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Opal Plumstead by Jacqueline Wilson (view source)
Revision as of 09:45, 8 September 2014
, 09:45, 8 September 2014no edit summary
But war is brewing. And Opal's life is about to see even more upheaval...
Oh my goodness! ''Opal Plumstead'' is Jacqueline Wilson's 100th book! That's prolific, right? I first discovered her work when I read [[The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson|The Illustrated Mum]]. It made me laugh. It made me cry. And, more than anything else, it felt ''truthful''. I've been a fan ever since. So I'm proud to be reviewing her centenary story. And I love it that Jackie has chosen to join her centenary with that other important centenary going on in 2014 - that of the Great War. Setting ''Opal Plumstead'' in the run-up to that apocalyptic conflict is typical of the way Jackie thinks. It's not ''about'' the war: it's about a young girl coming of age and making the best of the situation around her. It's about her hopes and dreams. But, of course, her hopes and dreams are inextricably entwined with the society in which she lives. Opal will be affected by World War I, but she's also influenced by the suffragette movement, by the lack of a welfare state supporting families in crisis, by the mistakes of her parents and by the attitudes of the people around her.
She's a fabulous central character - bright and sparky and an original thinker. But Opal is also socially awkward - too blunt and too direct for a young girl of her times (and perhaps even for a girl of today, Wilson hints). You can't help but root for her as she beats her own path through a rapidly changing world with real heart and determination. The supporting cast are sympathetic too - from Opal's free-loving sister, guilt-stricken father and even to her judgmental mother, who is more a prisoner of her times than a fully-fledged meanie.