Jacqueline Wilson is in fine form in this funny and moving story of a little girl who copes with her none-too-glamourous life by telling endless jokes and fantasising about being a comedian. As things go from bad to worse and Elsa and her family find themselves homeless, they have to move into the very un-royal Royal Hotel. But when disaster strikes at the hotel, Elsa gets her chance to be a real star. Jacqueline Wilson lets the reader eavesdrop on Elsa¹s life, encouraging an intelligent understanding of her situation but never once suggesting that there might be a magic solution. Instead of letting pity in on the act, Wilson treats us to a realistic and sobering, yet at the same time smart and entertaining, story of a child doing the best she can in an unforgiving world where things are never really as they should be. --Susan Harrison