True Characters Shine Through

The Best Sleepover In The World by Jacqueline Wilson is a wonderful read for girls aged eight years and over. It follows on from Sleep-Overs but can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend reading the first book first as this one follows on swiftly where that one finished.

Once more we join the five familiar faces as playground politics continue. There is still the character who bullies and is sneakily mean.

The characters do face moral dilemmas. Do they do the right thing? Or do they follow the crowd?

We witness the difference a good school that caters for special needs makes as we once more meet Daisy’s sister, Lily, who has, possibly, cerebral palsy (from the sounds of it). Her love still shines brightly as we see the sisterly bond. How Lily is treated by Daisy’s friends says a lot about their individual characters. Young readers learn that we are all different, and all valued.

The action is told in the first person through the voice of Daisy. She is believable, likable and easy to empathise with.

The Best Sleepover In The World is a book that can be used to promote discussions with our girls about playground politics and about the value we all have.

I enjoyed the book and will be passing it on to my young granddaughters.

JULIA WILSON