A very traditional Jacqueline Wilson about a large family of girls living with their single mum, who is pregnant with another baby. The girls are mostly pencil sketches, the sporty one, the pretty one, the older one, the little one,but the pages turn quickly, as you follow them through their chaotic house move to a grim council estate. The plot is a compare and contrast - the Diamond girls are judged by the world as poorly looked after by their mother (who is in many ways a terrible parent, the move is poorly planned out, and she is clearly wrestling with many issues) but they end up living next door to a picture perfect child, always clean and with beautiful toys, and it is her who is treated most cruelly by her mother, despite the perfect outwards appearance. You do end up feeling very sorry for Bruce, who volunteers to drive a van once to help out a friend, and is drawn into a chaotic world of looking after children, cleaning houses, and taking people to hospital. But it's all very warm and fuzzy, and you feel his life is better for having made friends with the Diamond girls. ( )

I very enjoyed this book. I found it a very good book. ( )