leslie_ann_thornton's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
shahrun's review against another edition
5.0
Love how Jacqueline Wilson takes ordinary every day people in terrible situations and sprinkles them with her unique magic. What we have here is an amazing 10 year old girl who wants to brighten up every bodies lives with her random humour. Sadly her timing is usually slightly off and the jokers are often terrible. Or is just the situations? Still, they manage to come out the other side ok and the jokes become amazing. Love the zany illustrations! Why cant all books have them?!
shouldireadthis's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Tara picked this up for me in a charity shop as Jacqueline Wilson was my JAM when I was younger so it has some nostalgic value, and I had read this before (along with many of her other books) but had not really ‘taken it in’ - I just enjoyed her books and kept reading them.
The bed and breakfast star is more of a snapshot look at the life of a girl who comes from a difficult family who are on hard times, who is forced into a somewhat run down bed and breakfast because the council cannot provide any alternative housing for them. There is no real end to the story and there aren’t a lot of beats hit throughout, but the illustrations are enjoyable and the main character is likeable.
Overall the story is readable and is a good commentary on social care and poverty for the most part however the ending seems a bit reductionist as the problems are fixed once they move into an even fancier hotel (as their precious accommodation is damaged in a fire, which is bad enough) and there is no further exposition or narrative about this at all??
The bed and breakfast star is more of a snapshot look at the life of a girl who comes from a difficult family who are on hard times, who is forced into a somewhat run down bed and breakfast because the council cannot provide any alternative housing for them. There is no real end to the story and there aren’t a lot of beats hit throughout, but the illustrations are enjoyable and the main character is likeable.
Overall the story is readable and is a good commentary on social care and poverty for the most part however the ending seems a bit reductionist as the problems are fixed once they move into an even fancier hotel (as their precious accommodation is damaged in a fire, which is bad enough) and there is no further exposition or narrative about this at all??
fandomjaxxox's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
lucylexislawton's review against another edition
4.0
i loved this book when i was 9 and i still love it at 19. as a child you read what’s on the surface - the story, which is beautiful and funny and sad, and the writing, which is immaculately clever. but, as an adult, you see all the longing and emotion beneath elsa’s constant kept-up charade of humour, which persists no matter what is happening to her and her family, and all the ways the author snuck in little signs that elsa was lonely, and needed a real parent’s care and affection. this is how jacqueline wilson is a genius. her books and their charming illustrations and jokes appeal to children, feeling like not only a book but a friend, and when you revisit them as you grow up, you see and feel everything else behind the words.
aliceeeebeth's review against another edition
3.5
A palette cleanser, also a desperate ploy to bump my numbers up because I am BEHIND. loved this book as a kid, love it now.
hopelynn's review against another edition
2.0
I genuinely wish I never had learned how to read just so I could erase all memory of this book from my mind. Not the book I wanted, and now I wish I never had that memory so I didn't have to go on this wild goose chase for a book that might not even exist and have to read absolute horrible books like this.
I can read anything -- and I think that's my special talent. So the reason for me disliking this book is not because it's aimed for people WAY younger than me but because of the utterly distasteful story!
The characters were dull, and like every Jacqueline Wilson book, didn't know when to shut their mouth for one God-sent minute of silence. Why can't I like any of her characters? BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL THE SAME IN EVERY SINGLE BOOK, AND I NEVER LIKE ANY OF THEM!!!! They're all brats, and end up saying horrible things to their parents in one way or another. So predictable.
The plot was also dull. Boring. Drawn out. Made my eyes shut. There's so much someone could do with the idea of a family having to live in a bread and breakfast, but all Jacqueline Wilson could do was make a girl that couldn't say anything other than a joke that never even made my lips twitch the tiniest bit.
The only redeemable quality about this book was that there was pictures, so I could have a break from reading pages of pages of non existent plot and character development.
Once again, I would not recommend a book like this to anyone. No one should ever read any of Jacqueline Wilson's books (especially if they don't want their kid to end up hating what they look like, or thinking it's smart to vandal stuff when they're older).
I'm torturing myself, and you're going to torture your kids if you read them this.
I can read anything -- and I think that's my special talent. So the reason for me disliking this book is not because it's aimed for people WAY younger than me but because of the utterly distasteful story!
The characters were dull, and like every Jacqueline Wilson book, didn't know when to shut their mouth for one God-sent minute of silence. Why can't I like any of her characters? BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL THE SAME IN EVERY SINGLE BOOK, AND I NEVER LIKE ANY OF THEM!!!! They're all brats, and end up saying horrible things to their parents in one way or another. So predictable.
The plot was also dull. Boring. Drawn out. Made my eyes shut. There's so much someone could do with the idea of a family having to live in a bread and breakfast, but all Jacqueline Wilson could do was make a girl that couldn't say anything other than a joke that never even made my lips twitch the tiniest bit.
The only redeemable quality about this book was that there was pictures, so I could have a break from reading pages of pages of non existent plot and character development.
Once again, I would not recommend a book like this to anyone. No one should ever read any of Jacqueline Wilson's books (especially if they don't want their kid to end up hating what they look like, or thinking it's smart to vandal stuff when they're older).
I'm torturing myself, and you're going to torture your kids if you read them this.
sofiachmadila's review against another edition
4.0
If it's just for a moment or for ever, who cares? Happy ending is happy ending!
juno_dreams's review against another edition
5.0
"you don't hardly ever cry"
"she's tough"
"yeah that's me. tough as old boots"
children books forever have my heart <3
very funny that they just call mrs macpherson as mrs hoover because they couldn't bother to learn her real name and once they knew her actual name, they still went on calling her mrs hoover.
the letters she wrote at the end were very very heartwarming i would defend elsa with my whole life. her optimism and how she finds little joy in the smallest things are so admirable.
"she's tough"
"yeah that's me. tough as old boots"
children books forever have my heart <3
very funny that they just call mrs macpherson as mrs hoover because they couldn't bother to learn her real name and once they knew her actual name, they still went on calling her mrs hoover.
the letters she wrote at the end were very very heartwarming i would defend elsa with my whole life. her optimism and how she finds little joy in the smallest things are so admirable.
mercury_p's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75