teens should check out Lisa Williamson's debut YA novel, The Art of Being Normal… it's a compelling, thought-provoking read. Which books about bullying have stayed with YOU? COMMENT  BELOW to have your say...

KAREN: SELFIES? WE HAD FRIENDIES!

Another in our series all about growing up in a different decade… we talk to Karen, who was a teenager in the 70s/80s!

Karen says:
Selfies? We had Friendies… and Photoboothies! Yep, this might have been back in 1979 (when I was fifteen or sixteen) but me and my friend Jan (pictured with me here) and my other buddies were just as thrilled with a new top, hairstyle or amazing nail polish colour as my thirteen year old daughter and her friends are now!

OK, so Selfies weren't the thing, but that's because we handed our cameras over to our friends and THEN posed like crazy (saved having achey arms, I can assure you.) And photobooths were a ton of fun, too, on a Saturday afternoon in town. We'd go to a cafe afterwards and snigger over the bad ones, usually drawing moustaches and cross eyes on them before scrunching them up and chucking them in the bin. Kind of wish we'd kept them too…

Cathy says:
LOVE this! I'm not far off being the same age as Karen, so lots of this is very familiar… including the whole photobooth thing, and the fab gothic style in the pics! These days, Karen McCombie is a super-successful author… try her ANGELS NEXT DOOR series from Puffin, you'll love it! Would YOU have liked being a teen in the 70s/80s? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!

POETRY IN MOTION...

Readers who write poetry tell us why they love words… and why poetry is so important to them…

Maya says:
I remember the first poetry lesson we had at primary school… it was back in Year Three and we had to describe a box. I did as I was told, and I remember a lot of the teachers reading my work and telling me I would be a great poet one day. I've been writing poetry ever since. At the moment, I write mostly about nature or, sometimes, sadder themes such as heartbreak. I came second in a national poetry competition and my ambitions would be to go on participating in competitions and sharing my work! Poetry for me is a kind of release, where I can put my thoughts and feelings into a piece of art. Rhyming just comes naturally to me so I really enjoy doing it and seeing the results!

Anna says:
For me, poetry wasn't to do with school at all. I first started to write as a coping mechanism, a way to express myself truly, with nobody to listen. I let my words speak and let my words write themselves on paper. Poetry has always been something to fall back on and a way of saying things in ways that others may never understand; it can be almost like a confession, or talking in a foreign language that others may analyse but can never truly understand the thoughts behind each carefully chosen word. For me, I use poetry as a medium. It helps me cope with depression and anxiety, issues with sexuality and all kinds of other things that I as a human must face. Whether it be through observation or true experiences, poetry means a lot to me. It is the way I can be myself, an art form and a thing of beauty. Poetry has no limits. It keeps me grounded and helped me to find my voice.

Sophie says:
My inspiration for writing poetry began when I was eleven. I was in high school and a production team came into our school to teach songwriting… I wrote my first song, called Can I Talk To You? which was later used in the production. Afterwards, I began to write in my spare time but the more I looked at those songs the more I realised they were actually poems! I have always loved poetry, and living in Scotland we learned a lot about the famous poet Robert Burns and joined in with Burns events and competitions. The more I wrote, the more I fell in love with poetry. I am twenty-one now and have never stopped writing. Poetry to me is a way to express imagination and emotion. There is a never ending supply of things to write about and poetry can also help you to express feelings you perhaps couldn't talk about in everyday life. For me, a life without poetry would be like a life without chocolate… I couldn't live without it!

Daisy says:
Poetry is a very expressive form of writing. It is a better way of saying what you want - for me, anyway - because it can be written any way you like. It can be full sentences or just phrases, rhyming or freeform, it depends on the poet's feelings. This is why poetry means so much to me - it's my way of expressing myself and it makes me happy. I love reading the work of other poets and wondering what went into creating that poem. We learnt about poetry at school and wrote our own poems, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed myself - I knew I wanted to go on writing. I would love others to read my poems and be inspired to write their own. Maybe someone reading this will have a try… you'll be surprised at how much fun it can be!

Cathy says:
I am a huge poetry fan - poetry seems to cut through the unimportant stuff and get right to the heart of a subject. Are YOU a secret poet? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!

EDIE & RUBY GET CRAFTY!

Want to get crafty this Easter break? My clever, creative friend Ruth has a great project to share with you!

Ruth says:
I've been wanting to try this project for ages… yarn chandeliers are kind of egg-shaped, so Easter seemed as good a time as any to have a go at making them! I roped in two brilliant helpers, Edie and Ruby, and this is what we did. Kitchen towels at the ready, folks!

First gather your ingredients…
Yarn - wool or embroidery thread, something thicker than sewing thread
50ml school glue (ie, white PVA glue)

1/2 cup of corn starch (we used cornflour)
1/4 cup warm water
coat hangers
scissors
balloons
vaseline

1. Blow up the balloons. You can go as big as you like, but we wanted smaller, egg-shaped ones (and of course they are less work!)

2. Tie the balloons onto coat hangers and hang them somewhere they are easy to reach and won't knock against anything (the curtain rail in the window was perfect - make sure the curtains are at a safe distance!) Put newspaper down underneath them to catch the drips - there will be lots!

3. Cover the balloons with a thin layer of vaseline so the yarn doesn't stick to the balloon once it has popped.

4. Mix the cornflour or starch, water and glue in a plastic container. (We used an old butter container!) Dip in a length of yarn. As you pull it out, try to slide your fingers down it to get rid of the excess paste - this bit is sooo very messy, but everyone's fave bit! Ruby and Edie (and Boo the dog!) stored the undipped string on their heads. (No, don't ask why…)

5. Begin to wrap the balloon with the dipped yarn, starting vertically, then switching to horizontal so the lines go all over. Don't try to be neat - it's joyfully random!  Cover about 3/4 of the balloon.

6. Go and clean up before anyone discovers the mess!

7. Allow to dry for 24 hours. They must be left for at LEAST this amount of time, no matter how hard and dry they may seem, so don't be tempted to rush things!

8. Pop the balloons and pull the bits of scrap balloon out through the gaps. Fiddly but fun! There will be dried crystals on the yarn, but these knock off easily. Ta-da!!! Now you have your finished chandelier - hang lots of little ones on some twigs in a vase to make an Easter tree, or place larger ones around the house as cool decorations!

Cathy says: 
Wow… I love these! So simple and so, so cool! I will definitely be having a go… how about YOU? Email me your fab crafty ideas and don't forget to COMMENT BELOW if you liked what Edie, Ruby, Ruth and Boo have made (or if you want to admire Boo's string-y Easter Bonnet!)

AMELIE: CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE!

Reader Amelie shares her fave recipe for a truly wicked chocolate fudge cake… sigh!!!

Amelie  says:
This recipe is super-yummy… I make it all the time and it tastes like heaven! You don't have to include the icing, but it tastes a whole lot better if you do!

You will need:
175g softened butter
175g caster sugar
3 free range eggs, beaten
3 tbsp golden syrup
40g ground almonds
175g self raising flour
pinch salt
40g cocoa powder

For the icing:
225g plain chocolate, broken up
55g muscovado sugar
225g butter, diced
5tbsp evaporated milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line bases of two 20cm sandwich cake tins.
2. Make icing… place ingredients for icing in a heavy-based saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly until melted. Pour into bowl and leave to cool, then chill in fridge for an hour.
3. For cake, place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and stir in golden syrup and ground almonds.

4. Sift flour, salt and cocoa powder into separate bowl, then fold into mixture. Add a little water if needed to make a dropping consistency.
5. Spoon mixture into prepared tins and bake for 30-35 ins until springy to the touch, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Leave cakes to cool for 5 mins the turn out onto wire rack to cool completely. When cold, sandwich the cakes together with half the icing, and spread the remainder over the top of the cake, swirling for a frosted appearance. Eat and enjoy!

Cathy says:
Chocolate fudge cake… swoons!  This sounds just gorgeous… and it could be a perfect Easter bake too, perhaps with a few mini eggs arranged on top! Do YOU have a fave recipe? COMMENT BELOW to tell me more!

DENISE: THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT ME...

Another in our regular series of reader problems… this time, Summer Tanberry advises a reader who isn't sure she needs help…

Denise says:
My mum says I have changed since starting high school. She thinks I am more moody and stressed, that I'm not seeing my old friends and that I am not eating properly. I don't think I've changed - well, not much - and OK, I may be eating a bit less but I am just trying to cut down a little and I don't think it's a problem. I just want to make her see I'm fine. Can you help?

Summer says:
I think I can help, but I am not sure you are ready to listen or to take my help. I think your mum may have picked up on a real problem… and that you should listen and talk to her about whatever it is that's worrying you. If my mum had been around when I got ill, I may not have spent the last couple of years attending an Eating Disorders clinic. I know that when I started to get ill, I was in denial… I didn't want to admit there was anything wrong, but looking back I was moody and stressed. I pushed my friends away and I became very fussy about my food… and yet if anyone had challenged me I would have argued that they were inventing problems where none existed. I think you've written to me because you are secretly worried about your feelings and your anxiety around food. Take my advice and see your doctor… he/she can help by referring you to a specialist counsellor who will help you to tackle the scary feelings I suspect you are feeling. Please listen - and reach out and accept the help your mum is offering.

Cathy says:
Do YOU agree with Summer's advice? COMMENT BELOW to add your own suggestions for Denise.

WHAT'S YOUR NAME?

Readers with cool and unusual names tell us what they like/ dislike about having a name that is a little different!

Zantay says:
I think my name is pretty unique… well, it is in my school and my town, anyway! Mum made it up from two names put together, and once she said it aloud she really liked it. I was named before I was born, and it's a good job I was a girl - not sure a boy would have suited the name quite so much! People often compliment my name and it helps me to stand out from the crowd, which I like! I get called Zany, Zants or Zaz, which is fine. Some of my friends have the same names as each other so need to use their surnames to tell which one someone is talking about… at least that's not an issue with me! The downsides are that people often pronounce the name wrong, saying 'Zante' or 'Zanta' and I can never buy personalised things from the shops… I don't mind that now but I did when I was little! Also, anything done in alphabetical order means that I am last - although sometimes that can be a good thing, too!

Thianna says:
My name is quite unusual - some might say 'odd'! My mum thought she saw it in a newspaper, but it turned out that she completely made it up… haha! It is pronounced Thee-Anna, but lots of the teachers at my school pronounce it wrong - they say Thee-Arna or Tee-Arna. If I tell them they're wrong, do they take any notice? No! I am quite happy with my name because it's different, and I don't do normal. It's good to have a name nobody else has! To be honest I like having an unusual name, but it's not something I think about too much - it's just my name!

Cliodhna says:
My name is pronounced 'Cleen-na'. The bad thing about having an unusual name is that most people have a bit of trouble pronouncing and spelling it! Quite often they will have to ask my name a good few times before they can actually pronounce it, and as for spelling it… let's not even go there! I have seen some very strange variations! The good thing about having an unusual name is that you feel unique - nobody in my class has the same name as me, and I love that! My name means 'shapely' in Irish. In Irish legend, it was the name of a beautiful goddess. It is both an English and and Irish Gaelic name with a Celtic origin.

Semra says:
My name is Turkish in origin and it translates to 'dark brunette' which is ironic because I have light brown hair! My mother always told me she named me after her mum's best friend, who returned to Turkey a few years ago. Mum's name is Tamara Semra, so my name is her middle name too! All my family love my name - they think it's unique and beautiful. I however do not share their views. I wouldn't go so far as to say I hate my name, but there are downsides! People are always pronouncing my name wrong or spelling it wrong, and that gets a little annoying. The strangest spelling I've ever had was 'Semiera' which is quite funny, thinking back! One thing I will say is that whoever I meet always seems to remember me if I happen to bump into them again, and I know that is because of my name. I do get compliments and people always ask about the name, too, and I love to answer those questions!

Cathy says:
Great names… and I love reading about the meanings and origins, too! Have YOU got a cool name? Or are you happiest blending into the background? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!

PENNY: I DIDN'T KNOW WHO TO TRUST...

When reader Penny began to get spiteful messages on Facebook, she began to doubt her best friend…

Penny says:
I had been friends with Jayde, Alex and Dina for ages. Jayde was my best friend, and Alex and Dina were close too, and then in Year Seven a girl called Lauren joined our group. She was nice, really cool and funny. For a while it seemed like she was trying to be my best friend, gossiping a bit about Jayde, but I didn't like that and Lauren got the message, and we all settled into what I thought was a good friendship.

Lauren had a Facebook page and she encouraged us to get one too, even though we weren't officially old enough; everyone was doing it, and it seemed like a laugh. We could chat and message really easily. I'd got a smartphone the summer before, so it was fun taking selfies and putting them up on my page; the others did the same - it was fun. Then one night I got a message from Lauren saying the others were fed up with me - they were saying that I thought I was better than them. Lauren thought I ought to know what they'd been saying behind my back. I was upset - I didn't know why they'd turn on me like that, what I'd done to deserve it. Lauren said she thought Jayde was jealous that I was friendly with her. I was so upset I ended up having a late-night Facebook row with Jayde, Alex and Dina. It was horrible… other friends saw and joined in too, and it all got out of hand. By the next day, none of us were speaking. Lauren told me to let things cool down so we could all be friends again, but the fall-out dragged on and on. It looked like we'd never patch things up. Lauren acted as a go-between but in the end she said they had totally turned against me and that I'd be better off without them.

One day, Jayde turned up on my doorstep and demanded to know why I'd let Lauren come between us. I said she was the only one who hadn't said horrible things about me, but Jayde said actually Lauren had been spreading nasty rumours about me by Facebook message. She'd told Jayde and the others that I thought they were vain and full of themselves - exactly what she had said they were saying about me. We realised Lauren was trying to break us all up, sending messages that stirred up trouble and then acting all innocent. I cut things off with Lauren after that, and things went back to normal with Jayde, Alex and Dina, and we are probably stronger now because although Lauren tried to  turn us against each other she didn't succeed.

We were lucky. Lauren joined another group and a little while later they broke up and Lauren went off with one of them, then dumped her again a few months on. If I see her now, I don't speak to her; she scares me. She looks so innocent, but she's not. She enjoys breaking friendships to pieces.

All names have been changed to protect those concerned. Pictures posed by model Lucy; thank you!

Cathy says:
It sounds like Penny had a very lucky escape. Have YOU ever had a friend who was an enemy in disguise? COMMENT BELOW and have your say (don't mention any names… let's keep this friendly!)

ASH: TO ALL THE DREAMERS...

Reader Ash has a message for all you dreamers… and it's an awesome one!

Ash says:
Where do I start? How about hello? There, now that's over with. My name's Ash and I'm fourteen and a particular fan of the Chocolate Box series which I've been reading for a while and have really gotten into, probably more than any other series of books. But enough about me… how are YOU feeling? What's the weather like where you are right now? Oh, silly question. It's dark now. Can you see the stars? From my house, you're lucky if you can see a single star in the sky. Lots of planes, though. Wishing on planes isn't the same though, is it? I've been told wishing isn't worth it, but to quote Kian from Scarlett, 'Wishing is for dreamers,' and I quite fancy myself as a bit of a dreamer.

I love to dream. Anything's possible when you're dreaming - the only limits are the ones you place on yourself. Even nightmares don't really bother me, even the ones that are full of never-ending darkness. I mean, without darkness, you can't see stars or fireworks, right? I love fireworks. I just love watching the colours as they explode into the air around me, falling back down to earth like fallen angels.I remember when I was younger I used to cower in fright because I thought they'd fall down on my head. I'm more mature now, but fireworks are a theme I like to reference in my stories.

I'm a novice at story-writing but I have time to perfect my skills, right? Though I suppose nobody's ever really perfect. That's the fun of it, surely? Improving and improving, coming up with a new piece that's even better than the last. My friends tell me I have a way with words, but I'm not sure if that's true. Others say I'm odd because I think about things in a different way - but hey, I take 'odd' as a compliment. I'd rather be the oddest person on earth and see the beauty and intrigue of everything, from fireworks in the night sky to the crashing of waves on the sand in Brighton or Brean, than not be odd and see beauty only in what's on TV or in a magazine. I'm not sure if I have a way with words, but I know I have a lot of them to say. And I know I'm a dreamer, and I am glad about that. To all of you dreamers out there… thanks for reading. Thanks for listening. Maybe strangers are the best listeners… they don't know too much about you, won't sugarcoat the truth the way your friends might. Keep on dreaming!

Cathy says:
Wow… I LOVE this! I think Ash DOES have a way with words… and I am all for dreaming, as you know! Are YOU a dreamer? COMMENT BELOW to have your say! 

JANE GREY: THE NINE DAY QUEEN

Another in our series about extraordinary women from history; we find out about Jane Grey, the fifteen-year-old who was queen for nine days in 1553…

Jane Grey was an English noblewoman and the great granddaughter of King Henry VII; she was very intelligent and well educated and spoke French, Greek, Latin and Italian fluently. From the age of ten she had lived as part of the household of King Henry VIII's his last queen, Katherine Parr. When she was thirteen, Jane began to appear at court - Henry's son Edward VI was king at this point, but he was just a teenager too, and in poor health. The power lay in the hands of the ambitious Duke of Northumberland, who was the young king's regent. As it became apparent that the young king was dying, Northumberland began to formulate a plot to hang onto his power… a plot which involved the young Jane Grey.

In an era where young women had very little say over their futures, Jane was married off to Guildford Dudley, Northumberland's son. Jane had a claim on the throne of England, and Northumberland pressured the dying king to name her as his successor, in an attempt to stop the Edward's half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth from taking the throne. In short, Northumberland hoped to rule England through his new daughter-in-law; Jane's own father, Suffolk, was only too happy to go along with the plan.

When Edward VI died on July 6th 1553, Jane Grey succeeded to the throne; history tells us she was persuaded against her will by a powerful group of noblemen and overseas envoys. When this was publicly proclaimed, however, the country rose to rally around the old king's half-sister, Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII. To the people of England, the name of Tudor stood for stability, and the idea of placing a 'puppet queen', an unknown teenager, on the throne was not something they would support. Seeing that public support was against them, first the Duke of Northumberland and then Jane's own father abandoned her to support Mary. On July 19th 1553, Mary was proclaimed queen and Jane Grey was imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Queen Mary is thought to have wished to spare the life of Jane Grey, but Jane, a protestant, would not convert to catholicism. To make matters worse, her father joined a failed rebellion against Queen Mary which sealed Jane's fate. Jane Grey and her husband were found guilty of treason and executed on February 12th 1554, and Jane went down in history as the 'nine day queen.' While Jane was almost certainly a pawn in a power-game between her father and the Duke of Northumberland, a compelling film, 'Lady Jane', starring Helena Bonham Carter (pictured right), brings her story to life and paints a picture of a romantic, daring and hopeful bid by two teenagers to change the way England was ruled.

Cathy says:
Jane Grey's story has always captivated me; a teenage girl with a distant claim to the throne was used shamelessly by her father and the power-hungry noblemen and ultimately sacrificed. She paid the price of their greed with her life, but if it had been different… if she had succeeded… what then? Did YOU know the story of Jane Grey? COMMENT BELOW to have your say, or to tell us which female characters from history you would like to see featured on DREAMCATCHER!