Her mother has no job and looks after Opal, Cassie and their father. Her father works as a writer, who has just had a book read by the publishers and is now doing it up in neat for it to be published (this is his first book going to be published). Her sister, Cassie, works in a hat shop called Madame Alouettes. Her ability to create interesting, lovable characters who navigate 9 to 12-year-olds through key moments in history is unmatched The Times And where are you off to, missy? Mixing with those dreadful suffragettes again? You're going to get yourself into terrible trouble. All decent folk think those women want horse-whipping. The destruction they've caused! [...] [After Opal explains how they've been tortured and even killed] They bring it on themselves with their silly hysterics." You think yourself so superior, Opal Plumstead. Your very name's a total foolishness, just because your father said your eyes flashed blue and green like an opal. [...] If I'd had my way you'd have been plain Jane - and a plain Jane you are, with your pinched face and hair as straight as a poker. How you're so full of yourself when you look such a fright I don't know at all." Ocr tesseract 4.1.1 Ocr_detected_lang en Ocr_detected_lang_conf 1.0000 Ocr_detected_script Latin Ocr_detected_script_conf 1.0000 Ocr_module_version 0.0.10 Ocr_parameters -l eng Old_pallet IA-NS-2000172 Openlibrary_edition

I would recommend this book to any one who is already a fan of Jaqueline Wilson, especially if you liked the Hetty Feather series. However, I would advise parents of young/sensitive children to read through some of the book first as it may be quite upsetting for them. There also may be scenes which may seem unsuitable, especially the relationship between Cassie and Mr Evandale, though nothing goes into detail and I personally didn't think that there were any inappropriate scenes. Literally on the day they meet, within a few minutes of knowing each other, Opal and Morgan walk together in his gardens, and she tells him everything about herself. She just met him. Jacqueline Wilson's historical novels feel so authentic to her brand and so approaching for readers of all ages. I think she's really found a comfort zone, and I'm beyond pleased with the idea of her writing more from this decade! There's no other way of interpreting it. The author cannot seriously expect us to like or feel sorry for this banshee/Dementor after that, surely? For children's and YA lit, it's horrific and unreadable. Triggering, even.Morgan is about eighteen, as well, and Opal is still fourteen. He's rich and buys her crap. He takes her on expensive trips. When they've just met. See, young girls reading 'Opal Plumstead': that's what true love looks like! This is when Opal discovers that Mrs Roberts is a member of the Suffragettes. They meet up at a Suffragette committee meeting, where Opal is invited to Mrs Roberts' impressive home. She is then introduced to her teenage son, Morgan, and a relationship blossoms. Could this turn out to be the love of her life? And what will she do when her older sister Cassie runs off with a rich painter?

Comparing this book to other “memoirs” this one had to the most detail. Like “Katy” written by Jacqueline Wilson. It was more brief in that story, whereas in this book the descriptive language painted a movie in my head the whole time, there were no parts where it got boring. Opal could no longer stay at St Margaret’s because there was no money coming in to pay rent and get more food for the future and so she had to work at the Fairy glen Sweet Factory. Mother let Cassie carry on with her hat making at Madame Alouettes as she started sewing little rabbits to earn money. Posted on 20 November 2014 at 9:59 am Opal Plumstead, Picture Perfect and the Long Haul quizzes just released for Accelerated Reader By Chris Jarosh My first real book of the year, and yet I wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be my favorite at the end of 2015. I loved this so much! It's 1913, and Opal Plumstead is living a modest life in a small house with her mother, father, and dazzling older sister, Cassie. She prides herself on her intelligence, and is a scholarship pupil at St Mary's School for Girls. But Opal's life turns sour when her beloved father is sent to prison for what she believes to be a gross misunderstanding.

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. 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 ... [Opal is] a fabulous central character - bright and sparky and an original thinker ... You can't help but root for her as she beats her own path through a rapidly changing world with real heart and determination ... Oh, and it reads like a breeze. Of course. What else would you expect? -- Jill Murphy The Bookbag Opal's older sister Cassie is pretty, fashionable and flirty, and their mother rubs it in Opal's face constantly that Cassie is her favourite (oh, we'll get to the mother later). Cassie runs off with a much older man later on and has a baby with him (a boy, what else?), and everything about that development is fine in the end - Cassie's happy and rich and fulfilled. After running away with a married man more than twice her age and bringing further disgrace to the Plumsteads. Her mother placates because babies! What a great message to send to young girls reading this! As a nearly 16 year old, quite settled in the world of adult literature, I decided a while ago that Jacqueline Wilson is definitely below my standard. Unfortunately, some people don't realise this, and get me her books anyway. I don't read them, but the covers are pretty, so at least they look good on the shelf, which is where they live, gathering dust. But this book, 'Opal Plumstead' has been intriguing me for a while, particularly as it has been deemed 'for teen readers', so I decided to give it a go.

Though I had few expectations of this book, it was a surprisingly interesting, funny, sad, and well-written book.

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Mother had found out about Cassie meeting Mr Evandale and so she went to live with him when mother said she could live with Mr Evandale if they wanted to still go out or stay at home and stop going out with Mr Evandale.