The Lottie Project

Charlie is a primary school student who enjoys her life with her single mother, Jo, until a new boyfriend named Mark enters the picture. This disruption coincides with a history assignment where Charlie creates Lottie, a Victorian nursery maid whose life mirrors Charlie’s own frustrations. As Charlie writes her project, she translates her resentment of Mark and her fear of being replaced into Lottie’s struggles in a rigid household. The narrative follows Charlie’s attempts to sabotage her mother’s relationship while navigating the social hierarchies of her classroom and the pressures of impending SATs exams.

Readers looking for realistic depictions of blended family dynamics and childhood jealousy value this story for its unsentimental look at domestic change. It attracts middle-grade audiences who recognize the friction between wanting a parent's exclusive attention and the reality of adult relationships. The book provides a clear perspective on how children use creative outlets to process anxiety. A reader walks away with a practical understanding of compromise and the realization that new family members do not necessarily erase old bonds.