Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson

its the year 1876 ;Hetty is a baby who is dropped by her parents at the Foundling Hospital in London, the hospital that takes care of abandoned children. The children who are brought in, are taken care of for a few years by a foster family until they can attend primary school.

Hetty is taken in by a foster family in the countryside, where she also gets two brothers Jem and Gideon. she helps in the fields and plays imaginary games. Together they sneak off to visit the travelling circus and Hetty is mesmerised by the show, especially Madame Adeline and her performing horses.

But then the time has come she has to go back to the foundling hospital where the rough matron is bossing around, terrible porridge as food and an awful uniform. Hetty tries to hope she will found her real mother one day, and she just knows that her real mom is Madame Adeline, because why else did she picked her out in the circus? Troubles arise around Hetty in the hospital and live there seems to become more harder.. wil she find her real mother someday to get out?

Hetty Feather is a remarkable historical fiction novel for young readers. It is set in Victorian London, and the book reads fast and easily and is highly entertaining. Jacqueline Wilson created a magnificent witty character with Hetty, who has a very strong opinion(and is a bit naughty) which was very hard for a child, especially at the time the story is set in. This was the very first book by Jacqueline Wilson I have read, and I now understand why she is one of the biggest children's authors in the UK.
Below a video where Jacqueline discusses the book, I truly imagined the Foundling Hospital the same way as in the model she shows in the museum, I can't embed the video here, you can watch it by clicking here