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Home > Categories > Books > Kids - General > Opal Plumstead review
Opal Plumstead might be plain, but she has always been fiercely intelligent. Yet her scholarship and dreams of university are snatched away when her father is sent to prison, and fourteen-year-old Opal must start work at the Fairy Glen sweet factory to support her family.
Opal struggles to get along with the other workers, who think her snobby and stuck-up. But Opal idolises Mrs Roberts, the factory's beautiful, dignified owner, who introduces Opal to the legendary Mrs Pankhurst and her fellow Suffragettes. And when Opal meets Morgan - Mrs Roberts' handsome son, and the heir to Fairy Glen - she believes she has found her soulmate. But the First World War is about to begin, and will change Opal's life for ever.
The brilliantly gripping new story from the bestselling, award-winning Jacqueline Wilson.
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Review by: sweetpea (Sarah)
Dated: 2nd of November, 2014
This is Jacqueline Wilsons 100th book I think and Miss Eight would declare it to be her best!
Having read many of her other books Miss Eight has asked if she could have more Opal Plumstead books please as this is the best book ever and she would love to read more. Opal is awesome apparently!
This book is aimed at about the age 9-12 year old age group and is a chapter book with 30 chapters and an illustration at the beginning of each chapter. My Miss Eight is reading at about a ten year old level so I hoped that this book due to its length of 520 pages would take her awhile to read. She read this most nights and it took her two and a half weeks so I was pleased with that and that made it definitely good value for the price in terms of words per dollar spent!
Told in the first person this is the story of Opal who is very bright and has grand plans for her future but when the going gets tough for her family is forced to abandon her dreams of further schooling and work in a sweet factory. Without spelling it out this book is set in England during the eve of world war one . Opal learns the ways of the working girl and experiences her first love. I like that this book is written so appropriately for the younger reader but is still true to the way things would have been during the time period. This book reminded me a little of Anne of Green Gables in that Opal is so identifiable that you finish the last page and just want to get to the next book. I hope another is coming as I and my Miss Eight would love to find out what else happens in Opals life.
A fantastic book that I can definitely recommend to keep a young reader engrossed for several weeks. My Miss Eight is so proud that she has read a book with so many chapters and pages. It has really boosted her confidence and it is nice to see her becoming more aware of the types of books that she likes to read now.
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