Angelica Waters is eleven: bubbly and confident and popular. She has good friends, likes to laugh at herself, and is particularly good at imitating her teachers. She’s got it all…

…hasn’t she?

Angelica is the main character in the book Jelly. Her nickname is Jelly, which she’s so used to, it’s become part of her. Just like her size. Jelly is bigger than the other girls in the class. Fatter. Overweight. We don’t know how much, and it doesn’t matter, because ‘being fat’ isn’t what this book is about.

Jelly has lots of talents. She’s a good supportive friend, she’s confident in speaking up, she’s a clever mimic, and she cares very much about her mum, who keeps picking unsuitable boyfriends. But Jelly also has another talent she doesn’t share with anyone. Under her pillow is a notebook, and in this notebook Jelly writes down her thoughts and feelings – not in diary form but in poetry.

In this section of the site, you’ll find out more about Jelly’s poetry, and about her song, Happy Face, which was written by another character in the book especially for her. Of course, all the poetry and music was actually written by me, Jo Cotterill! Have a nosy around this section to find out more about Jelly, her family and her home.