Rage has a hold on Sammy by Angela Wiggins #Review #Children’s #BlogTour
Title: Rage Has a Hold on Sammy
Author: Angela Wiggins
Release Date: 12 September 2018
Genre: Children’s
Page Count: 19
Publisher:Angela Wiggins Publishing
Synopsis:
Rage Has A Hold On Sammy is the story of an eight year old boy named, Sammy. He and his father are very close, even though his parents are divorced. Then one day, his grandmother calls; Sammy’s dad passed away. After the initial shock, Sammy’s behaviour changes into a defiant, disrespectful child. How can he get over this terrible feeling that has a tight hold on him? Children that experience the loss of a parent have a difficult time? Some of those children become angry and hostile like Sammy. This book will help children in the same situation realise they are not alone.
My Review:
This is a child friendly book about the very difficult subject of how grief can affect behaviour and attitudes, told through the story of Sammy and his family. It helps demonstrate that hurting others and being angry may actually be symptoms of struggling to cope with grief and loss and makes suggestions that could help them. It has clear illustrations to make it easier for children to relate to and would make a good stimulus for discussions with anyone having similar difficulties.
I could imagine using this to help show a child that their grief and situation isn’t something that happens only to them and to prompt them to talk about themselves, their feelings and develop strategies to help them. I was actually disappointed that the school in the story hadn’t automatically helped Sammy by giving him opportunities to talk with the school counselor – or learning mentor as we had in my school. However, if it encourages parents to ask for such support for their child it will definitely be helpful. I also thought there might be more about what was actually on the pamphlet Sammy was given to help him but wanting to learn what it contained might just be the stimulus to get children to talk to the counselor in the hope they can have their own copy to start to help themselves over come such traumatic circumstances and find ways to control their aggressive behaviour.
Whilst we hope children don’t experience such tragic loses in their lives, for those unfortunate to do so this book would be very useful in helping parents and teachers encouraging children to talk about what has happened and developing strategies to help them find less aggressive ways to cope with their grief.
I requested and received a copy of this book without obligation. This is my honest review after choosing to read it.
Book Links:
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41946469-rage-has-a-hold-on-sammy
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rage-Hold-Sammy-Angela-Wiggins-ebook/dp/B07H85N2HN
Author Information
Angela Wiggins was born and raised in Massachusetts. She now lives in Connecticut with her two children.
She attended Everest University in Tampa, Florida, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. She then went on to have a successful career in law enforcement before taking up her current role as a teacher.
Now, Angela has turned her writing hobby into something that will help others. Her first book, Rage Has a Hold on Sammy, was inspired by real-life events and is based on her son who at eight-years-old lost his father. His struggle with the grief and anger he felt after the loss compelled Angela to act in meaningful ways. She hopes this book will help other youngsters to deal with, and come to terms with, their own grief.
Angela loves to spend time with her children. She also loves travelling, reading, writing, and music. She also found great fulfillment in the volunteer work she did at Suffolk Juvenile Domestic Court in Suffolk, Virginia.
Angela’s hope for the future is to become a well-known author of children’s books. She’s also a passionate believer in the quote, “A dad is a son’s first hero and a daughter’s first love.”
Tour Schedule
Sunday 25th November
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Tuesday 27th November
Wednesday 28th November
Thursday 29th November
Friday 30th November
Saturday 1st December
Sunday 2nd December
Summer Reads and Moonlight Dreams
Many thanks to Faye Roger and Authoright for providing materials for this post and organising the tour it is part of. The review is my own, honest opinion after choosing to read the book.
