Sue Lloyd-Davies
Author
Pinkie's Turnabout
An Award-Winning Middle Grade Novel
Available in bookstores February 2026
". . . a compelling narrative of family, friendship, and a hint of magic that young readers will adore."
Emma Pass - Award-Winning Author of Acid
Pinkie's World
Here's a glimpse into
Pinkie's Turnabout.
Eleven-year-old Pinkie fights to adopt a snarky stray cat hoping he can save her beloved great gran from losing her memory. But Pinkie's GG and the cat share a painful family secret, and she must face her own failings with the boy who torments her.
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 "Pelicans perch on wood pilings in the marina. They keep an eye on me and waggle their bills over their bellies." |  "GG says cats are really man’s best friend, but they would never stoop to admit it." |  "Summer without Bella is bleak as sand without the bay." |
|---|---|---|
 "If you're going to stay, the squirrels are off-limits." |  "Crabs, no bigger than a dime, hide under the wooden walkways. They click their claws, and it sounds like a bowl of Rice Krispies." |  "Quick as a wink, Jack's paw flashes out and snags the anole by its tail." |
 "What if they’re forcing Bella to swim in an alligator-infested lake?" |  "My books are overdue at the library because I keep reading the best parts over and over again." |  "Dark clouds boil overhead and lightning flashes in the distance. Two miles to home is a long way with a thunderstorm on your heels." |
Reviews of Pinkie
"A perfect read-aloud for 3rd-6th graders, Pinkie’s Turnabout will spark discussions, while being fun to read, just the right length, and filled with feisty and endearing characters."
"Pinkie Starlight, one of the most responsible, funny, and interesting kids you’ll meet in middle-grade fiction, is having a not-great summer. Her best friend is off to camp to make pine-cone necklaces or maybe new friends. The bully they managed to avoid at school shows up where least expected. And although Pinkie helps her Great-grandmother, GG, put together puzzles to help with her memory, the pieces are becoming bigger and bigger.
Enter, Jack the cat. Jack’s not an ordinary cat. He seems to have more than nine lives, memories that connect with GG’s and magical skills to amaze readers and Pinkie alike.
In moments of clarity, her great-grandmother offers Pinkie sage advice: “An apology is the duct tape of life: it fixes just about everything.”
Augusta Scattergood
Librarian (retired) and Award-Winning Author of Glory Be
"Pinkie's Turnabout is a heartfelt story and a great pick for classroom reading and discussion."
"This layered story has so much to recommend it for readers of all ages in its themes of love and forgiveness, becoming self-aware, not judging by appearance, and in the unmasking of subtle prejudices that often go unrecognized.
Conflicts and troubles abound for Pinkie at every turn, but love and forgiveness win out in the end in a way that will make your heart grow three sizes. Never preachy, never didactic, the story shows through action and event how to be a better person."
Clara Gillow Clark, Writing Coach
Award-Winning Author of Hill Hawk Hattie & Hattie on Her Way
"This is a story that readers young and old alike will be able to relate to and enjoy. I absolutely loved it!"
Pinkie's Turnabout is a warm and sensitively written coming-of-age story that explores what it's like to grow up in a family affected by loss and secrets and the importance of looking deep within yourself and facing up to your own flaws instead of taking things (and people) at face value. The writing is spare and poetic and doesn't waste a single word. Jack's anthropomorphism is clever and believable, never once tipping over into sentimentality, and the rest of the characterization is brilliantly done too."
Emma Pass
Award-winning author of Acid
"Pinkie’s Turnabout is one of the best middle grade novels I’ve read in a long while."
"Pinkie learns a lot about growing up, supported by an interesting cast of supporting characters. I was especially drawn to Leo, a bully with a secret, and Pinkie’s grandmother, GG will melt your heart. Though this book deals with the serious topics of bullying and Alzheimer’s, the touch of magic provided by Jack, a snarky, talking cat, will make you laugh out loud. I highly recommend Pinkie’s Turnabout!’’
Shannon Hitchcock
Award-Winning Author of Ruby Lee & Me and Dancing In the Storm
"I think kids will love it!!"
"Sue Lloyd-Davies has written a novel filled with equal parts humor, heart, and suspense—not an easy feat. Readers will be rooting for Pinkie as she discovers a long-held family secret and learns that things aren’t always how they seem on the surface. Two paws up for Pinkie and her sidekick, a quirky cat named Jack that you’ll fall in love with."
Dorian Cirrone
Award-Winning Author of The First Last Day
"Author Sue Lloyd-Davies creates a lyrical account of Pinkie’s emotional journey and growth.
Pinkie draws on GG’s 'library of epigrams,' such as 'blowing out someone else’s candle doesn’t make yours shine any brighter.' These wise sayings and Lloyd-Davies’s striking metaphors—'my heart thumps like boots in a dryer'— will stick with readers long after they finish Pinkie’s Turnabout."
Sylvia Whitman
Award-Winning Author of The Milk of Birds
and If You Meet the Devil, Don’t Shake Hands
"Charming and engaging...a relatable story about finding the good in others and helping it to shine."
"Charming and engaging, with whimsical flourishes reminiscent of Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle, Pinkie's Turnabout is a story about growing up and respecting the past. Lessons of compassion - sometimes learned the hard way - twine seamlessly with Pinkie's pluck and spirit and Jack's snark and wisdom to make Pinkie's Turnabout not just a delightfully fun a tale of a girl and a talking cat, but a relatable story about finding the good in others and helping it to shine."
Steph Post
Award-Winning Author of Miraculum
"Sue Lloyd Davies has written a fun and warm-hearted tale of empathy, forgiveness, and secrets revealed. Pinkie Starlight’s hard-won friendships cross divides of age, misunderstandings, even species! Not since Garfield have we seen a cat-with-attitude like Jack, the wise, sarcastic, talking tomcat at the heart of this generous novel. Who says black cats are unlucky?"
JJ Fleming
Author of Wonders of Shadow Key
Awards for Pinkie
Gold Royal Palm Literary Award
Finalist:
Mslexia Children’s Novel Competition
Long-listed:
Yeovil Literary Prize
Kraken Book Prize
