Have you ever had a book that you can’t help but read over and over again? A book that you read so many times that the book ends up literally falling apart in your hands? For me, Lola Rose by Jacqueline Wilson is that book.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read this book in my life. I don’t really know what it was that made me love it so much, but I did. I read a lot of Jacqueline Wilson books in my childhood, but Lola Rose was definitely my favorite. 

This book tells the story of a young girl named Jayni and the struggles of her life. She lives with her mother, little brother Kenny and her violent, abusive father. When the abuse reaches the limit, they run away to London in the middle of the night. The three of them hide away in a new flat and take on new identities in order to stop him from tracking them down. Jayni chooses the name Lola Rose and immediately, she becomes more confident, more secure of herself and she feels that she is not afraid of anything. But more frightening events follow when her mother falls ill and Lola Rose has to be more grown up than she genuinely feels inside…

Jacqueline Wilson covers many topics in her stories; in this case, she covers the topics of domestic abuse, fear and family illness. For me, these are some of the hardest challenges that anybody has to face in their lives. Covering these topics in a children’s book can be a controversy, but Jacqueline Wilson is able to do so in a realistic and believable manner. She writes in a way that makes you want to keep reading till the very end. 

Lola Rose is definitely a gripping book for children, because of the story and Wilson’s writing. Wilson herself has stated that it’s one of those books that’s closest to her heart. I would definitely recommend that anyone – whether they be eight or eighty- read this book. It’s one of Jacqueline Wilson’s best books and one that will always be a favorite of mine.