Striking Out

Tess's new school seems okay, until a spiteful bully makes Tess's school life a living hell. Tess must learn a new way to look after herself - and wait until the moment that she can get her own back. This hi-lo series for struggling and reluctant readers has been written for children aged between 8 and 14 years, whose current reading age is between 7.5 and 8.5 years. These age-appropriate short reads have 32 pages and are written by accomplished authors writing stories with relatable characters. They incorporate a large font size and text separated into bite-sized chunks, along with carefully considered letter and paragraph spacing that can reduce visual stress. The series has plenty of practice at one level, allowing consolidation of learning before moving on to more challenging reads.