Off Pitch

Caz never knew she could fancy girls until she met Jo. But when Jo thinks the football team will discover their secret relationship, she ends things in the worst possible way. A vicious rumour about Caz blazes through school and the bullies close in. All alone, Caz has no one she can turn to. Will anyone step up and be on Caz's side? This engaging and thought-provoking series offers a powerful opportunity to open conversations, challenge bias and prejudice, foster a sense of community, and build resilience. These titles can act as 'mirrors', reflecting the reader's own experiences to help them feel heard and understood, as well as 'windows', where students are given an insight into lives different from their own. Set in an inner city school, each book looks at the experience of a student who is going through a difficult time. The books navigate the reader through hardships and signpost how to access, or offer, help. Although the books can be hard-hitting, the subjects examined are expertly and sensitively handled. The titles in this series of Hi-Lo books for students aged 13+ include books for reading ages 9-10 years and utilise a range of dyslexia-friendly features to support pupils' reading. Windows and Mirrors are printed on off-white paper and incorporate an easy-to-read font and text separated into bite-sized chunks, along with carefully considered letter and paragraph spacing that can reduce visual stress. While these books have instantly appealing characters and gripping storylines, the language and sentence structure are intentionally written so that students who are reading behind their chronological age can succeed in reading them.