Jo Cotterill
Jo Cotterill has had several careers - actor, musician, teacher, fireworks technician - but is now a full-time writer in Oxfordshire. She has published over thirty books for children and young people, including the award-winning Looking at the Stars, A Library of Lemons, and the superhero comic/novel Electrigirl.
Jo loves going into schools and talking about books and reading, and can be found making cards and writing music when she's not spending time with her two young daughters.
Books
A Library of Lemons
Author: Jo Cotterill
Publisher: Piccadilly
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 8+
Believable, memorable, charming and moving, fans of Jacqueline Wilson's domestic dramas will enjoy this bittersweet story of a family finding their feet in the next chapter of their lives.
A Storm of Strawberries
Author: Jo Cotterill
Publisher: Piccadilly Press
Interest age: 10-13
Reading age: 10+
Twelve-year-old Darby is excited – it is the weekend of the family's chocolate hunt. However, beloved sister Kaydee has suddenly brought home a friend for the weekend. Plus her parents (who run the family's strawberry farm) seem distracted, increasingly preoccupied with news that a major storm is brewing. Does no one realise how important the event is to Dar…
Electrigirl
Author: Jo Cotterill Illustrator: Cathy Brett
Publisher: Oxford
Interest age: 8+
Reading age: 8+
An exciting graphic fantasy novel about a girl who develops amazing superpowers - but who values her family and friends even more.
Hopewell High: All Too Much
Author: Jo Cotterill Illustrator: Maria Garcia Borrego
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+
An absorbing school story that looks at the pressures and mental health challenges for young people when trying to live up to expectations. Part of a series that provides age-appropriate stories for struggling and reluctant readers.
Jelly
Author: Jo Cotterill
Publisher: Piccadilly Press
Interest age: 10-14
Reading age: 10+
Angelica – Jelly for short – is the ‘Funny One’ at school, known for her clever impressions and comedy sketches. But being funny is a fine line and behind all the humour, Jelly’s hiding anxieties about her weight. If they’re laughing with her, they’re not laughing at her, right? And she has another secret too, a secret hobby: writing poetry.
Looking at the Stars
Author: Jo Cotterill
Publisher: Bodley Head
Interest age: 12+
Reading age: 12+
Amina is headstrong and outspoken - traits seen as rebellion in the dictatorship she lives in. Ending up in an aid camp, her storytelling talent helps her, and those around her, keep hope.