Sara's Diary
by Karen Okum

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Grade five is off to a terrible start for Emma Jones. Her friends have started to bully Sara, a new classmate, and Emma doesn’t know what to do about it. If it were up to Emma, she’d have nothing to do with Sara, who is constantly interrupting, boring everyone with her endless stories, and talking on and on about butterflies. Then the unthinkable happens: Emma is assigned to be Sara’s helper. Emma doesn’t want to be Sara’s friend, but as she spends more time with her, an unexpected friendship starts to form. As the bullying worsens, Emma feels powerless—until a tragedy leads her to Sara’s diary. What she discovers inside its pages might finally be enough to push Emma into action. From debut author Karen Okum comes a story for young readers about resilience, finding the courage to stand up for what’s right, and discovering what it means to be a true friend.

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Karen Okum is a retired teacher who has loved writing stories since she was a child. She lives in Ontario on a small farm on the edge of a marsh. If you stopped by, you might find her wandering happily around the marsh peering through her binoculars at some newly arrived bird, taking photos of the plant life, or climbing along the rocky escarpment to watch for wildlife. Karen shares her home with her husband and their two amusing little cockatiels and three beautiful horses.

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Contributors

Author

Karen Okum

Illustrator

Patricia Grace Claro