The Unfamous Diaries of Daisy Brewster

Jenny Valentine will already be a familiar name to many and here she begins a new series pitched at slightly younger readers, offering an alternative (but very much in a similar style) to Dork Diaries.

We meet the main character, Daisy, at a point when she appears to be everything many children at this age are not: popular, confident, and setting out to secure the best part in her school play. So far, most readers will relate to Daisy’s every day life, if not feeling slightly envious of how easy she finds it all. That is until her film star cousin turns up. Daisy worries about sharing the spotlight, about whether her own acting ambitions in the school play will suddenly appear underwhelming, and whether she should have to share the ins and outs of daily life with her cousin. But Maxxy’s arrival brings with it perspective that Daisy could never have anticipated – suddenly she is left questioning whether her ambitions for success on the stage are everything she had hoped for.

Perhaps this title has an admirable message for youngsters who seem ever more determined that being popular or achieving celebrity status are effective ways to judge your life. Though arguably by making this the central theme of the book, perhaps just more focus has been given to this particular desire instead of providing a welcome escape from the topic? It is of course very readable, and will be welcomed by fans who have already engaged in similar series – and anything that keeps this age reading is to be valued. It isn’t a series that will be providing young readers with any challenge though, and for this reason perhaps its value is limited.