With a voice fresh as a sea breeze and warm as a summer’s day, Pip is delightfully funny, yet poignant. Olive spends many hours wandering alone through her ramshackle and chaotic home by the sea. She’s secretly longing for some order, a ‘family full of children and noise’ while daydreaming about meeting her father, WilliamPetersMustardSeed. It’s not that Olive is unhappy with her lot; it’s just that she feels there’s something missing – a gap to be filled. She has Mog (who is unlike other mums) and her best and only school friend, Mathilda. But when Olive is dumped by Matilda for the popular Amelia, life becomes hard. Just when it all seems hopeless, hope comes in the guise of the remarkable Pip – Olive’s identical twin and saviour when it comes to successfully sailing the treacherous high seas of friendship and Year 7. Egged on by the incorrigible Pip, they embark on an adventure of discovery. I loved this wonderfully warm, touching story and was completely captivated by Olive (and Pip).

Highly recommended for girls 11+.