Victorian Workhouse

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View books by Pamela Oldfield.

Don't expect an adult book... - Rated
I was looking forward to receiving this book, but apart from the publisher being called Scholastic, there was no indication that this was a book written for children. As a result it doesnt give you the insight that a book for adults would give, which i found really disappointing. For a child, or for someone new to the subject, it is a good enough book. But if you want a real taste of the times, maybe you should look again

What was it like back then? - Rated
Edith Lorriner is a young teen in Victorian times. She is also very rich and lives in a large house with her adored puppy,prince, and her mama.
Her kind-hearted mama decides to help the poor living in the nearby poor house and Edith comes along too. Edith realizes what being poor in her is as she witnesses the horrors of the workhouse. She makes a friend and tried to the the poor all she can.
All these events she records in her new diary so you can learn what life was realy like back then.
Enticing read for all children, tweens and even teens.

Good book from the My Story series. - Rated
Edith Lorrimer, who lives in Stoneleigh, Kent, begins her diary in January 1871, a month before her sixteenth birthday. Unlike many other people in England, Edith is lucky. Even though her father died when she was a young child, Edith and her mother still live a comfortable life. They have a good home, and are able to afford to have two servants. Edith's mother is on the Board of Guardians at Stoneleigh's workhouse, and because she hopes Edith will someday take her place, she begins bringing Edith with her to the workhouse to learn how it is run. What Edith discovers horrifies her. She never knew how bad conditions are at the workhouse, and how terrible life is for the people there. She begins to take a special interest in Rosie, an orphan girl her own age who has lived in the workhouse since she was a very young child, and decides to try and educate her so that she can someday leave and find employment.

Although this book didn't seem to have that interesting a premise, unlike some others in the My Story series, I ended up really enjoying it. It was very well written, and flowed along well, so I never lost interest. I enjoyed reading Edith's diary and learning about how different life was for the middle class and the poor in Victorian England. Readers who enjoyed other books in the My Story series will most likely enjoy this book as well.