Cordelia Codd: Not Just the Blues
Publisher: Orchard Books
Cordelia Codd dreams of being a glamorous costume designer, creating fabulous outfits for Hollywood movies. Unfortunately, for now at least she's stuck with a far less sophisticated life of school buses, mean ex-best friends, emptying the cat litter tray and looking after Mum, who hasn't been herself since Dad left for a new life in London. With trouble breaking out at school and home, Cordelia is struggling to hold things together, and decides there's only one thing left to do. With a little help from new friend Dru, she makes up her mind to go to London and bring Dad back home.
Told in Cordelia's own lively and distinctive voice, this is an entertaining, well-written and warm-hearted story about dealing positively with life's unexpected problems. Cordelia is a brave, irrepressible and pleasingly imperfect heroine, who young readers will relate to, battling her own anger and frustration as she negotiates difficulties in both school and family life.