Jodie
Author: Hilary McKay
Illustrator: Keith Robinson
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
This book is excellent for children aged 9-11 and is especially suitable for reluctant and dyslexic readers. Mrs Nolan is the only reason Jodie can got to school. When asked to go on a residential trip, Jodie agrees to attend but only if Mrs Nolan is there too. However, on the day of the trip, Jodie receives a note saying that Mrs Nolan can no longer make the trip. Whilst on the trip, Jodie can hear the other children talking about her and longs to escape. In the distance she hears a dog barking on the salt marsh, giving her the perfect excuse to wonder off on her own. The salt marshes are a dangerous place. It is easy to get cut off by the incoming tide. What happens if no one knows you are missing? Will they even come looking for you?
This novel is a subtly creepy ghost story, but with no horror or jump-scares. Both uplifting and intriguing. The novel details Jodie's experiences that reframe her opinions on her differences and help her to see them as things that make her interesting and unique. A story of humanity and kindness.
“I knew this broke the number-one rule they’d just told us, which was No One Goes Anywhere on Their Own Ever.”