This was the first 'old style' My Story book I'd seen in a while when I bought it, and you can certainly tell when reading it; the older ones generally read so much better! They feel more nuanced and layered, and really bring the 'writer' and her family to life. This is no exception - the author manages to properly evoke the harsh conditions of the cotton mill (while keeping it generic enough to not scare off its target audience) and the difficult circumstances in which the main character finds herself, while also portraying lighter moments and drawing a heartwarming sense of family connection. I also love the books in this series that hint at the diarist's first crush, or the hint of a possible future with a childhood sweetheart, which IMO this book absolutely does! And once again they've gone with the staple older brother that gets written out of the picture in some way... another hallmark of the series that usually indicates you're in for a good one.

However, where this book falls down when compared to others in the series is that it doesn't really get to the heart of a well known historical event. The best books in this series manage to involve the main character in something familiar, e.g. the sinking of the Titanic, the Great Plague etc. and manage to educate as well as entertain. In this case, there is some involvement with the Chartist movement, but it's not really central to the plot and, while a brief explanation is included (as well as the usual historical notes and pictures at the end), it's not exactly something that an average pre-teen is going to understand the importance of without proper context - it's politics after all! The book had a great opportunity to inform younger readers about an important aspect of British history, but in this case it feels like the author gave up on the idea. 

That being said, it does tell a necessary tale about the Induatrial Revolution and the cruelties and hardships faced by children forced into work at that time. I can imagine this being a useful teaching aid for the right age group, allowing them to imagine what their own lives would be like if they lived during this period.

Unfortunately there does seem to be a few other half-woven threads running through the story; characters are introduced as if you've met them before when you haven't; others are introduced as if you're going to get to know them and then written out very quickly, and there's a creepy undertone with one character in particular which feels very out of place as there's no real conclusion to it. 

Will keep as part of my collection, but there are definitely other ones in the series I prefer!