Jodie

On a residential trip to a field center, Jodie, a loner, gets trapped on the salt marshes and is troubled by a haunting presence. She escapes to search for a little dog, but the marshes are dangerous, and she gets stuck by the incoming tide. Will anyone notice that she's gone?

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 104 pages
Publication date: 18 May 2023
Publisher: Barrington Stoke Ltd

Trapped and alone on the eerie salt marshes, Jodie is plagued by a haunting presence in this chilling ghost story from multi-award-winning author Hilary McKay. Jodie, a loner at school, is reluctantly forced into a dormitory with other girls from her class who don't understand her and talk about her behind her back. Despite their intentions not to be mean, Jodie feels excluded and miserable, leading her to escape onto the salt marshes in search of a little dog she can hear barking in the distance. However, the salt marshes are treacherous, and Jodie becomes trapped by the incoming tide. Stuck in the sucking mud, will anyone even notice that she's gone? And where is the little dog that keeps barking so mournfully?

As the tide relentlessly pulls her deeper into the marshes, Jodie's fear grows. She knows that she is alone, and the sound of the barking dog becomes more distant, mocking her. The marshes are alive with strange noises, and Jodie's imagination runs wild with possibilities. She wonders if there are ghosts lurking in the shadows, watching her struggle.

Despite her dire situation, Jodie refuses to give up. She uses her strength and determination to fight against the tide, clawing at the mud and trying to find a way out. But the more she struggles, the more she realizes that she is alone and helpless.

As the sun begins to set, Jodie's hopes of survival dwindle. She knows that she will be trapped in the marshes overnight, and the cold will soon take over. She tries to stay warm by wrapping herself in her coat, but it is no use. The cold is seeping through her bones, and she feels like she is dying.

Just when Jodie thinks that all is lost, she hears a faint sound in the distance. It's the barking of the little dog that she had been searching for all along. Jodie's heart swells with hope as she listens to the dog's mournful bark. She knows that she has to find a way to reach the dog, and she sets out on a desperate journey through the marshes.

The journey is treacherous, and Jodie is forced to navigate through thick mud and dangerous obstacles. But she refuses to give up, driven by her love for the little dog and her determination to survive.

Finally, after hours of searching, Jodie finds the little dog. It is weak and tired, but Jodie knows that she has to help it. She carries the dog back to the dormitory, where she can take care of it and warm it up.

As Jodie spends the night caring for the little dog, she realizes that she has made a new friend. The dog is loyal and loving, and Jodie knows that it will always be there for her, just as she was there for it.

The next morning, the tide has subsided, and Jodie is able to return to the field centre. She is greeted by her classmates, who are surprised to see her alive and well. Jodie is grateful for their support, and she knows that she has learned a valuable lesson about the power of friendship and determination.

In the end, Jodie emerges from the salt marshes stronger and more resilient than ever before. She has learned that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope and that true friendship can be found in the most unexpected places.

Weight: 180g
Dimension: 130 x 199 x 11 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800902206