Fabulous Tale

The Other Edie Trimmer by Jacqueline Wilson is a fantastic dual timeline and just perfect for ages ten years and over.

The novel is set in present day and Victorian England. It will educate you as you read about the awful conditions facing children and the poor in Victorian England. The landscape comes alive under the author’s descriptive pen.

We hear about the mudlarks, young flower girls and the appalling treatment within the workhouse. Families were split up as males and females were segregated. People were cruelly treated and food was scarce.

We witness children as young as five years old, scrambling through the mud. Children were not treasured as they should be.

Disease was rife as sanitation was lacking.

Edie Trimmer finds herself leading two lives in two time periods. Is her Victorian self a figment of her imagination? Or is there something else at work?

All the characters were well drawn, and most were likable. Our emotional responses were guided by the author’s pen. I loved the interweaving of an actual Victorian figure (along with some situations from his books) into the tale.

Whatever your age, The Other Edie Trimmer is a fabulous tale. Jacqueline Wilson always spins a great story, whatever your age.

JULIA WILSON