The Lottie Project Jacqueline Wilson Vicky Ireland by Jacqueline Wilson & Vicky Ireland 9781854599117, 1854599119 instant download after payment.

An adaptation for the stage of this modern children's classic by the best-selling author and 2005 Children's Laureate.

For her history project, Charlie hits on the idea of writing the diary of Lottie, a young Victorian serving girl. When Charlie's mother 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 her own hardships and struggles are not so different from Lottie's.

First staged at the Polka Children's Theatre in 1999, this adaptation is suitable for young actors as well as young audiences. The adapter, Vicky Ireland, has provided production notes to indicate how the play can be staged even with minimal resources - plus a lot of ingenuity!

Wilson (Double Act) here introduces an animated heroine who delivers droll observations in a self-assured voice with a decidedly British accent. "I love fooling around, doing crazy things and being a bit sassy and making everyone laugh," announces Charlie (short for Charlotte). Her engaging prattle chronicles events at school--where she tangles with her teacher, bickers with her best friends and works on a project about Victorian life--as well as happenings at home. Charlie's newly unemployed single mother takes on three part-time positions, the most notable being a job as caregiver for a youngster who lives with his father. Much to the girl's chagrin, her mother takes a fancy to her employer. Their evolving relationship provides the backdrop for the novel's most dramatic and poignant scenes, in which Wilson reveals her ability to elicit tears as well as laughter. Between chapters, readers find reproduced "pages" from Charlie's school report--journal-like entries written by a poor Victorian girl who leaves home to help support her family. Wilson creatively reshapes Charlie's own experiences to depict the plight of a girl living 100 years earlier, thus adding new dimension to Charlie's perceptions while offering intriguing period particulars. Sharratt's lively, doodled spot drawings further reinforce the protagonist's view of life, both present and past. To borrow a phrase from Charlie, it would be "easy peasy, simple pimple" to welcome her back. Ages 8-12. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Grade 4-6-Charlotte (Charlie) Enright thinks her first day of school will be "Easy-peasy, simple-pimple"-until she meets her new teacher. Miss Beckworth is a no-nonsense type, whereas outspoken Charlie likes to play the class clown. To make matters worse, Miss Beckworth assigns seats alphabetically and Charlie ends up sitting next to Jamie Edwards, the perennial teachers' pet. This year, the class is focusing on the Victorian period; each student is required to do a special project on the era. When Charlie spots a photograph of a nurserymaid about her age, she names her Lottie and writes a diary from the servant's point of view. Lottie's fictional diary entries alternate with Charlie's own story, with the former adding historical detail, and both narratives reflecting the changes in the girl's life. And things are changing for Charlie: her single mother loses her job and becomes romantically involved with the father of the child she now baby-sits, her best friends are suddenly boy crazy, and she finds out that Jamie isn't all that bad after all. Wilson has written a funny, thoughtful novel with a well-developed main character. Charlie's emotions and reactions are true to life-frustration, jealousy, and uncertainty about the future. By turns poignant and humorous, this book is a winner. Sharratt's entertaining pen-and-ink illustrations are scattered throughout, highlighting details from the text.
Terrie Dorio, Santa Monica Public Library, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.