Big Cat – Count Your Blessings: Band 17

Kirsten wishes she could be like new girl Jennings, especially now she’s lost her best friend Ruby to her. But when Kirsten finds herself in Jennings’ body after making a wish, will her new life be all she expected?

Diamond/Band 17 books offer more complex, underlying themes to give opportunities for children to understand causes and points of view.

Text type: A contemporary story

Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

Count Your Blessings was written to explore the idea of accepting yourself and focusing on your identity. It can be easy to begin to think other people’s strengths are what you should possess or attempt to acquire. You can now see people’s lives with a click of a mouse, and you might think you need to change. The central character, Kirsten, had the chance to experience that difference for herself. If there is a message at all, it is to be yourself. Especially as a child, you are changing all the time, but Kimberly believes it’s important to keep your eye on the person you are, even as you develop.