The Bed And Breakfast Star (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
A book that I've read over and over again as a child, and now re-reading it as an adult! One of my all time favourite authors, whilst growing up, who has the gift of reaching out to millions of children! Jacqueline Wilson is able to conjure stories which every type of young person is able to relate to, either because of their families, love lives or social lives. This book is about a young girl, who is incredibly mature for someone who has to deal with half the things she faces. An incredibly realistic yet fictitious character, who unfortunately calls out to thousands of young children, in terms of their home lives. The Bed and Breakfast Star gives an insight into a child’s thoughts and feelings, not just about what she goes through at home, but also what she faces at school; being a ‘bed and breakfast kid’. Elsa, aged 10 is a young, witty character, who despite the difficult life she owns, always manages to keep a smile on her face. Never failing to lead a cheery life, Elsa is also forever trying to lighten the mood and atmosphere around her, by ‘cracking’ her jokes. However, her jokes are never appreciated in the way that she would prefer, and ends up causing more tension, often leading to physical abuse from her stepfather. Elsa uses her ambition of becoming a T.V star and a famous comedienne, as a means of escape from all the problems in her life.Elsa lives with her depressed mum, abusive stepfather, and two younger siblings who she is very often left to babysit, as her parents lack the capability and are forever drowning in their miseries. The family is constantly moving, causing Elsa to change schools several times, consequently falling very behind, academically.This book has allowed me to understand how some teachers make children like Elsa feel. Elsa states why she resorts to bunking off school, and how she is made to feel by her peers and most teachers at school. I've read how easily a young child can be demoralised, especially someone who has so much going on outside of school. I would place this book on the classroom bookshelf, allowing children to read it in class and at home. This book will allow the vast number of children who face similar issues, to realise that they’re not on their own, and although it’s a fictional book, Wilson does base it on realistic and familiar settings. I’d recommend this book for children aged 7-11, for independent reading.
Elsa adalah anak sulung di antara 3 bersaudara, dengan adik perempuan bernama Pippa dan adik bayi lelaki bernama Hank.Elsa hidup dalam keluarga yang retak, kemudian sang Ibu menikah kembali dengan seorang pria Skot bernama Mack.Awalnya kehidupan keluarga ini biasa-biasa saja, lalu morat-marit saat Mack kehilangan pekerjaannya.Tak punya tempat tinggal hingga mereka harus bernaung di hotel bed and breakfast yang kondisinya digambarkan sangat mengenaskan, dengan binatang-binatang kecil yang bukan peliharaan berkeliaran di mana-mana.Elsa dengan mata dan hati kanak-kanaknya tak suka memandang itu semua. Dia tak hanya diam, tapi menceritakan keluh kesahnya di novel ini, serta kenakalannya. Setelah mendapat perlakuan kasar dari Mack yaitu pukulan-pukulan kala Elsa 'dirasa' cukup nakal, Elsa menuangkan keluhannya lewat 'grafiti' di suatu tempat yang tidak akan bisa dimasuki Mack.Elsa paling benci bersekolah, namun bukan berarti tidak ada guru yang berhasil meluluhkannya.Elsa ingin menjadi bintang, bukan penyanyi atau aktor, namun komedian. Dia punya stok lelucon, yang bagi orang dewasa agak garing kali ya, tapi untuk ukuran anak-anak lumayan menggelitik.Elsa seorang yang pemberani, bukan hanya berani menyelamatkan seisi hotel dari kebakaran, namun juga berani mengakui kesalahannya.Elsa anak yang menggemaskan :D-------Aku terkesan dengan karya-karya Jacqueline Wilson sejak pertama kali membaca karyanya yang berjudul "Tracy Beaker". Tokoh anak-anaknya digambarkan memiliki emosi dan karakter unik, punya kecerdasan dan kebaikan, serta kenakalan khas anak. Mereka digambarkan apa adanya, berani mengkritik, berani mempertahankan pendapat, namun juga ada saatnya mereka mengakui keunggulan orang dewasa.Kenapa aku suka ? Karena saat aku kecil, aku tak memiliki keberanian sebesar tokoh-tokoh Wilson, sehingga rasanya menyelam dalam gejolak masa kanak-kanak yang tidak tersalurkan :P
What do You think about The Bed And Breakfast Star (2006)?
Semi-Spoiler alert! I don't really tell you what happens, just topics that occur throughout the book!The Bed and Breakfast Star is the sort of book that doesn't have a snappy happy end. It depicts life perfectly- and we get to read about it in little Elsa's point of view. Being older, we understand that she's going through child abuse, poverty, and discrimination based off the fact that she's a bread and breakfast kid (homeless,nearly). Elsa gets blamed for things that she doesn't really do, and true to being a little kid, she doesn't open her mouth to tell people this. This book is full of tangible sensitive topics. Elsa is abused by her stepfather, and her mother really doesn't do anything about it. The "hotel" she lives in (basically just a homeless shelter) is horrid and run down. Elsa always tries to make the best of it, though.This book doesn't really have a happy ending. It doesn't have a happy ending at all. It just sort of stays the same through-out the book. It's not candy-coated for little kids but since it's told in a child point of view, it's completely child-appropriate. I initially rated this book 3 stars because its not the kind of book I usually read or like. Then, I bumped it up to 4 stars because once writing this review, I realized it kinda deserved that- or at least the writing did, even if the story might not have.I'm just expressing my views and thoughts, and I don't mean to offend anyone!(:
—ʎzzıɯ Mekana
This was another Wilson book that I was not sure on. I just felt that she was too alike to Tracy Beaker with how Elsa is quite ignorant and is always beaking the rules.Yet with Elsa I could understand her behaviour. With an abusive father and a mother more focused on her other children, I sympathised with her and felt that she was very decent to her half-sisters and loved her positivity even in such a terrible hotel.I just didn't really enjoy the story. This loud-mouthed girl saves the whole hotel by yelling 'fire'? I just felt it was fairly ridiculous the way she became a sudden star just for being able to scream loud enough.
—Leah
Re-read I definitely think this is one of Wilson's best books. She's always on good form when she writes about kids who have difficult lives, because she never does it in a patronising manner. Of course, reading as an adult, books like The Bed and Breakfast Star can be a difficult read, because you know the happy ending is temporary and can see that the issues go so much deeper. Writing a book that is completely suitable for junior readers but yet offers something extra to adults is a rare talent... and one Wilson is the master of. ***June 13th-14th 2010I love how Wilson's heroes and heroines (okay, yes, generally heroines with male mates) come from all kinds of socio-economic backgrounds. It's so refreshing.That said, the ending of this book seemed a little abrupt and a couple of issues that had been raised with regard to the protagonist's relationship with her stepfather and the latter's general behaviour were not resolved, making this quite a dark piece of junior fiction from an adult perspective. I have a feeling that the intended audience would come away thinking that the story has a happy ending, however....they might well groan a lot less at the incessant jokes told by the protagonist as well ;)
—Tara Calaby
