Wilson deserves her popularity - even the most resistant page-turner would find this difficult to put down

The trick of writing as a child is not easy to pull off, but Wilson does it triumphantly

Her latest vivid, superbly observed story of real life

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

Jacqueline Wilson's clever interweaving of the modern and Victorian story lines makes this book especially satisfying. Nick Sharratt's delightful line drawings help to make the text accessible to a very wide range of readers, who will find this first rate novel both intuitive and humorous

Wilson reveals her ability to elicit tears as well as laughter

Vivid, warm and amusing

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

Compelling and thought-provoking

What a fantastic job Adel Geras has done bringing these characters to life

Full of suspense and the characters were written so well that you were really pulled into their lives

The book comes billed as "a passionate tale of love, betrayal and revenge" - and it is indeed, an excellent, intelligent read which will stretch minds just as it will stretch vocabularies. It is vivid in the world it creates, intriguing as it takes you there and satisfying when it leaves you

Adele Geras gave us brilliant evocations of the ancient world with Troy and Ithaka. With Dido she again takes a classical setting and story and breathes freshness, and above all an up-to-date connection, into the people and the places whilst skilfully remaining faithful to her sources