The Icarus Girl

Jessamy Harrison is an eight-year-old girl living in a small town in England. Her father is English, and her mother is Nigerian. Jess is a smart, introverted child who likes to spend her time reading books and playing inside. Jess’s parents take her on a trip to Nigeria to visit her extended family. While staying at her grandfather’s compound, Jess sees strange shadows in the windows of the Boys’ Quarters, a building that was once the servant’s quarters, but now stands abandoned. Soon, Jess is visited by a girl her age named Titiola, whom Jess nicknames TillyTilly. At TillyTilly’s encouragement, Jess and TillyTilly sneak into Jess’s grandfather’s study at night and to a nearby amusement park, where TillyTilly magically unlocks the gates and make the rides work on their own.

Once she returns to England, Jess starts school. Jess is very smart and is placed a grade ahead, but she has trouble fitting in with her classmates, often throwing tantrums in class. Eventually, TillyTilly appears, saying her family recently moved to Jess’s town. TillyTilly helps Jess sneak into the home of Jess’s classmate, Colleen, who is especially mean to Jess. Jess and TillyTilly are invisible and able to move around Colleen’s house without anyone seeing them.