Zara loves to draw more than anything, and all she wants is to be seen. So when a kind stranger online calls her talented and begins sending gifts, it feels like sunlight. Then come the rules. Do not tell your friends. Do not tell your parents. This is our little secret. Just for me.
Grooming rarely looks like danger. It looks like kindness, attention, and someone who finally sees you. Just For Me follows Zara as she learns to recognise what is really happening, and finds the courage to tell an adult she trusts.
Zara is not punished for being trusting. She is believed, she is told plainly that it is not her fault, and she is helped. That is the lesson we want every young reader to carry: the warning signs are learnable, the feeling in your stomach is worth trusting, and telling someone is the bravest thing you can do.
For: young people aged 11 to 14, and the parents, teachers and guardians around them.
Part of: the Hand-to-Mind Project, under Bold Spaces.
If something in this story feels familiar, you can write to us at [email protected].
