This story was utterly beautiful from start to finish. Phoebe was just an absolute ray of sunshine and I couldn’t imagine any of the other children being better narrators of the book. Could Phoebe be my new favourite Jacqueline Wilson character? Yes. As for Beck and Perry, they were equally adorable in their own way. Also a big FAT yes to Jacqueline having the woman of the household as the main wage earner, we absolutely LOVE to see that.
Jacqueline has always had this gift that has allowed her to write about such important and sensitive topics in a way that not only educates her targeted young audience, but allows them to ride the wave along with the characters and hopefully help them to understand their feelings just that little bit better. This book was no different. Jacqueline addressed autism amongst one of the main characters in a simple yet educational way, breaking down the different elements of what it means being on the autistic spectrum. Mental health was also touched upon, telling the reader how mental health is nothing to be ashamed of, which is something a young audience such as hers really needs to hear, especially in todays society.
The only thing that didn’t sit right with me was the hinting of the ‘romance’ blossoming between Becks and Jake. 14 and 18? No. But after finding out this was retelling of The Railway Children I will need to educate myself on the original so I can finalise my opinion on that!
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