The Girl with Brains in Her Feet by Jo Hodges

The Girl with Brains in Her Feet

Jo Hodges

This one brought back a few memories of those difficult teenage years!! Jacqueline (Jack) is 13, of mixed race and daughter of a single parent. She has all the problems of a normal teenager and quite a few more besides. Her only talent is her ability to run. Fresh, vivid dialogue as everyone lets her down and she learns that perhaps her mum's not so bad after all.

Extract
I remember the gun going off and I remember telling myself it's just nerves, it's just nerves, but all I wanted to do was scream and run away. But instead I found myself running round the track with all the others .... Then all I could hear was Mr Loughborough's voice telling me not to look round. Don't look round, keep your eye on the finishing line, it kept saying but it was too late. I could see the black girl was right up there with me and so was the tall blonde girl in the inside lane and they looked as fresh as when they started. Please God, please God please let me win, I said and I'll never do anything wrong again. But it was all too late for that wasn't it?
Parallels
  • Blessed Art Thou a Monk Swimming by Miriam Dunne
  • The Adoption Papers by Jackie Kay
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Explicit sexual Content