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My Sister Jodie
Pearl and Jodie are sisters. Pearl is the younger one, small, shy and anxious. Jodie is nearly three years older, bold and brash and bad and Pearl adores her. When their parents get new jobs at Melchester College, a Victorian Gothic mansion, the girls spend a bizarre summer holiday in the boarding school with just a few leftover children for company. Things start to change now they are in their new home. Jodie has always been the leader but now it's Pearl who's making new friends. When term begins, their strange summer is over. But things keep on changing. Jodie really doesn't fit in with the posh teenagers in her class. Pearl is blossoming. Maybe she doesn't need Jodie as much as she used to. But Jodie needs her. And when the school celebration of Firework Night comes around and a tragic event occurs, Pearl realises quite how much she does need her big sister.
399 pages, Paperback
First published March 13, 2008
264 people are currently reading
4461 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Wilson
399 books5,698 followersJacqueline Wilson was born in Bath in 1945, but spent most of her childhood in Kingston-on-Thames. She always wanted to be a writer and wrote her first ‘novel’ when she was nine, filling in countless Woolworths’ exercise books as she grew up. As a teenager she started work for a magazine publishing company and then went on to work as a journalist on Jackie magazine (which she was told was named after her!) before turning to writing novels full-time.
One of Jacqueline’s most successful and enduring creations has been the famous Tracy Beaker, who first appeared in 1991 in The Story of Tracy Beaker. This was also the first of her books to be illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Since then Jacqueline has been on countless awards shortlists and has gone on to win many awards. The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the 1999 Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book Award.
Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.
Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million!
In 2002 Jacqueline was awarded the OBE for services to literacy in schools and from 2005 to 2007 she was the Children’s Laureate. In 2008 she became Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
One of Jacqueline’s most successful and enduring creations has been the famous Tracy Beaker, who first appeared in 1991 in The Story of Tracy Beaker. This was also the first of her books to be illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Since then Jacqueline has been on countless awards shortlists and has gone on to win many awards. The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the 1999 Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book Award.
Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.
Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million!
In 2002 Jacqueline was awarded the OBE for services to literacy in schools and from 2005 to 2007 she was the Children’s Laureate. In 2008 she became Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 704 reviews
September 10, 2020
i can see why this book traumatised 10 year old me
August 23, 2021
made me cry in year three, dropped pizza on it and ripped half the pages. overall 5/5
May 5, 2013
I was instantly attracted to the book 'My Sister Jodie' because i was a great fan of Jacqueline Wilson at the time and constantly watched the libraries 'wil' section for new books. I absolutely loved this book though the ending made me tear up a tiny bit! (just a little bit though).
My sister jodie is told through the eyes of her adoring younger sister pearl. Jodie is sparky and vibrant and not a bit shy. however shy little Pearl is the exact opposite. She always listens to her parents and teachers and works hard at her schoolwork. But different as they are the two sisters are dedicated to the other. So when their parents are offered a job at a fancy boarding school and pearl begs to go, jodie reluctantly agrees for the sake of her sister. At the school pearl fits in very well, making friends every where she turns and pleasing the teachers with her high level of work. However Jodie is the opposite. Her dyed hair and carefree devil may care attitude are sneered at and Jodie feels left out and depressed. in an unfortunate turn of events Jodie falls out of the school tower, dying and tearing pearls heart out to take with her. But Pearl finds consolation in her new baby sister who could never take the place of Jodie but has her smile and eyes.
My favourite quote is" You never knew her, May, her smile, the way her eyes would crackle with mischeif and happiness, but I will never forget our sister Jodie." I liked this Quote very much because it is very touching and bittersweet, the way that Pearl swallowed her pain to take care of little May, yet still promises never to forget her sister Jodie.
My sister Jodie ticks off 'A book with a main female character' on my bingo board. I did find this category interesting, but don't really have a reason for it.
Something this book taught me was about the ups and downs of sibling's relationship. Having no siblings of my own, I never really understood or knew what having a sibling would be like. Though I probably don't wholly understand the enormity and joy of having a brother or sister, I now understand it much better.
This book dealt with change and loss and really described in detail the pain of losing a loved one and how to let time heal its pain.
Ten out of ten!!!!!
My sister jodie is told through the eyes of her adoring younger sister pearl. Jodie is sparky and vibrant and not a bit shy. however shy little Pearl is the exact opposite. She always listens to her parents and teachers and works hard at her schoolwork. But different as they are the two sisters are dedicated to the other. So when their parents are offered a job at a fancy boarding school and pearl begs to go, jodie reluctantly agrees for the sake of her sister. At the school pearl fits in very well, making friends every where she turns and pleasing the teachers with her high level of work. However Jodie is the opposite. Her dyed hair and carefree devil may care attitude are sneered at and Jodie feels left out and depressed. in an unfortunate turn of events Jodie falls out of the school tower, dying and tearing pearls heart out to take with her. But Pearl finds consolation in her new baby sister who could never take the place of Jodie but has her smile and eyes.
My favourite quote is" You never knew her, May, her smile, the way her eyes would crackle with mischeif and happiness, but I will never forget our sister Jodie." I liked this Quote very much because it is very touching and bittersweet, the way that Pearl swallowed her pain to take care of little May, yet still promises never to forget her sister Jodie.
My sister Jodie ticks off 'A book with a main female character' on my bingo board. I did find this category interesting, but don't really have a reason for it.
Something this book taught me was about the ups and downs of sibling's relationship. Having no siblings of my own, I never really understood or knew what having a sibling would be like. Though I probably don't wholly understand the enormity and joy of having a brother or sister, I now understand it much better.
This book dealt with change and loss and really described in detail the pain of losing a loved one and how to let time heal its pain.
Ten out of ten!!!!!
July 7, 2017
I first read this book when I was ten years old and I loved it, I had always like Jacqueline Wilson books but that one was my favourite. I read this book from cover to cover about five times, when I was younger opening up that book when I couldn't sleep.
I liked My Sister Jodie because I found it had a bit more depth then the other Jacqueline Wilson books. Most of her books show bullying but never in so much detail, since I have read the book many times, I have noticed different things each time I read it.
I love Jodie and I was always rooting for her, feeling sorry for her when she was being bullied. It's a sad novel with teen suicide near the end of the book. I was clutching my book tightly during the scene where Jodie falls, hanging on to every word.
Pearl, her younger sister is filled with disbelief, not able to admit that maybe her sister jumped.
She has a new baby sister May to help her through her pain and they start a fresh, away from the school, finding it to painful to go back.
She keeps writing to her old schools principle's wife. I want that lady to get up and leave her cheating, lying husband but the books ends without her doing so. Maybe in the author's mind where a story never really ends, she does.
This books deserves 5 stars and I will never forget it.
I liked My Sister Jodie because I found it had a bit more depth then the other Jacqueline Wilson books. Most of her books show bullying but never in so much detail, since I have read the book many times, I have noticed different things each time I read it.
I love Jodie and I was always rooting for her, feeling sorry for her when she was being bullied. It's a sad novel with teen suicide near the end of the book. I was clutching my book tightly during the scene where Jodie falls, hanging on to every word.
Pearl, her younger sister is filled with disbelief, not able to admit that maybe her sister jumped.
She has a new baby sister May to help her through her pain and they start a fresh, away from the school, finding it to painful to go back.
She keeps writing to her old schools principle's wife. I want that lady to get up and leave her cheating, lying husband but the books ends without her doing so. Maybe in the author's mind where a story never really ends, she does.
This books deserves 5 stars and I will never forget it.
August 13, 2017
Buddy read with my Beast (aka the 9-year-old daughter).
Argh, let me tell you that my daughters reaction to the end of this book had me crying along with her. It upset her so much.
As an adult, I had a lot of issues with the message that my daughter ended up taking away from this.
And this happened so late in the story that there wasn't any resolution. It's fine to write real-life issues for children to read about instead of fairytales and fluffy unicorns, but if you're going to do it you need to SHOW how these things are then dealt with, and this didn't do that.
Argh, let me tell you that my daughters reaction to the end of this book had me crying along with her. It upset her so much.
As an adult, I had a lot of issues with the message that my daughter ended up taking away from this.
And this happened so late in the story that there wasn't any resolution. It's fine to write real-life issues for children to read about instead of fairytales and fluffy unicorns, but if you're going to do it you need to SHOW how these things are then dealt with, and this didn't do that.
March 2, 2024
jacqueline wilson made me the way i am today
September 7, 2016
I loved it when I was a kid. When I read this book, I thought that it was going to have a normal ending like any other book, like a happy ever after ending but believe me, this will be a shocker to you. It was one of my favourite books. I think that this was one of Jacqueline Wilson's greatest book. I don't read any of her books now but I read a couple when I was a kid. This book was an excellent book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2021
Oh I loved this! I totally understand why I loved it as a child, and I will definitely be holding onto this for the considerable future.
May 20, 2008
This book is about 2 completly different sisters who stand up for each other. Their mum and dad got a new job at a school and Jodie(who is the eldest sister) is having a rough time, while Pearl(who is the younger sister)is having a fab time with all her friends.One day a terrible thing happens to Jodie.......
November 7, 2021
That's... a shock. I mean the ending. I nearly recovered from it. Literally, I DID NOT expect that. I can't say that word, so I'm gonna explain and you could easily figure it out.
So.....Jodie fell out of a really tall tower and no one was quick enought to catch her.
I hope you knew now. Also, this is actually the first book from Jacuqeline Wilson that I rated less than 5 stars.
So.....Jodie fell out of a really tall tower and no one was quick enought to catch her.
I hope you knew now. Also, this is actually the first book from Jacuqeline Wilson that I rated less than 5 stars.
September 23, 2013
I was quite enjoying this, it's well written and interesting and the characters are good, but then I began to muse upon the moral of the story SPOILER ALERT, and oh, dear, the bad girl dies. The 'bad' girl is unhappy: she isn't getting the support she needs at home, so she swears, kisses the gardner, dyes her hair purple and argues with her mother.
So now you know. Watch out, all you rebellious girls out there. I won't be passing this book on because I don't like the hidden message.
So now you know. Watch out, all you rebellious girls out there. I won't be passing this book on because I don't like the hidden message.
September 10, 2022
Note: I am not this book’s target demographic. I write from a place of childhood love of Jacqueline Wilson’s books.
You may wonder why I have a copy of this book at all given that I’m 28, and I can only attribute it to providence. Someone was having a clear out and they had left a stack of books on their garden wall for people to take (a very pro-social behaviour, by the way, for anyone reading who has books they no longer want and a garden wall to put them on). Most of them were romances, which are not for me, but there was a solitary Jacqueline Wilson book and my child-self cried out, “You haven’t read that one yet!”.
I haven’t read it because it came out in 2008, when I was a wee lass of 14. I had put Jacqueline Wilson behind me in order to move onto adult books (Boo! Mistake!). So, here I come to it a mere 14 years later, and this is what I think.
For the most part, I love the imperfect childhoods that all Wilson’s characters inhabit. It’s a cliché, but she was the first writer whose characters ever made sense to me. I was a socially awkward kid from a single-parent family. I struggled to make friends and soothed my loneliness with the friends I made in books and the ones I created in my head. Y’know, basically like 99% of Jacqueline Wilson’s main characters. So I loved her books for how they comforted me and helped me feel less alone. And I still love her books because of their timelessness in that regard. It makes me happy to imagine modern-day lonely, struggling kids finding in them what I once did (I’m sure they do).
However, I am now an adult and there are a couple of things in this book that really took me aback. Let’s talk about the eponymous Jodie, the 14-year-old sister, and let’s talk about the predatory grown men in this book. Now, I didn’t know quite what to make of this. I was surprised, for sure. Not surprised that grown men would leer at and sexually harass young girls. I don’t think anyone who has been a 14-year-old girl (or a girl of any age, let’s be real) would be surprised by that. But this is a children’s book, and men acting inappropriately towards Jodie is used as a plot device to illustrate her outlandishness and her attempts to act grown-up. And what really struck me is that no one does anything about it. Jodie says to her mum about one of the adult removal men chatting her up and her mum just dismisses it out of hand. Jodie suggests she’s having a relationship with the school’s adult gardener, and her parents dismiss it like it’s Jodie misbehaving.
Is this realistic? Yeah, for sure. Once I was a teenager, I basically got the message from those around me that I should be flattered by male attention. But in a children’s book, this could be a teaching moment that counters that messed up attitude. Something that sends the message to kids that it’s not okay, it’s not fair, it’s not “proof” of their adulthood, but a betrayal of them as children and human beings who deserve to be protected from predatory men.
Books can be so important in helping children understand their world and their experiences. A lot of real-life children will indeed be sexually harassed and abused, only to have their experiences normalized by the people around them whose job it is to keep them safe. So how about contradicting that? Have Jodie’s mum be outraged. Have her insist that the removal men get away from her daughter and out of her house! Have Jodie’s dad voice concerns with the headteacher about the school’s gardener who checks Jodie out as soon as she arrives. Just have something to say “Adult men may show sexual interest in young girls, but it is never okay and young girls deserve protection and they deserve outrage on their behalf.”
Okay. Stepping off my soap box… And onto another soap box! I do not like the treatment of disability in this book, no siree. How about let’s not speculate about why someone is a wheelchair user. Let’s not pity them or assume their life is a void. Let’s not say that it would be better if they’d died rather than become disabled. See above for why I think it’s fine to include such rhetoric in books generally, since people say such things in real life, but in children’s books when there is no counter argument, it’s kind of saying, “Hey, so this is how we talk about disabled people”.
Also, how about let’s not have the cool, imitable character using the R-word, hey? At the time of this book being written, I was a pupil at a PRU, a ‘special school’ if you will, and I was very aware of just how not okay and painful that word could be. So let’s not include it in children’s books as a totally-fine, neutral insult to use! Okay, that is all (Didn’t I keep it brief this time? Well done me).
I guess it’s easier to critique the bad stuff than to put such reams into the good stuff because, despite everything you’ve just read, I did actually like the story of this book a lot. I got pretty darn carried away in it, much as I ever would have as a child. I would have happily read it in a sitting or two if not for real-life responsibilities getting in the way (Boo! Hiss!). Jacqueline Wilson has a real talent for flow and compelling storytelling. She’s also great at making you really care about small, childhood stakes. Should I care how Pearl’s birthday party goes? No, that’s silly. Do I? I sure do! She’s so worried about it and she deserves to have a nice time! I just hope it’s not all too much for her!
Miscellaneous observations, because this review just isn’t long enough already:
+ I find it quite funny that Harley is never mentioned without reference to how tall he is. Not once. Try and find a single instance, I challenge you.
+ There’s some dodgy racial stereotyping going on with Sakura’s character. Just sayin’.
+
You may wonder why I have a copy of this book at all given that I’m 28, and I can only attribute it to providence. Someone was having a clear out and they had left a stack of books on their garden wall for people to take (a very pro-social behaviour, by the way, for anyone reading who has books they no longer want and a garden wall to put them on). Most of them were romances, which are not for me, but there was a solitary Jacqueline Wilson book and my child-self cried out, “You haven’t read that one yet!”.
I haven’t read it because it came out in 2008, when I was a wee lass of 14. I had put Jacqueline Wilson behind me in order to move onto adult books (Boo! Mistake!). So, here I come to it a mere 14 years later, and this is what I think.
For the most part, I love the imperfect childhoods that all Wilson’s characters inhabit. It’s a cliché, but she was the first writer whose characters ever made sense to me. I was a socially awkward kid from a single-parent family. I struggled to make friends and soothed my loneliness with the friends I made in books and the ones I created in my head. Y’know, basically like 99% of Jacqueline Wilson’s main characters. So I loved her books for how they comforted me and helped me feel less alone. And I still love her books because of their timelessness in that regard. It makes me happy to imagine modern-day lonely, struggling kids finding in them what I once did (I’m sure they do).
However, I am now an adult and there are a couple of things in this book that really took me aback. Let’s talk about the eponymous Jodie, the 14-year-old sister, and let’s talk about the predatory grown men in this book. Now, I didn’t know quite what to make of this. I was surprised, for sure. Not surprised that grown men would leer at and sexually harass young girls. I don’t think anyone who has been a 14-year-old girl (or a girl of any age, let’s be real) would be surprised by that. But this is a children’s book, and men acting inappropriately towards Jodie is used as a plot device to illustrate her outlandishness and her attempts to act grown-up. And what really struck me is that no one does anything about it. Jodie says to her mum about one of the adult removal men chatting her up and her mum just dismisses it out of hand. Jodie suggests she’s having a relationship with the school’s adult gardener, and her parents dismiss it like it’s Jodie misbehaving.
Is this realistic? Yeah, for sure. Once I was a teenager, I basically got the message from those around me that I should be flattered by male attention. But in a children’s book, this could be a teaching moment that counters that messed up attitude. Something that sends the message to kids that it’s not okay, it’s not fair, it’s not “proof” of their adulthood, but a betrayal of them as children and human beings who deserve to be protected from predatory men.
Books can be so important in helping children understand their world and their experiences. A lot of real-life children will indeed be sexually harassed and abused, only to have their experiences normalized by the people around them whose job it is to keep them safe. So how about contradicting that? Have Jodie’s mum be outraged. Have her insist that the removal men get away from her daughter and out of her house! Have Jodie’s dad voice concerns with the headteacher about the school’s gardener who checks Jodie out as soon as she arrives. Just have something to say “Adult men may show sexual interest in young girls, but it is never okay and young girls deserve protection and they deserve outrage on their behalf.”
Okay. Stepping off my soap box… And onto another soap box! I do not like the treatment of disability in this book, no siree. How about let’s not speculate about why someone is a wheelchair user. Let’s not pity them or assume their life is a void. Let’s not say that it would be better if they’d died rather than become disabled. See above for why I think it’s fine to include such rhetoric in books generally, since people say such things in real life, but in children’s books when there is no counter argument, it’s kind of saying, “Hey, so this is how we talk about disabled people”.
Also, how about let’s not have the cool, imitable character using the R-word, hey? At the time of this book being written, I was a pupil at a PRU, a ‘special school’ if you will, and I was very aware of just how not okay and painful that word could be. So let’s not include it in children’s books as a totally-fine, neutral insult to use! Okay, that is all (Didn’t I keep it brief this time? Well done me).
I guess it’s easier to critique the bad stuff than to put such reams into the good stuff because, despite everything you’ve just read, I did actually like the story of this book a lot. I got pretty darn carried away in it, much as I ever would have as a child. I would have happily read it in a sitting or two if not for real-life responsibilities getting in the way (Boo! Hiss!). Jacqueline Wilson has a real talent for flow and compelling storytelling. She’s also great at making you really care about small, childhood stakes. Should I care how Pearl’s birthday party goes? No, that’s silly. Do I? I sure do! She’s so worried about it and she deserves to have a nice time! I just hope it’s not all too much for her!
Miscellaneous observations, because this review just isn’t long enough already:
+ I find it quite funny that Harley is never mentioned without reference to how tall he is. Not once. Try and find a single instance, I challenge you.
+ There’s some dodgy racial stereotyping going on with Sakura’s character. Just sayin’.
+
May 7, 2014
Pearl is small for her age. She's tiny, flat-chested, quiet and studious. She likes making up stories. She does what her parents tell her and she's in awe of her big sister Jodie. Jodie is everything that Pearl is not. She's self-confident, she's outspoken, and she's not afraid of being in trouble. And in trouble Jodie often is. She's got in with a bad crowd at school - she bunks off, she snogs boys, she's even come home drunk. For Jodie's mother, it's all too much. She came from a neglectful home and she's done everything she can to give her girls a better start in life. From Jodie's behaviour, however, it seems as though it hasn't been enough.
Something Must Be Done.
And so, Pearl's family ups sticks and move to the countryside. Her parents have found jobs at a posh private school. Her mother's the cook and her father's the caretaker. As part of the package, Pearl and Jodie will receive a private education their parents could never otherwise afford. Far from turning Jodie around though, it seems to make her worse. Pearl thrives; she finds friends and she loves the lessons. Jodie simply rebels. She simply doesn't fit in.
I could read Jacqueline Wilson's simple, direct, emotionally honest kitchen sink dramas all day. It matters not a jot that they're intended for readers thirty years my junior. They're just so truthful and open. The observation is always wonderful and there are immediately recognisable vignettes of contemporary family life on page after page. Deep feelings are never far from the surface. Wilson's heroines run through the gamut of childhood emotions and it is this genuine engagement with the audience that has gathered her such an enormous fanbase.
Here, in My Sister Jodie, we are looking at the special relationship between sisters. Pearl hero worships Jodie and yet, for all the adulation, it's probably Pearl who sees her sister most clearly. Because of course, Jodie's brashness and cheek is all a front, disguising deep insecurity and an even deeper level of sibling rivalry of which she is ashamed. We're also looking at the way in which teen-parent relationships can disintegrate to a state in which the protagonists talk at each other, never to each other. The mother in this story is doing her best for her children, but to them she seems over-protective, snobbish, and judgemental. Yet to the boarding school children, sent away from home, she seems like a treasure of a mother.
As ever, Wilson's kindly eye doesn't shy away from unhappiness. There is a great crisis in this book, and its fallout causes unimaginable pain. But pain is a part of life and you can't pretend it doesn't exist. I love Wilson for never trying to pretend. And I love her too for trying to show that there is always a path through, no matter how hard things seem.
Highly recommended for all girls aged nine or ten to early teens.
Something Must Be Done.
And so, Pearl's family ups sticks and move to the countryside. Her parents have found jobs at a posh private school. Her mother's the cook and her father's the caretaker. As part of the package, Pearl and Jodie will receive a private education their parents could never otherwise afford. Far from turning Jodie around though, it seems to make her worse. Pearl thrives; she finds friends and she loves the lessons. Jodie simply rebels. She simply doesn't fit in.
I could read Jacqueline Wilson's simple, direct, emotionally honest kitchen sink dramas all day. It matters not a jot that they're intended for readers thirty years my junior. They're just so truthful and open. The observation is always wonderful and there are immediately recognisable vignettes of contemporary family life on page after page. Deep feelings are never far from the surface. Wilson's heroines run through the gamut of childhood emotions and it is this genuine engagement with the audience that has gathered her such an enormous fanbase.
Here, in My Sister Jodie, we are looking at the special relationship between sisters. Pearl hero worships Jodie and yet, for all the adulation, it's probably Pearl who sees her sister most clearly. Because of course, Jodie's brashness and cheek is all a front, disguising deep insecurity and an even deeper level of sibling rivalry of which she is ashamed. We're also looking at the way in which teen-parent relationships can disintegrate to a state in which the protagonists talk at each other, never to each other. The mother in this story is doing her best for her children, but to them she seems over-protective, snobbish, and judgemental. Yet to the boarding school children, sent away from home, she seems like a treasure of a mother.
As ever, Wilson's kindly eye doesn't shy away from unhappiness. There is a great crisis in this book, and its fallout causes unimaginable pain. But pain is a part of life and you can't pretend it doesn't exist. I love Wilson for never trying to pretend. And I love her too for trying to show that there is always a path through, no matter how hard things seem.
Highly recommended for all girls aged nine or ten to early teens.
September 2, 2011
This is a wonderful book, although maybe a little boring in the beginning. But as soon as you get into the story, it's highly addictive. The love between Pearl and Jodie is amazing and it made me wish I had the same relationship with my sister and the part where Jodie fell of the tower and died made me cry my eyes out. The only thing that annoyed me is the birth of the new sister right after Jodie's death, I saw it like "it's okay, Jodie can be replaced by a new daughter.". Anyway, I have always been a huge fan of Jacqueline Wilson's books, I think she's a wonderful author and she writes beautifully.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2018
Very emotional ending, I didn't see it coming! :(
January 31, 2020
We’re never going to forget our sister Jodie.
February 23, 2025
A few weeks ago, I was at my friend’s and we were all talking about Jaqueline Wilson books - we’re British and grew up in the 2000s, of course we all read loads of her books. I couldn’t stop thinking about all these books I loved as a kid since, so I decided to go to my library and see what Wilson books were there. There weren’t many available, a few Tracy Beaker’s and then My Sister Jodie. And I remember loving this novel, it truly was unforgettable to me.
It still holds up mostly - there’s a few moments and word choices that are dated, but the story as a whole is still gripping, interesting, and really heartbreaking. I wish I could have read this for the first time again without knowing the ending - but rereading it and picking up on all the foreshadowing was great. It has a typical Wilson protagonist in the form of Pearl (quiet, shy, clever, loves reading and writing and with a huge imagination) but Pearl as protagonist really works, and through her eyes all the characters feel so lifelike. Jodie is such an interestingly flawed character, Wilson never attempts to redeem her which I like, and contrasts to the books Pearl borrows from Mrs Wilberforce. The characters are flawed and sometimes not very nice, but it feels realistic.
I do wish the book didn’t end so abruptly though, it would be nice to see more of Pearl and May after Jodie.
It still holds up mostly - there’s a few moments and word choices that are dated, but the story as a whole is still gripping, interesting, and really heartbreaking. I wish I could have read this for the first time again without knowing the ending - but rereading it and picking up on all the foreshadowing was great. It has a typical Wilson protagonist in the form of Pearl (quiet, shy, clever, loves reading and writing and with a huge imagination) but Pearl as protagonist really works, and through her eyes all the characters feel so lifelike. Jodie is such an interestingly flawed character, Wilson never attempts to redeem her which I like, and contrasts to the books Pearl borrows from Mrs Wilberforce. The characters are flawed and sometimes not very nice, but it feels realistic.
I do wish the book didn’t end so abruptly though, it would be nice to see more of Pearl and May after Jodie.
May 22, 2020
[ First read: 27th April - 13th May 2008
~ 5/5 ☆ stars ]
[ Reread: 12 years later 7th - 10th May 2020
~ 4/5 ☆ stars ]
I don't reread much, but I wanted to read this for a pop sugar challenge last year, but I didn't get to it. This weekend, I wanted to make an effort to get to it and have done a reading vlog: https://youtu.be/Kgi6rIXpQD8
Opening it, I was glad to see the dates of my original read! I remember this breaking me when I was little, so was hoping it would make me super emotional a second time round, and how it would affect me reading as an adult, this time, instead of as an 11 year old.
I really enjoyed this.
I feel like at the time Wilson used diversity without being asked. It was just natural, although I do feel like some of her books may feel dated and not very PC (for example, the plot twist in one of her books being the love interest was gay, which I loved at the time, but now realise that should not be a tool for a plot twist). Nevertheless, Wilson has always written beautiful real life feeling stories with well fleshed out characters, with families and focusing on everyday real life struggles as well as positivity. Although coming out of this left me feeling melancholy and down, there is always that hint of positivity, I find.
Talking a bit about characters now, I was annoyed at how much Pearl idolized Jodie, almost to the point of infatuation. I mean, I get it, Jodie is outgoing, witty, scandalous, gets loads of attention and quite lovely to Pearl as a big sister, but it was so much so that I couldn't see who Pearl was, and I know one of the main plots of the book is her growing into herself and finding confidence, but the build up, with the over-adoration of her sister (who I found very dislikeable anyway) was too much. I also found too much of an emphasis saying "old" in front of older songs a lot, when bringing a tune up. I know Pearl is a young girl, but I knew Grease at that time and didn't need to use "old" as a prefix. These are the times I felt pulled out of the story as an adult reading. Just a few times when the magic veil was pulled back and I remembered this wasn't real.
In saying that, I loved seeing how Pearl's individuality flourished and her personality really came out and her confidence started to flourish once she moved to the boarding school. It was almost, at times, like a complete different girl and it was so lovely to read. In contrast to that, it was sad to see how Jodie started to go downhill rapidly and in turn, their parents, as they struggled to keep the family being subject to embarrassment and tried to get Jodie to buck up her ideas and try to make the most of her education and life.
Other characters I adored included, Mrs Wilberforce, Harriet, and I wish we had more scenes with Miss Lewin, as she seemed such an encouraging teacher for Pearl.
I think I had a false memory where I thought I recalled most of the time at the new school, during term time, and was shocked when it was nearly half way before we got there and nearly finished before the big traumatic scene! Time really has you remembering things differently!
Speaking of trauma, I felt like the badger scene was almost a build up for worse things to come, but the way Wilson handled death in this book, as well as questioning what happens after, I thought was very well done, keeping that innocence of childhood's curiosity and learning.
I liked how Wilson subtly plugged in another of her books within this book. It's like a little Easter egg (the Twins book that I can't recall the name of and perhaps the beginning ideas for Hetty Feather).
A star has been docked on this reread just because it didn't hit me as it did in my original read and I remembered the big traumatic plot. Despite this, although it was slow going to build up to the more exciting scenes at the boarding school, it was still very emotional, with a beautiful, yet sometimes twisted, but true and raw inside look at sisterhood, growing up, growing a part, grief and new beginnings. A wonderful introduction and exploration of some of these themes, for younger children and a emotional, nostalgic trip for older readers, like myself.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
~ 5/5 ☆ stars ]
[ Reread: 12 years later 7th - 10th May 2020
~ 4/5 ☆ stars ]
I don't reread much, but I wanted to read this for a pop sugar challenge last year, but I didn't get to it. This weekend, I wanted to make an effort to get to it and have done a reading vlog: https://youtu.be/Kgi6rIXpQD8
Opening it, I was glad to see the dates of my original read! I remember this breaking me when I was little, so was hoping it would make me super emotional a second time round, and how it would affect me reading as an adult, this time, instead of as an 11 year old.
I really enjoyed this.
I feel like at the time Wilson used diversity without being asked. It was just natural, although I do feel like some of her books may feel dated and not very PC (for example, the plot twist in one of her books being the love interest was gay, which I loved at the time, but now realise that should not be a tool for a plot twist). Nevertheless, Wilson has always written beautiful real life feeling stories with well fleshed out characters, with families and focusing on everyday real life struggles as well as positivity. Although coming out of this left me feeling melancholy and down, there is always that hint of positivity, I find.
Talking a bit about characters now, I was annoyed at how much Pearl idolized Jodie, almost to the point of infatuation. I mean, I get it, Jodie is outgoing, witty, scandalous, gets loads of attention and quite lovely to Pearl as a big sister, but it was so much so that I couldn't see who Pearl was, and I know one of the main plots of the book is her growing into herself and finding confidence, but the build up, with the over-adoration of her sister (who I found very dislikeable anyway) was too much. I also found too much of an emphasis saying "old" in front of older songs a lot, when bringing a tune up. I know Pearl is a young girl, but I knew Grease at that time and didn't need to use "old" as a prefix. These are the times I felt pulled out of the story as an adult reading. Just a few times when the magic veil was pulled back and I remembered this wasn't real.
In saying that, I loved seeing how Pearl's individuality flourished and her personality really came out and her confidence started to flourish once she moved to the boarding school. It was almost, at times, like a complete different girl and it was so lovely to read. In contrast to that, it was sad to see how Jodie started to go downhill rapidly and in turn, their parents, as they struggled to keep the family being subject to embarrassment and tried to get Jodie to buck up her ideas and try to make the most of her education and life.
Other characters I adored included, Mrs Wilberforce, Harriet, and I wish we had more scenes with Miss Lewin, as she seemed such an encouraging teacher for Pearl.
I think I had a false memory where I thought I recalled most of the time at the new school, during term time, and was shocked when it was nearly half way before we got there and nearly finished before the big traumatic scene! Time really has you remembering things differently!
Speaking of trauma, I felt like the badger scene was almost a build up for worse things to come, but the way Wilson handled death in this book, as well as questioning what happens after, I thought was very well done, keeping that innocence of childhood's curiosity and learning.
I liked how Wilson subtly plugged in another of her books within this book. It's like a little Easter egg (the Twins book that I can't recall the name of and perhaps the beginning ideas for Hetty Feather).
A star has been docked on this reread just because it didn't hit me as it did in my original read and I remembered the big traumatic plot. Despite this, although it was slow going to build up to the more exciting scenes at the boarding school, it was still very emotional, with a beautiful, yet sometimes twisted, but true and raw inside look at sisterhood, growing up, growing a part, grief and new beginnings. A wonderful introduction and exploration of some of these themes, for younger children and a emotional, nostalgic trip for older readers, like myself.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
March 18, 2014
We had to read a book at school and finish so I chose this book.
I really enjoyed this book because, its about a relationship between sisters and I have a sister so i can actually relate to the book and understand like if the girls were real people, because I have experienced most of the things they experience.
I learnt that from this book, there were many things but one is that no matter like where you go, (example: change houses/schools) its always important to keep your best friends/loved ones close because you never know something could happen to them.
My favourite character was Jodie because she was always out going, she spoke her mind and she always expressed herself how she wanted to. she didn't follow the crowd she did what she want went she wanted too. Jodie is a bit of a rebel, and thats why i think she is pretty cool.
I really enjoyed this book because, its about a relationship between sisters and I have a sister so i can actually relate to the book and understand like if the girls were real people, because I have experienced most of the things they experience.
I learnt that from this book, there were many things but one is that no matter like where you go, (example: change houses/schools) its always important to keep your best friends/loved ones close because you never know something could happen to them.
My favourite character was Jodie because she was always out going, she spoke her mind and she always expressed herself how she wanted to. she didn't follow the crowd she did what she want went she wanted too. Jodie is a bit of a rebel, and thats why i think she is pretty cool.
December 31, 2017
I had never heard of Jacqueline Wilson before, but I was reading The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell, and a character in that book was complaining about the books she was made to read in school -- and she said they should be reading Jacqueline Wilson books because they're a true representation of kids. Anyway, that's how I discovered her. And I'm glad I did!
I really enjoyed this... until the end. I mean, it was still okay, but I guess I wanted it to end differently. But it was still good! Actually, I started reading this while I was visiting a friend -- and my friend had just found an old diary, so we were reading it and giggling about it. It was interesting to listen to a real diary at the same time I was reading this, because the character from The Girls in the Garden was right: Jacqueline Wilson knows how to write kids!
I really enjoyed this... until the end. I mean, it was still okay, but I guess I wanted it to end differently. But it was still good! Actually, I started reading this while I was visiting a friend -- and my friend had just found an old diary, so we were reading it and giggling about it. It was interesting to listen to a real diary at the same time I was reading this, because the character from The Girls in the Garden was right: Jacqueline Wilson knows how to write kids!
May 29, 2020
I don't even know why I borrowed this book from the library, but surprisingly I really liked it. I even cried at the end (okay I admit that I do cry a lot but this was a really sweet story).
I have a sister, she's a lot like Jodie and I'm very much like Pearl, and I adore her.
I felt the connection between these two sisters, so it was really sweet because it reminded me of my own relationship with my sister(though it's a lot better).
The ending was so sudden and it came out of no where and surprised me. All I wanted was to throw tantrums and scream 'NO' on the top of my lungs.
I have a sister, she's a lot like Jodie and I'm very much like Pearl, and I adore her.
I felt the connection between these two sisters, so it was really sweet because it reminded me of my own relationship with my sister(though it's a lot better).
The ending was so sudden and it came out of no where and surprised me. All I wanted was to throw tantrums and scream 'NO' on the top of my lungs.
August 31, 2018
Can someone please tell me if there is a second book???
This book is incredible, sad and full of purple hair!
If there is no second book I may cry, you've been warned!😭
This book is incredible, sad and full of purple hair!
If there is no second book I may cry, you've been warned!😭
March 27, 2021
This was AMAZING!!!!!!
September 10, 2023
Jodie. It was the first word I ever said. Most babies lisp Mumma or Dadda or Drinkie or Teddy. Maybe everyone names the thing they love best. I said Jodie, my sister.
Many factors go into making a piece of media a truly successful one — and I believe that one of them is knowing a spoiler/knowing how it's going to end and still having the rug pulled from under you when the spoiler/ending comes. And that is what this book does successfully, but let's discuss that:
I have known for the longest time that . But I really wasn't expecting the anguish I felt during the last chapter where *it* happens and even Pearl feels like a ghost to us, revealing that she's writing this massive account for . People are always saying that this book marked a turning point in Jacky Wilson's career: even if the lives of the Wells family are completely overturned because of what happened and they're working their way back, nothing changes the tragedy already set into the narrative. This is such a complex story of growing up and identity and change; all classic Jacky Wilson tropes, but this just feels far more intense. And this is all *before* the ending is what it is.
I'm gonna bring up the point of identity first. Pearl is established as your classic wet Jacky Wilson protag and barely has any personality of her own, always following Jodie. At her birthday party, which is after Pearl and Harley are firm badger-watching partners, Pearl has to make her birthday wish. Jodie claims that she already knows what Pearl's wished for (to stay best friend sisters for ever and ever) when Pearl has already used it to wish on seeing more badgers with Harley. And we get this line:
She didn't know everything about me nowadays.
LIKE. DO YOU KNOW HOW BIG THIS IS. ESPECIALLY AT THIS POINT. I mean, of course it's sad, but its gotta be done. Maybe one could say that this is a darker version of Double Act.
Pearl and Jodie go through some... 21 Jump Street style reversals in the story. As in, the bookish but awkward Pearl is embraced by her classmates and in everyone's good books, but the cool but brash Jodie is repeatedly bullied and in trouble with the adults. It's pretty much a Jodie-bashing conga line until the last chapter. Things aren't even better with their parents because at one point, Pearl and Jodie share this exchange:
'No, that's rubbish! They love us both equally. They always say so — and they do.'
'They might love me the same as you, but they don't like me. And the kids in my class positively hate me, you know they do.'
How bad's it gotta be for a child to recognise that their own parents clearly favour their sibling over them?? I know this is more intense in more ways than one, but that hit HARD.
And finally. The thing that hit the hardest. How do you manage to write something where and go on with your life. How. HOW? I will tell you how. It's if you're Jacky Wilson.
TL;DR, I enjoyed this story. But I never want to read it ever again. Fucking hell.
Many factors go into making a piece of media a truly successful one — and I believe that one of them is knowing a spoiler/knowing how it's going to end and still having the rug pulled from under you when the spoiler/ending comes. And that is what this book does successfully, but let's discuss that:
I have known for the longest time that . But I really wasn't expecting the anguish I felt during the last chapter where *it* happens and even Pearl feels like a ghost to us, revealing that she's writing this massive account for . People are always saying that this book marked a turning point in Jacky Wilson's career: even if the lives of the Wells family are completely overturned because of what happened and they're working their way back, nothing changes the tragedy already set into the narrative. This is such a complex story of growing up and identity and change; all classic Jacky Wilson tropes, but this just feels far more intense. And this is all *before* the ending is what it is.
I'm gonna bring up the point of identity first. Pearl is established as your classic wet Jacky Wilson protag and barely has any personality of her own, always following Jodie. At her birthday party, which is after Pearl and Harley are firm badger-watching partners, Pearl has to make her birthday wish. Jodie claims that she already knows what Pearl's wished for (to stay best friend sisters for ever and ever) when Pearl has already used it to wish on seeing more badgers with Harley. And we get this line:
She didn't know everything about me nowadays.
LIKE. DO YOU KNOW HOW BIG THIS IS. ESPECIALLY AT THIS POINT. I mean, of course it's sad, but its gotta be done. Maybe one could say that this is a darker version of Double Act.
Pearl and Jodie go through some... 21 Jump Street style reversals in the story. As in, the bookish but awkward Pearl is embraced by her classmates and in everyone's good books, but the cool but brash Jodie is repeatedly bullied and in trouble with the adults. It's pretty much a Jodie-bashing conga line until the last chapter. Things aren't even better with their parents because at one point, Pearl and Jodie share this exchange:
'No, that's rubbish! They love us both equally. They always say so — and they do.'
'They might love me the same as you, but they don't like me. And the kids in my class positively hate me, you know they do.'
How bad's it gotta be for a child to recognise that their own parents clearly favour their sibling over them?? I know this is more intense in more ways than one, but that hit HARD.
And finally. The thing that hit the hardest. How do you manage to write something where and go on with your life. How. HOW? I will tell you how. It's if you're Jacky Wilson.
TL;DR, I enjoyed this story. But I never want to read it ever again. Fucking hell.
July 5, 2023
This is just a masterpiece. The way they described each main character personality.... absolutely beautiful.
I truly loved Jodie, she was a complex character and the author described her wonderfully; she was a wonderful big sister.
A lot of people associated this with beings a children book but it really doesn't seem this way. It was written just beautifully, having atleast some complex vocabulary. Probably a book for preteens and up.
I honestly wished I could've read what Jodie was thinking, or even feeling. Her situation was heartbreaking and much to common for many teenagers nowadays.
This was the first book I've ever read that managed to make me tear up.
My favorite book.
I truly loved Jodie, she was a complex character and the author described her wonderfully; she was a wonderful big sister.
A lot of people associated this with beings a children book but it really doesn't seem this way. It was written just beautifully, having atleast some complex vocabulary. Probably a book for preteens and up.
I honestly wished I could've read what Jodie was thinking, or even feeling. Her situation was heartbreaking and much to common for many teenagers nowadays.
This was the first book I've ever read that managed to make me tear up.
My favorite book.
November 17, 2025
this one was always one of my favs (yes mainly because of the ending but don't judge)
felt a pang of nostalgia, cried, and enjoyed this just as much while being Jodie's age as when I was Pearl's. 10/10
felt a pang of nostalgia, cried, and enjoyed this just as much while being Jodie's age as when I was Pearl's. 10/10
January 4, 2022
Read for nostalgia sake because it was my all time favorite when I was maybe 10, but it still stood up to the hype 12 years later
June 2, 2025
Traumatised
January 3, 2025
(ಥ﹏ಥ)
April 11, 2025
Still as traumatising as it was when I was 12
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