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Ghost writer ISBN: 9781842701096
Jarman, Julia
Published by Andersen Press, 2002
Dyslexic Frankie Ruggles has two problems, one that he is severely dyslexic in both reading and writing, and the other that he has a too-supportive mum, who is so determined to help him that she verbally assaults teachers, thereby getting him excluded from school. In his latest one, St. Olaf's, he is totally accepted by the other pupils in year 6, but one teacher, a Miss Bulpit (Pit Bull to the children), is a real horror. Old fashioned and hard, she simply believes Frankie doesn't try. Through a series of mysterious happenings, meetings with a dyslexic ghost boy who attended the school 100 years ago, and some historical research, Frankie and his friends solve a mystery that has puzzled the village for decades. Super detail about what it is like to have severe dyslexia. Frankie sees 'pictures' in his head instead of words. Phrases such as 'a skeleton in the closet' and 'coming up against a brick wall' are taken literally. Numbers and letters twist and jump and turn. He has developed techniques to get round these problems, but can't ultimately hide the fact that he can neither read nor write. By the end of the story we see him getting specific help. An exciting, action-packed plot.
Age: 10+