Winner of the 2006 Bedfordshire Libraries Book of The year award, Wild About Harry was first published in paperback by Bantam, under my pseudonym, Daisy Jordan (long story.) You’ll find the ebook version here, but if you’d prefer to read the paperback, you’ll find plenty of pre-loved versions on Amazon.
A boy with a tragic past. A woman with a bright future. A relationship that’s about to change everything.
Headteacher Holly Connors is pinching herself. Dream job, dream life and the dreamiest fiance (her wedding to whom is mere months away). But dreamers often find themselves rudely awakened, and Holly is – by one tousle-haired pupil, Harry Meadows, who’s been going off the rails since his mum died. holly knows he’s hurting and she knows about loss, so before she can say the words ‘professional detachment’, she’s made a ten year old’s happiness her number one priority, despite knowing it will disturb a few ghosts of her own.
It’s easier to understand the child if you look at the parent, and Harry’s dad, Will, seems more feckless than most. He’s grieving too, if he’d only admit it, but seems determined to deal with his loss by himself. Mostly, it seems, by disappearing off to work, leaving Harry with a string of au pairs.
Despite Will’s insistence that it’s none of her business, Holly’s sense of responsibility towards Harry means that she can’t just walk away. But when professional detachment turns into emotional investment, Holly begins to worry; is this just about Harry? Or should be taking a closer look at herself?