Product Description

London, 1876 and Hetty Feather is just a tiny baby when her mother leaves her at the Foundling Hospital. The Hospital cares for abandoned children - but Hetty must first live with a foster family until she is big enough to go to school. Life in the countryside is hard but with her 'brothers' Jem and Gideon, she helps in the fields and plays imaginary games. Together they sneak off to visit the travelling circus and Hetty is mesmerised by the show, especially Madame Adeline and her performing horses. But Hetty's happiness is threatened once more when she is returned to the Foundling Hospital. The new life of awful uniforms and terrible food is a struggle for her. But now she has the chance to find her real mother. Could she really be the wonderful Madame Adeline? Or will Hetty find the truth is even more surprising? Jacqueline Wilson will surprise and delight old fans and new with this utterly original take on a historical novel. Set in Victorian times and featuring a brand new feisty heroine, "Hetty Feather", this is a Tracy Beaker-esque tale that will thrill young readers. Warm, moving, funny and totally fascinating, it's the perfect gift for girls of eight and older.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #423 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-08
• Released on: 2009-10-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 309 pages

About the Author
JACQUELINE WILSON is an extremely well-known and hugely popular author. THE ILLUSTRATED MUM was chosen as British Children's Book of the Year in 1999 and was winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Award 2000. Jacqueline has won the prestigious Smarties Prize and the Children's Book Award for DOUBLE ACT, which was also highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. In 2002 Jacqueline was given an OBE for services to literacy in schools and in 2008 she was made a Dame. * 'A brilliant young writer of wit and subtlety' THE TIMES * 'Hugely popular with seven to ten year olds: she should be prescribed for all cases of reading reluctance' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY * 'Has a rare gift for writing lightly and amusingly about emotional issues' BOOKSELLER

Customer Reviews

Another instant classic
I have read all of Jacqueline Wilson's books and even now, at the ripe old age of 25, I buy them as soon as they come out. I enjoyed 'Hetty Feather' a lot - slightly more cynical readers may say that it is 'Tracy Beaker' and 'Dustbin Baby' mixed together... but they are just grumpy curmudgeons, so who cares what they think.

What makes this book different from JW's previous work is the historical setting. Any child who has ever complained that "it's not fair!!" needs to read about Hetty being locked up in the attic, about her friend Polly being smacked across the hand with a ruler and about the general hardships which faced Victorian children. Yes, at times the story is bleak, but there are also some genuinely uplifting parts. The eponymous heroine is as sparky and fiesty as Tracy Beaker but still immensely likeable.

I will be sharing this book with my year 6 (10 yr old) class, as it is educational as well as entertaining. If you have ever read and enjoyed a JW book, then go for it - give Hetty Feather a home!!

Hooray for Hetty
I was blown away by the amazing adventures of Hetty Feather and her search for her mother. I laughed and cried with Hetty. I really felt I was there with her. She has such faith in Gem and she never once forgot her old life in the country. I loved the book so much I read it in a week, and it's quite a big book, and I hope you enjoy it as much as me.

Just too drab
I am a huge fan of Jacqueline Wilson, as are many of the children with whom I work. For all I know, Hetty Feather could be a really good read. However, read by the author, it is a truly awful experience. So bad that I gave up before the end of CD 1.
The whole point of being a writer is that you are good at communicating through the written word. Very few have the ability to make their work come alive when speaking. A notable exception is Louise Rennison, whose Confessions of Georgia Nicholson are a delight to hear, when read aloud by her. BBC Audiobooks should learn to persuade high profile authors to allow professionals to narrate their work. Ten out of ten to likes of J.K. Rowling and Terry Pratchett who have the nous to get great pros like Stephen Fry and Tony Robinson to enchant the listener. My advice is to buy the book and avoid the audio version like the plague. This is a real shame for those who rely on listening to rather than reading books.