The cards are stacked against ten-year-old Elsa; she contends with a family breakup, frequent moves and intermittent poverty. But her feisty, joyful resilience turns every misfortune into an adventure. This juvenile novel has unusual depth and appeal. Josie Lawrence brings Elsa's first-person narration vividly to life. By the end of the lengthy exposition, during which Elsa alone speaks, she has become so real that the equally well-done voices of other characters are quite a surprise. They jar one into the realization that one has not been listening to the reader's own voice, but to a superb performance. Don't miss this one. J.N. An AUDIOFILE Earphones Award winner (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Where do baby apes sleep? In apricots! I'm Elsa, and that's one of my jokes (I tell lots of jokes and I'm going to be a big star one day). I do my best to cheer my family up - but no one seems to laugh much any more. Not since we lost our lovely house and had to move into a bed and breakfast hotel. When Elsa's stepfather loses his job, the family become homeless and are forced to move into the seedy Royal Hotel, where Elsa, her mum, stepdad Mack, little sister Pippa and baby Hank the Hunk are all crammed together in one room. Everyone gets on each other's nerves, and to try and make her family laugh, Elsa cracks endless jokes. She dreams of being a famous comedian when she is older, and appearing on TV. But when disaster strikes at the hotel, Elsa gets her chance to be a real star...This is a lively story about a young girl with a hard life but high hopes, read by popular actress and comedian Josie Lawrence. Jacqueline Wilson has been awarded an OBE for services to literacy in schools. Among her many awards are the Smarties Prize, the Guardian Children's Fiction Award and Blue Peter's People's Choice Award.
