The Lottie Project
Jacqueline Wilson
 Charlotte Enright (who prefers to be called Charlie) is an eleven year old girl who lives with her mother, Jo, in a council flat. She is the 'most popular' girl in her school and as a result has a lot of friends. When her classes' form teacher goes on maternity leave she is replaced by a strict woman called Miss Beckworth, whom Charlie immedietly dislikes. She forces Charlie to sit next to an intelligent boy, Jamie Edwards, who Charlie hates. Miss Beckworth sets the class a history project on the Victorians, and Charlie assumes that the topic will be boring and decides not to listen - until she finds a picture of a Victorian servant girl who looks just like her. Charlie decides to write a diary, told from the point of view of her character Lottie who is eleven years old, like Charlie; however she has left school to become a servant. Jo loses her job as a shop manageress and has to take up cleaning in a supermarket, cleaning houses, and looking after a young boy called Robin in order to earn money. Jo takes a shine to Robin's single father, Mark, much to Charlie's despair. Following a trip to a theme park, Charlie and Robin witness Mark and Jo kissing on a ride. Charlie, upset by this, tells Robin that neither of his parents (his mother's new partner does not get on with Robin,) want him anymore. Distressed, Robin runs away, leaving Mark and Jo distraught for the boy's safety, and Charlie guilt-ridden. In a subplot, Lottie, the servant girl Charlie had created, gets a job as a nursery maid, looking after three young and very irritating children - Victor, Louisa and baby Freddie. Whilst at the park, Freddie is snatched from his pram after Lottie angrily storms off. Lottie is upset and distressed at the loss of the little boy, mirroring Charlie's own feelings towards the disappearance of Robin. Robin is found in a train station behind packages wating to be delivered. He is freezing and is rushed to hospital. Mark is very upset with Charlie (after she admits to him, Jo and the police what she had said to Robin) and even though Charlie is relived that Robin is no longer missing she is still distraught as he catches pneumonia]. Freddie (from Charlie's project) is also returned. The Master of the house decides to take the whole family away, servants and all, to a trip to the seaside for a week. Lottie's last diary entry ends with the words, 'I still cannot say I enjoy being a servant - but it has its compensations!' Robin's pneumonia clears up and, just like in Lottie's diary, Mark, Jo, Charlie and Robin go to the seaside for a day. Charlie buys some Victorian postcards to use for her project, but since she guesses that hers is not done correctly and is sure that it will not win, she decides to give them to Jamie, whom she is now good friends with. Jamie's project wins on account of information, but Miss Beckworth also gives Charlie a prize for demonstrating 'what it feels like to be a Victorian.' The novel ends with Jamie kissing Charlie and Jo and Charlie agreeing on Mark and Robin coming for Christmas.