A handwritten note from the wonderful team at David Fickling Books propelled this book to the top of my weekend reads. The blurb was short and I had zero expectations with this story.
When I began, I could see that Jodie Jones has a troublesome relationship with her mother but as you read and become entrenched in Jodie Jones’s life, you see the truth and it is stark and cruel.
At first, though I always knew the mother was cruel and cutting, I wondered whether Jodie Jones was instigating her with her behaviours. However, as the pair attend sessions with psychiatrist, Dr Kumar, you gain insight into an event that has left Jodie Jones with PTSD. As the reader, you will wait for the full details quite some time and when they emerge, it is hard hitting and tissues will be needed.
Jodie Jones, as she insists on being called, is struggling with school, her home life and is gaining a lot of negative attention from teachers and her mother. She copes as best she can by finding comfort in words and sentences- ones that make her cry and others smile. She is a true collector of words.
They provide sense, comfort and hope. For the reader, it is a beautiful way to interact with Jodie Jones. There are many heartwarming moments in this book and some tragic ones that really set your heart alight. I absolutely loved reading every word in this book, for with Jodie Jones as the narrator, you are given her full attention and she shares her favourite words, sentences and books.
I have a favourite poem, “Desiderata” by Max Ehrmann, which I feel Jodie Jones would approve of! Read the poem and choose to buy or borrow My Name is Jodie Jones when it publishes in September.
I promise you will be forever changed by it! It is stunning.
My Shelves Are Full 