Always Two Sides Series
Kelsey and The New Girl At School, Kirsten, The New Girl In School
by
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Kelsey Page 7……Everything was wonderful. Then suddenly, things seemed to change. Lately, we’ve had some problems. Have you been friends with someone but then things start to go wrong and you just aren’t sure what to do?About three weeks ago, a new girl came to our school. Her name is Kirsten. Mrs. Phillips sat Kirsten next to me and asked me to show her around and help her feel more comfortable at school. At first, everything was great. Kirsten was nice and interesting. I showed her all around and introduced her to students and teachers.
She sat with me and Anna at lunch, and sat right behind us on our bus. We all played together at recess. We were all getting along really well, but then I started to feel left out.
One night I called Anna. She said she was on the other line with Kirsten and that she’d call me right back. She never called me back. I felt soooo sad.
Kelsey Page 13…..I had enough! This just wasn’t fair. Still, I didn’t like the feelings I had inside after shouting at Anna. I wasn’t quite sure what to do. Then I remembered that our school counselor, Mrs. Coffield had helped my older brother, Brandin, when he was in the fourth grade. I needed some help with this, so I went to see Mrs. Coffield.I feel much better now, and even though it’s not always easy to accept these changes, I’ve come to realize Kirsten is really funny and there are some really neat things about her. She’s really good in math and helps me with my homework while we’re waiting for the bus to arrive at the end of the day.Kelsey Page 20…Now I have three REALLY good friends—Anna, Laura, and Kirsten. Sometimes we all hang out together. Last weekend we had a slumber party at my house. Lying in a circle on my living room floor, we ate popcorn, told funny stories, and laughed until we cried! We were having so much fun, my older sister Briana even joined in our fun. Kirsten Page 23
Have you ever been a new student in a school? Starting a new school is really hard. I really miss all of my friends in Texas. On that first day at West Branch Elementary School, I could feel my palms sweating and it seemed like there were knots in my tummy.
Kirsten Page 24
I sat in the office while my mom filled out some paperwork. I watched lots of other kids go by. They were talking and laughing. I wondered, Will I ever have a friend to talk and laugh with again? What if nobody likes me? What if my teacher is mean?
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About the Book
This is a book for Counselors, teachers, parents, and children. There are “Always Two Sides” to every story and this book captures two different sides of a changing friendship. Kirsten, a new student at West Branch Elementary, is dealing with all the emotions that go along with being a new kid, while Kelsey has to figure out what to do because now things are different between her and Anna, in their friendship. Kelsey and Kirsten display typical feelings and both discover healthy, positive, and therapeutic techniques to deal with their feelings and the changes occurring. Telling the story from two different perspectives offers an empathy component. This book is fun and interesting, that will be great for read aloud, individual reading and as a self-help book for children.
About the Author
Catherine McCauley received her Master's Degree in school counseling from Marshall University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Social Worker. She has a number of years of professional experience working with children in a variety of settings. She currently works as a public school counselor in Buckhannon, Upshur County, West Virginia. She is the mother of five; Brandin, Briana, and Kelsey and two step children; Ashley and Connor. She and her husband, David McCauley have two Grandchildren; Colten and Casen. McCauley is the author of "Brandin Overcomes A Bad Day."