When I was eight, my family came back to Australia after three years in Nepal, and I found it very hard to adjust to life in Australia.After two terms at Chadstone Park Primary School in grades 3 and 4, I started at Clayton North Primary School in the middle of grade 4. While Sam starts at Green Oaks Primary School in the middle of grade 5, many of the feelings are the same. It’s never easy starting a new school in the middle of the year.
I drew on many of these memories when creating Sam. I had long brown hair that still never stays in place, and can remember feeling out of place, especially when it came to what was popular. Come to think about it, I still don’t know what is popular!
There are other aspects of Sam that has been inspired by my kids, especially their love of hot chocolate with marshmallows after school on cold days. The way she handles the bullying was also inspired by my kids – both have been bullied, and not spoken about it until things get really bad, in spite of telling them that they should always speak up if they, or someone they know, are being bullied.
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