Idella Bodie retired as a high school English
and Creative Writing teacher from South Aiken High School in 1985 after teaching
for 31 years. Mrs. Bodie has been writing for young readers for more than thirty
years. Her first book, The Secret of Telfair Inn, published in 1971 by
Sandlapper Publishing is still in print. She is the author of 26 books for
older elementary and middle school students that involve South Carolina history
and geography. Some of Mrs. Bodie’s books are used in schools across South
Carolina having been incorporated into school curriculums. Most recently, she
has completed a series about heroes and heroines of the Revolutionary War. Mrs. Bodie says she writes about more than historical places in South Carolina. “I
always try to focus on the people when I write about history,” she said.
“Character is the most important thing."
Idella Bodie was born in Ridge Spring, South
Carolina. She holds a degree in English from Columbia College who honored her
with the Wil Lou Gray Educator Award in 1988. Three of her books have been South
Carolina Book Award nominees.
