Changes

The style of the book owes something to Charles Dickens and others, with its mixture of innocent heroines, dreadful deeds and threats of death or dishonour. In some ways the story has a comforting inevitability about it: a character as good and honourable as Velvet deserves a happy ending, after all. But getting to that ending is not as straightforward as the reader might suppose, and she is offered more than one route to financial security and happiness. There is adventure, suspense, warmth and even a little light humour to be had in this book, and it will find many avid fans.

Further reading suggestion: Girls who enjoy historical adventures with a dash of romance and a believable setting will love Mary Hooper's other books. Try [[Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper|Fallen Grace]] about another Victorian orphan in dire straits, [[By Royal Command by Mary Hooper|By Royal Command]] about the court of Elizabeth I, and [[Newes From The Dead by Mary Hooper|Newes From the Dead]] based in 1650.