Standard Jacqueline Wilson misery-lit for children. Lily lives with her three younger siblings and her feckless mum. Her mum decides her main priority is to go off to Spain on holiday with a cute younger guy she has only just met, and leaves the children alone (well, she makes a very minimal effort to get their father to come and look after them by leaving an answerphone message). Lily does her best, but it is heartbreaking to watch her try to keep things together as the kids live on crisps and icecream and become grubbier and grubbier. Eventually they go feral and live in the park, stealing left over cafe meals.

Jacqueline Wilson does a good job of drawing her characters sympathetically, even when they are behaving appallingly (Lily's younger brother is particularly obnoxious, violent and bad mouthed, but you still end up feeling fond of him and sorry for him.) It does still feel a little bit laid on with a trowel though.

There are some lovely bits when they're wild camping in the park, with deer and sunrises.

It lost half a star from me for the ending. In the earlier Jacqueline Wison books, there is usually some sort of optimistic 'things are going to get better now'. And with an adult perspective I can see that at the end of this book, social services are involved and Lily is not left to struggle on, but from Lily's point of view the ending is in a heartbreaking place. Her mum has been arrested and it's not clear if she'll be sent to prison or not, she's been separated from her younger siblings despite her being the main force for good in their lives (they've gone to a foster carer who doesn't take older children), and she has been left alone in a children's home. And the only kind responsible adult in her life who she likes (her teacher) she now hates because he has 'betrayed' them by reporting them to social services. It was a miserable end to the book! ( )

i love this book go jacky !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( )

GREAT BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( )

fantastic book heart warming story ( )