Undoubtedly her best yet - single mum, feisty daughter, jaunty style - but there is a darker thread running through it

A book that children will respond to and be empowered by . . . A powerfully portrayed, sometimes shocking but ultimately uplifting story, this is a book not to be missed

Darker, shocking in its exposure of the vulnerability of streetwise kids who have to seem tough, luridly well-written yet curiously as sentimental as Dickens

More than lives up the expectations of the many readers eagerly waiting for her new book . . . disturbingly perceptive and provocative

Wilson is doing something important and rare. Not content to stand still, she's widening and deepening the scope of her work while maintaining its central hold on her readers. She's so good, it's exhilarating

Written with affection and wit . . . this could have been a sad story, but somehow it manages to sparkle as brilliantly as the mother's own numerous coloured tattoos

Rising star: Anna Perera. Her novel highlights the teenagers sent to the camp as it tugs readers into its vivid nightmare journey.

Written in a first-person voice of disarming honesty, the book rings true through all of its many layers

A good read for 11-year-olds who want to know their counterparts a century ago were truly human

A most enjoyable book, full of life, warmth and humour