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First read, May 3, 2010: This gets four stars because, yes, I really liked it, as in I enjoyed reading it and didn't want to put it down. It was well written and the characters were very well developed. HoWeVeR: The "relationship" between Prudence and Rax is not very believable. Prue is 14 years old and acts even younger in a lot of ways since she was so isolated for much of her life. I can't quite get into the teacher's head here. Is he having a mid-life crisis? Is he a perv? What's up? I like how Wilson explores these gritty subjects in her books, but I felt like this one wasn't very realistic, unlike THe Illustrated Mum which was right on the money. The crazy thing about Jacqueline Wilson's books is that the covers and the illustrations are all so childlike and cutesy, and the stories are so gritty. Moms everywhere are getting the wool pulled, big time :)

Second read, April 18, 2015: I had such a different experience reading this book the second time! Again I loved it, but I found the relationship very believable this time. I think I saw the characters of Prudence and Rax in a completely different way. 5 years ago, my oldest was 5 years old and now he's 10. Things have changed a lot since I was 10, and now I'm seeing what Max is up against. I really think Jacqueline Wilson is a brilliant writer. Her work is very different from anything else I've ever read. She really doesn't shield anything from the reader (abuse, neglect, extreme poverty, pre-mature sexualization, etc.), but she portrays these heavy topics through the lens of a child or a young teenager and she does it so well. This time around I listened to audio, and it was incredibly well done. The narrator was Finty Williams. She was outstanding! I finished this one and immediately downloaded The Diamond Girls, also narrated by Finty Williams. I'm almost done and it's just as good. So after this second reading (on audio), I'm upping my rating from 4 to 5 stars. If you haven't read Jacqueline Wilson yet, you're missing out! My recommendation is to start with The Illustrated Mum. The covers are so cute and sweet and childlike, but the subjects are super serious, told through the eyes of the child living in the situation. Jacqueline Wilson is wildly popular in the UK, but not well known here. I think she's brilliant! Highly recommended!