The Lottie Project by Jacqueline Wilson
Age : 7-11
Hi! I'm Charlie (DON'T call me Charlotte - ever!). History is boring, right? Wrong! The Victorians weren't all deadly dull and drippy. Lottie certainly isn't. She's eleven - like me - but she's left school and has a job as a nursery maid. Her life is really hard, just work work work, but I bet she'd know what to do about my mum's awful boyfriend and his wimpy little son. Hi! I'm Charlie (DON'T call me Charlotte - ever!). History is boring, right? Wrong! The Victorians weren't all deadly dull and drippy. Lottie certainly isn't. She's eleven - like me - but she's left school and has a job as a nursery maid. Her life is really hard, just work work work, but I bet she'd know what to do about my mum's awful boyfriend and his wimpy little son. I bet she wouldn't mess it all up like I do . . .This is the story of Charlie, a bright and happy young girl on the brink of change, told with a brilliant combination of comedy, poignancy and a touch of history.For her Victorian history project, Charlie hits upon the idea of writing the diary of Lottie, a young Victorian serving girl. When her mother, Jo, loses her job as a shop manageress and starts work as a cleaner, Charlie's previously happy and comfortable lifestyle is threatened and she finds that her own hardships and struggles are not so different from Lottie's.The Lottie Project is at once entertaining and intelligent. By eloquently capturing Charlie's anxiety as she faces up to her new and uncertain future, Wilson's talent for taking an important topic and treating it with respect and humour as she pushes her characters forward is again harnessed in this touching, human story.
