posted on 28 May 2023

Jodie by Hilary McKay

Award-winning children’s author, Hilary McKay has produced a spine-tingling new story for Barrington Stoke, a publisher who is dedicated to inspiring reluctant readers to get into books and to discover the thrills to be found there. This one should certainly keep anyone who picks it up rivetted and determined to discover what happens.

As is the case with all books that have a mystery – especially a potentially supernatural mystery – at the heart of them, I will have to tread carefully so as not to give away any spoilers for those who want to read this particular one. Jodie, it’s fair to say, is a troubled young girl. Her brother has got himself into trouble and has been given a prison sentence, the family have lost their home and had to relocate and now Jodie has to start a new school where she knows no-one. So, not surprisingly, she’s withdrawn into herself – expecting the worst from everything and everyone.

In an attempt to coax her out of her self-imposed social isolation, the school (in the shape of her favourite teacher, Mrs Nolan) persuade her to go on a sort of outward-bound field trip to the most remote place Jodie has ever visited. She’s reluctant in the first place but when she discovers Mrs Nolan has pulled out of the trip at the last moment, it seems like Jodie is going to have the most miserable time ever.

When they arrive at the field trip centre, all the pupils are allocated sharing rooms – another nightmare for Jodie who is determined to find ways of ‘disappearing’ and spending time on her own. The students are given strict orders never to wander off on their own because the salt marshes and the adjacent river can be dangerous places if you’re unaccompanied and inexperienced in the landscape. But as far as Jodie’s concerned, the solitude is exactly what she wants and she wastes no time in flouting the rules.

Despite the best efforts of the girls who are sharing a room with her, Jodie continues to feel excluded and miserable. When she hears the mysterious barking of a small dog and encounters an enigmatic old women also wondering on the edge of the bank where a small truck has crashed and become embedded in the swampy tidal river bed, Jodie finds herself being drawn into a situation that will ultimately threaten her own life.

I’m not going to tell you any more about how this all plays out but what I will say is that Jodie discovers the value of being part of a group of people that care about what happens to you – that kindness and friendship and engaging with others isn’t the worst thing that can happen: it’s probably the best.

The book is sensitively illustrated by the excellent Keith Robinson and is guided for readers of 9+ - but I know it will appeal to readers well into their teenage years.

Available now from your local independent bookseller, who will order it for you if they don’t have it on their shelves. Alternatively, go directly to the Barrington Stoke webpage and order it from them there.

 

Terry Potter

May 2023