What do you think?
Rate this book
The Girl Who Wasn't There
'And we're going to live here, happily ever after, just like a fairy tale.'
When Dad tells Luna and her little sister Aurora that they're moving to live in a real tower, it's almost like they've stepped inside a fairytale.
But everything is not as magical as it first seems. The tower needs patching up, Dad still doesn't have a job and they're not even allowed in the room up at the very top.
When it's time to start at their new school, Luna quickly finds a friend, but six-year-old Aurora absolutely hates the children in her class. She prefers to spend her time with her imaginary friend Tansy. Aurora's make-belief life causes problems for them all - and it seems like Aurora really believes Tansy exists...
Is there really a curse on the tower - and will Luna be able to break it?
A spine-tingling tale from the bestselling Jacqueline Wilson.
When Dad tells Luna and her little sister Aurora that they're moving to live in a real tower, it's almost like they've stepped inside a fairytale.
But everything is not as magical as it first seems. The tower needs patching up, Dad still doesn't have a job and they're not even allowed in the room up at the very top.
When it's time to start at their new school, Luna quickly finds a friend, but six-year-old Aurora absolutely hates the children in her class. She prefers to spend her time with her imaginary friend Tansy. Aurora's make-belief life causes problems for them all - and it seems like Aurora really believes Tansy exists...
Is there really a curse on the tower - and will Luna be able to break it?
A spine-tingling tale from the bestselling Jacqueline Wilson.
399 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 7, 2024
27 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Wilson
399 books5,698 followersJacqueline Wilson was born in Bath in 1945, but spent most of her childhood in Kingston-on-Thames. She always wanted to be a writer and wrote her first ‘novel’ when she was nine, filling in countless Woolworths’ exercise books as she grew up. As a teenager she started work for a magazine publishing company and then went on to work as a journalist on Jackie magazine (which she was told was named after her!) before turning to writing novels full-time.
One of Jacqueline’s most successful and enduring creations has been the famous Tracy Beaker, who first appeared in 1991 in The Story of Tracy Beaker. This was also the first of her books to be illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Since then Jacqueline has been on countless awards shortlists and has gone on to win many awards. The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the 1999 Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book Award.
Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.
Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million!
In 2002 Jacqueline was awarded the OBE for services to literacy in schools and from 2005 to 2007 she was the Children’s Laureate. In 2008 she became Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
One of Jacqueline’s most successful and enduring creations has been the famous Tracy Beaker, who first appeared in 1991 in The Story of Tracy Beaker. This was also the first of her books to be illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Since then Jacqueline has been on countless awards shortlists and has gone on to win many awards. The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the 1999 Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book Award.
Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.
Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million!
In 2002 Jacqueline was awarded the OBE for services to literacy in schools and from 2005 to 2007 she was the Children’s Laureate. In 2008 she became Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
December 31, 2025
Contemporary with whimsy! The teacher says, "You're like two old-fashioned girls." This is Secret Garden level stuff, except the adults are a bit sharper, except for the useless dad.
Luna's dad surprises the family by purchasing a folly, a tower. Luna and her little sister are delighted because it's beautiful: there's ivy and a view of the sea and inside is magical even though it's dusty and crumbly and the sink pours yellow water and there's all kinds of damp. Luna's mother is horrified because how much will fixing this cost?, their life is in London, this place is a deathtrap, etc. She's entirely right. Luna is crushed about leaving her best friend at her old school, but her best friend is also walking around with another girl and things aren't right there. The dad agrees that the tower is actually uninhabitable, but he chums up with a retired builder in the village who agrees to help him out. And the family moves into a camper at the base of the tower, where everything is cramped and there's no way to get a proper bath. And Luna's little sister is starting to act even more unusual. She's always been a willful kid, refuses to go to school, will only do what she wants, but now she's created an imaginary friend who seems a little too real...
Luna has to navigate her normal life blending into a new school and her dad's fantasy life rebuilding the tower, even after they find out it was never meant to last or be really habitable. The local landholder built it as a playhouse for his daughter, before the tragedy...
I had trouble feeling Luna's voice as a nine-year-old. She just seemed a little bit older and more aware than a normal kid, or even a very precocious kid. Still, absolutely fantastic book of kids' issues and light horror.
Luna's dad surprises the family by purchasing a folly, a tower. Luna and her little sister are delighted because it's beautiful: there's ivy and a view of the sea and inside is magical even though it's dusty and crumbly and the sink pours yellow water and there's all kinds of damp. Luna's mother is horrified because how much will fixing this cost?, their life is in London, this place is a deathtrap, etc. She's entirely right. Luna is crushed about leaving her best friend at her old school, but her best friend is also walking around with another girl and things aren't right there. The dad agrees that the tower is actually uninhabitable, but he chums up with a retired builder in the village who agrees to help him out. And the family moves into a camper at the base of the tower, where everything is cramped and there's no way to get a proper bath. And Luna's little sister is starting to act even more unusual. She's always been a willful kid, refuses to go to school, will only do what she wants, but now she's created an imaginary friend who seems a little too real...
Luna has to navigate her normal life blending into a new school and her dad's fantasy life rebuilding the tower, even after they find out it was never meant to last or be really habitable. The local landholder built it as a playhouse for his daughter, before the tragedy...
I had trouble feeling Luna's voice as a nine-year-old. She just seemed a little bit older and more aware than a normal kid, or even a very precocious kid. Still, absolutely fantastic book of kids' issues and light horror.
May 4, 2025
I thought about lost fathers, desperate daughters. I loved reading about them in fairy tales but it was so scary feeling like I was living in one.
Jacqueline Wilson raised me and I can't thank her enough for that. She's one of my greatest inspirations without a doubt -- but she has fallen off so bad lately that I can scarcely believe this is the same woman who wrote all those books that shaped my childhood.
I'm not sure what exactly the intent of this book was. The title hints at a ghost story - but I find it pertinent to state that despite the little hints that lead up to it, we don't actually get into that particular aspect until we're on chapter *17* out of 25. And even then this is treated with so much ambiguity, what with how Luna figures out how Aurora learnt about Tansy's existence when she looks through Mrs Stanley's scrapbook again in the final chapter. Because even then we do get some hints that Aurora did in fact befriend Tansy's ghost, the biggest one being Aurora learning that old-fashioned song about a fairy. There's also how Luna herself thinks she feels Tansy's presence, but everyone, including herself, later chalks this up to be simply dreams or imagination after her stepdad saves her from the lake. It's so much buildup with an extremely dissatisfying pay-off and I can't help but feel that Jacky Wilson's just not trying to scare the kiddies off by actually causing major damage cough cough My Sister Jodie cough cough and the story ends limply as a result. Which is not helped at all by the fact that no other conflict in the story is resolved: not anything regarding Luna and her biological father, not Greg the stepdad's mental issues, and certainly not whatever was going on with Aurora telling Luna that she understands "how things can get realer than real".
A common complaint about Jacky Wilson's modern books is that it's so obvious she doesn't understand our current zeitgeist or its children. I say we should cut her some slack for this since she's literally an octogenarian - but I think this book is concrete proof that all the best work she puts out in this day and age will undoubtedly be historical fiction.
Jacqueline Wilson raised me and I can't thank her enough for that. She's one of my greatest inspirations without a doubt -- but she has fallen off so bad lately that I can scarcely believe this is the same woman who wrote all those books that shaped my childhood.
I'm not sure what exactly the intent of this book was. The title hints at a ghost story - but I find it pertinent to state that despite the little hints that lead up to it, we don't actually get into that particular aspect until we're on chapter *17* out of 25. And even then this is treated with so much ambiguity, what with how Luna figures out how Aurora learnt about Tansy's existence when she looks through Mrs Stanley's scrapbook again in the final chapter. Because even then we do get some hints that Aurora did in fact befriend Tansy's ghost, the biggest one being Aurora learning that old-fashioned song about a fairy. There's also how Luna herself thinks she feels Tansy's presence, but everyone, including herself, later chalks this up to be simply dreams or imagination after her stepdad saves her from the lake. It's so much buildup with an extremely dissatisfying pay-off and I can't help but feel that Jacky Wilson's just not trying to scare the kiddies off by actually causing major damage cough cough My Sister Jodie cough cough and the story ends limply as a result. Which is not helped at all by the fact that no other conflict in the story is resolved: not anything regarding Luna and her biological father, not Greg the stepdad's mental issues, and certainly not whatever was going on with Aurora telling Luna that she understands "how things can get realer than real".
A common complaint about Jacky Wilson's modern books is that it's so obvious she doesn't understand our current zeitgeist or its children. I say we should cut her some slack for this since she's literally an octogenarian - but I think this book is concrete proof that all the best work she puts out in this day and age will undoubtedly be historical fiction.
March 28, 2024
Dare I say this is one of Jacqueline Wilson's best books yet...?
Ten stars, hands down. This book, even as a now twenty-year-old fan, had me wanting to scream and cry and wrap both little girls in a hug. I feel like JW's writing is only growing more and more sensitive and sophisticated as she gets older, and I'm so grateful that she still wants to produce such gorgeous fiction even now, at her age. It's so admirable to me.
I loved everything about it. The setting, which was gorgeous and descriptive and almost read like a Cathy Cassidy novel... the plot, which was realistic and heartbreaking and wonderfully deep... the slightly sinister nods back to 'My Sister Jodie', because as a kid, we all need to be challenged slightly in our reading; not everything can be uber PG.
The book tells the story of Luna and her little sister, their worn out mum, and slightly crazed (step)dad, who was once a chef. Their move to a dilapidated tower in the middle of the countryside is supposed to be an adventure, but they can't afford a surveyor, and little Aurora is soon plagued by the ghost of a little girl just like her...
When I now review a JW book, I don't only look at it through my adult eyes, but how I would have felt about it as a kid. There are so many layers to this book. Luna's complex and overwhelming responsibility as an eldest daughter; Aurora's struggles; having a slightly toxic parental figure, who isn't a bad person but might be struggling too; and having to deal with burdens well beyond your age.
This book was sad, and it was slightly deflating at times... but it was real, and it was lovely. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, and some scenes had me gobsmacked, but the overarching messages were so important. I know I would have benefitted a lot from reading this book as a child, because its ability to tackle darker themes with such sensitivity astounded me.
And as always, Rachael Dean's illustrations are masterpieces themselves, so congratulations to everyone involved in creating the hardback edition of the book. I'll forever be grateful that I live on the same planet as Jacqueline Wilson.
Ten stars, hands down. This book, even as a now twenty-year-old fan, had me wanting to scream and cry and wrap both little girls in a hug. I feel like JW's writing is only growing more and more sensitive and sophisticated as she gets older, and I'm so grateful that she still wants to produce such gorgeous fiction even now, at her age. It's so admirable to me.
I loved everything about it. The setting, which was gorgeous and descriptive and almost read like a Cathy Cassidy novel... the plot, which was realistic and heartbreaking and wonderfully deep... the slightly sinister nods back to 'My Sister Jodie', because as a kid, we all need to be challenged slightly in our reading; not everything can be uber PG.
The book tells the story of Luna and her little sister, their worn out mum, and slightly crazed (step)dad, who was once a chef. Their move to a dilapidated tower in the middle of the countryside is supposed to be an adventure, but they can't afford a surveyor, and little Aurora is soon plagued by the ghost of a little girl just like her...
When I now review a JW book, I don't only look at it through my adult eyes, but how I would have felt about it as a kid. There are so many layers to this book. Luna's complex and overwhelming responsibility as an eldest daughter; Aurora's struggles; having a slightly toxic parental figure, who isn't a bad person but might be struggling too; and having to deal with burdens well beyond your age.
This book was sad, and it was slightly deflating at times... but it was real, and it was lovely. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, and some scenes had me gobsmacked, but the overarching messages were so important. I know I would have benefitted a lot from reading this book as a child, because its ability to tackle darker themes with such sensitivity astounded me.
And as always, Rachael Dean's illustrations are masterpieces themselves, so congratulations to everyone involved in creating the hardback edition of the book. I'll forever be grateful that I live on the same planet as Jacqueline Wilson.
April 20, 2025
Jacqueline Wilson's books remind me of my childhood and I always look forward to reading new books the author has released.
WHAT IS THE BOOK ABOUT?
The Girl Who Wasn't There is about a young girl called Luna who lives in the city with her family. One day her father takes the family on a trip to the countryside and announces that he's bought a tower for them to move into. The story follows Luna as she tries to get use to this big change in her life.
LIKES:
- The book gives the TV show 'Grand Design' vibes throughout which I felt was unique. It was also interesting to see what the plans for the renovation were.
- It's difficult for anyone to move to a new area and start a new school not knowing anyone. So, it was good to see Luna make some friends and have a little bit of normality in her life and talk about what was going on.
- There's different types of teachers in schools and Mr O'Connor was one of the better ones. It was nice to see how he looked out for Luna and her sister.
- The ending wrapped up the story nicely and didn't really leave any questions unanswered.
DISLIKES:
- The Dad was irresponsible and behaved like a child. He should have stepped up and made sensible decisions but instead he seemed too focused on having fun.
- It was horrible seeing Luna and her sister constantly worrying about when their parents were going to argue next. As children, they shouldn't have been worrying about something like that.
WHAT IS THE BOOK ABOUT?
The Girl Who Wasn't There is about a young girl called Luna who lives in the city with her family. One day her father takes the family on a trip to the countryside and announces that he's bought a tower for them to move into. The story follows Luna as she tries to get use to this big change in her life.
LIKES:
- The book gives the TV show 'Grand Design' vibes throughout which I felt was unique. It was also interesting to see what the plans for the renovation were.
- It's difficult for anyone to move to a new area and start a new school not knowing anyone. So, it was good to see Luna make some friends and have a little bit of normality in her life and talk about what was going on.
- There's different types of teachers in schools and Mr O'Connor was one of the better ones. It was nice to see how he looked out for Luna and her sister.
- The ending wrapped up the story nicely and didn't really leave any questions unanswered.
DISLIKES:
- The Dad was irresponsible and behaved like a child. He should have stepped up and made sensible decisions but instead he seemed too focused on having fun.
- It was horrible seeing Luna and her sister constantly worrying about when their parents were going to argue next. As children, they shouldn't have been worrying about something like that.
May 10, 2024
AMAZING book! Really enjoyed it! The suspense was killing me at the end!! 😆😆
March 31, 2024
I think I would give this book 3.25 stars, and I wanted to do a review because I have a lot of thoughts!!
I find it easier to do a pros and cons list, so that is what I’m doing!
PROS
- Marianne, Billy and Luna’s friendship group. I wish we saw more of it because I loved seeing her with proper friends and they seemed to all really care about each other
- elements of the tansy plot. I liked the suspense of whether she was a ghost or part of aurora’s imagination, and the scene where Luna was sleepwalking and jumped in the lake was really good and very tense
- Molly the dog
- the tensions between the parents was an interesting plot and I wish it was developed a little bit more
- the illustrations were absolutely beautiful, Rachael Dean did such a good job, and I really love the hardbacks especially
- I also really liked Mr O’Connor as a character
CONS
-Aurora and the dad were (in my opinion) really annoying! Aurora sometimes I liked, but I didn’t like the fact that she felt like she ruled Luna and her life and got to tell her what to do. The dad was just always annoying. The fact that he wouldn’t listen and just kept trying to renovate this tower when he knew that it would just keep falling apart frustrated me, and that he was making his family stay in a tiny caravan. I just was really annoyed by him
- I wanted the plot about Luna’s real dad to be more important than it was. I wanted more development on the fact that the dad clearly preferred Aurora, and I thought that would have been really interesting
- Aurora did NOT speak realistically for a five year old. She felt more like seven. I know it’s small, but it really bothered me!
- the tansy plot took ages to actually get going! It took over half the book for the first mention of Tansy to even appear, the first half was all build up. Then the plot line ended really oddly. So we think tansy’s a ghost, but then Aurora admits to making her up after Luna finds an article in a scrapbook Aurora read, but then at the very end Luna sees a ghost of Tansy in the tower window. I get these kind of stories are meant to be ambiguous, but this felt too confusing.
So, I did enjoy this enough to give 3.25 stars, but as you can see I did have quite a few issues (which I’m sad about because I don’t really want to be negative as it feels mean).
Anyway, 3.25 stars, maybe wouldn’t recommend this Jaqueline Wilson (but do read her books as she is one of my favourite authors of all time- I just didn’t especially love this one).
I find it easier to do a pros and cons list, so that is what I’m doing!
PROS
- Marianne, Billy and Luna’s friendship group. I wish we saw more of it because I loved seeing her with proper friends and they seemed to all really care about each other
- elements of the tansy plot. I liked the suspense of whether she was a ghost or part of aurora’s imagination, and the scene where Luna was sleepwalking and jumped in the lake was really good and very tense
- Molly the dog
- the tensions between the parents was an interesting plot and I wish it was developed a little bit more
- the illustrations were absolutely beautiful, Rachael Dean did such a good job, and I really love the hardbacks especially
- I also really liked Mr O’Connor as a character
CONS
-Aurora and the dad were (in my opinion) really annoying! Aurora sometimes I liked, but I didn’t like the fact that she felt like she ruled Luna and her life and got to tell her what to do. The dad was just always annoying. The fact that he wouldn’t listen and just kept trying to renovate this tower when he knew that it would just keep falling apart frustrated me, and that he was making his family stay in a tiny caravan. I just was really annoyed by him
- I wanted the plot about Luna’s real dad to be more important than it was. I wanted more development on the fact that the dad clearly preferred Aurora, and I thought that would have been really interesting
- Aurora did NOT speak realistically for a five year old. She felt more like seven. I know it’s small, but it really bothered me!
- the tansy plot took ages to actually get going! It took over half the book for the first mention of Tansy to even appear, the first half was all build up. Then the plot line ended really oddly. So we think tansy’s a ghost, but then Aurora admits to making her up after Luna finds an article in a scrapbook Aurora read, but then at the very end Luna sees a ghost of Tansy in the tower window. I get these kind of stories are meant to be ambiguous, but this felt too confusing.
So, I did enjoy this enough to give 3.25 stars, but as you can see I did have quite a few issues (which I’m sad about because I don’t really want to be negative as it feels mean).
Anyway, 3.25 stars, maybe wouldn’t recommend this Jaqueline Wilson (but do read her books as she is one of my favourite authors of all time- I just didn’t especially love this one).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2024
My thoughts: Oh Jacqueline Wilson never fails to impress and amaze with her storytelling abilities & awakening the child within. This was a gorgeous tale which touches on subjects such as mental health, loneliness, guilt and parenting.
The story is told through Luna’s POV and we meet her mother, stepfather, sister and other characters throughout who add their own quirkiness. Personally my favourite character was Molly 🐶 who reminded me of my own furbaby.
Despite the title, the twist doesn’t really come until the very end of the book & I wish it had been delved into further as the ending remains fairly ambiguous.
For all JW fans, I still recommend giving this one a read, even just as a nice break from heavier adult fiction 📚🩷
The story is told through Luna’s POV and we meet her mother, stepfather, sister and other characters throughout who add their own quirkiness. Personally my favourite character was Molly 🐶 who reminded me of my own furbaby.
Despite the title, the twist doesn’t really come until the very end of the book & I wish it had been delved into further as the ending remains fairly ambiguous.
For all JW fans, I still recommend giving this one a read, even just as a nice break from heavier adult fiction 📚🩷
May 15, 2024
Since being a young girl (now 30) I have read almost every Jaqueline Wilson story. Her writing is beautiful, the power, influence and meaning behind her stories are fabulous. (My now 9 year old reads her books.)
This was very different to the last books from Jaqueline, but the message was powerful. Writing perfect. Thank you
This was very different to the last books from Jaqueline, but the message was powerful. Writing perfect. Thank you
October 7, 2024
Good, but ended too abruptly.
This is one of the better ones out of JW’s most recent releases. It definitely is geared towards younger children, but I am still a big JW fan (especially of her older books) so I bought it on Kindle.
While being one of the better new releases, it suffered from what a lot of Wilson’s new books suffer from- a lot of loose ends that aren’t tied up properly.
Luna and her family have moved to a crumbling tower in the country, because her beloved stepdad, who has recently lost his business, has decided that’s what he wants to do do. Will they live happily ever after, just like the fairy stories?
Like all of JW’s books, despite looking super carton-esque and wholesome on the front cover (not dissimilar to Enid Blyton!), there are a few things/themes some parents might want to be aware of when buying this book for a v young child. I don’t believe in sanctioning books for children, but themes include:
-A blended family with an uninvolved biological father
-a parent with mental health issues
- Psychic medium exorcising a ghost from a young girl
- Nightmares/a near drowning sleepwalking experience
- mild bullying/ teasing
- Historical stories of a girl starving to death, and her ghost.
-warning, spoilers-
It’s not massively obvious, especially to younger readers, but Luna’s stepdad has quite a lot of mental health struggles after losing his job and business, and these are often “passed on” to the children. As in, they influence their behaviour and cause distress among Luna and her younger sister, who are both primary school age.
Luna’s mum is more stable sometimes, however usually gives in to her Husband’s reckless behaviour, and I was just waiting for a terrible accident in the crumbling tower when Aurora sneaked up to the top, a la Mrs Wilberforce or Jodie in my sister Jodie.
Luna does most of the worrying and caring for her younger sister Aurora, and I felt sorry for her at points- she is an old head on young shoulders, but has to be, because both her parents have periods of being very irresponsible.
I also hoped that Luna would meet up with or at least contact her “real” dad. The book read as Luna’s mother had just upped and left one day, but she never explained why. No story of domestic violence or anything. It’s perplexing, my theory is she met her second partner and had an affair, but it’s never truly explained.
One topic that bothered me was further on in the book. Luna was struggling with her Stepdad’s reckless behaviour and mental health, and she found herself becoming more curious to meet her biological father. When she approached her mother about it, she got shut down and told her that her Dad wouldn’t be on social media. This culminated in her Mum eventually telling her that her biological father didn’t want her.
This contrasted with what Luna remembered, as she recalled her Dad reading to her gently. The whole storyline about her wanting to contact her biological dad and what he was like, was simply forgotten towards the end of the book. Luna’s mum never gave anything else away about Luna’s father. So whether she was telling the truth, we never find out.
This immediately put me off Luna’s mother, the way she spoke to her 10 year old daughter saying her Dad didn’t want her was disgusting.
The ending was very drab, none of the parents’ mental health issues or any of the children’s issues were really dealt with. Wilson papered over the cracks and made things somewhat “better” for the family, but the parents didn’t take stock of the way they were treating their children and the father’s poor mental health.
I truly believe the whole family needed therapy, both separately and together as a family. The two girls also had mental health issues, the youngest daughter shows traits of neurodivergence and it would’ve been a great topic to tackle - she reminded me of myself at points when I was forced to move school.
TGWWT is a good book, but lacks the emotional punch of other JW books, such as the illustrated mum, which deals wonderfully with a parent with similar albeit arguably more severe mental health issues.
3 stars.
This is one of the better ones out of JW’s most recent releases. It definitely is geared towards younger children, but I am still a big JW fan (especially of her older books) so I bought it on Kindle.
While being one of the better new releases, it suffered from what a lot of Wilson’s new books suffer from- a lot of loose ends that aren’t tied up properly.
Luna and her family have moved to a crumbling tower in the country, because her beloved stepdad, who has recently lost his business, has decided that’s what he wants to do do. Will they live happily ever after, just like the fairy stories?
Like all of JW’s books, despite looking super carton-esque and wholesome on the front cover (not dissimilar to Enid Blyton!), there are a few things/themes some parents might want to be aware of when buying this book for a v young child. I don’t believe in sanctioning books for children, but themes include:
-A blended family with an uninvolved biological father
-a parent with mental health issues
- Psychic medium exorcising a ghost from a young girl
- Nightmares/a near drowning sleepwalking experience
- mild bullying/ teasing
- Historical stories of a girl starving to death, and her ghost.
-warning, spoilers-
It’s not massively obvious, especially to younger readers, but Luna’s stepdad has quite a lot of mental health struggles after losing his job and business, and these are often “passed on” to the children. As in, they influence their behaviour and cause distress among Luna and her younger sister, who are both primary school age.
Luna’s mum is more stable sometimes, however usually gives in to her Husband’s reckless behaviour, and I was just waiting for a terrible accident in the crumbling tower when Aurora sneaked up to the top, a la Mrs Wilberforce or Jodie in my sister Jodie.
Luna does most of the worrying and caring for her younger sister Aurora, and I felt sorry for her at points- she is an old head on young shoulders, but has to be, because both her parents have periods of being very irresponsible.
I also hoped that Luna would meet up with or at least contact her “real” dad. The book read as Luna’s mother had just upped and left one day, but she never explained why. No story of domestic violence or anything. It’s perplexing, my theory is she met her second partner and had an affair, but it’s never truly explained.
One topic that bothered me was further on in the book. Luna was struggling with her Stepdad’s reckless behaviour and mental health, and she found herself becoming more curious to meet her biological father. When she approached her mother about it, she got shut down and told her that her Dad wouldn’t be on social media. This culminated in her Mum eventually telling her that her biological father didn’t want her.
This contrasted with what Luna remembered, as she recalled her Dad reading to her gently. The whole storyline about her wanting to contact her biological dad and what he was like, was simply forgotten towards the end of the book. Luna’s mum never gave anything else away about Luna’s father. So whether she was telling the truth, we never find out.
This immediately put me off Luna’s mother, the way she spoke to her 10 year old daughter saying her Dad didn’t want her was disgusting.
The ending was very drab, none of the parents’ mental health issues or any of the children’s issues were really dealt with. Wilson papered over the cracks and made things somewhat “better” for the family, but the parents didn’t take stock of the way they were treating their children and the father’s poor mental health.
I truly believe the whole family needed therapy, both separately and together as a family. The two girls also had mental health issues, the youngest daughter shows traits of neurodivergence and it would’ve been a great topic to tackle - she reminded me of myself at points when I was forced to move school.
TGWWT is a good book, but lacks the emotional punch of other JW books, such as the illustrated mum, which deals wonderfully with a parent with similar albeit arguably more severe mental health issues.
3 stars.
April 16, 2024
Graphic: Child Endangerment
Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, and Abandonment
Representations: https://trello.com/c/pp3rZzFM/104-the...
"Traumatised by my sister jodie as a kid" gang, we're gonna have a lotta anxiety with this one xD
I don't think this book knew if it wanted to be a mental health/parenting story, or a ghost story. The "girl who wasn't there" is only hinted at once until around the 60% mark, and even after that it seems pretty confused on what story it's trying to tell. But... I still liked it! I really loved the tension and danger of the tower, I really loved the relationships between the characters and the characters themselves.
The sibling pair I think where a pretty unique show of siblings, dysfunctional but with love there still. The different relationships they have with the parents was really interesting and well done - especially in the amount of pages. There was so many complex emotions, backstory that doesn't need to be explicitly said because it's all there with the reactions and emotions and it really build up some quite wonderful characters.
Honestly I didn't realise this was exactly the kinda book I've been waiting for from Wilson for years until I started reading this - I just wish it committed enough to one side or the other like mentioned before. I read my sister jodie as a kid around when it released and that shit fucked me up lmao, that history absolutely did up the tension and anxiety I got while reading this (in a... fun? way? lmao) but she's also really damn good at writing peril and danger like this.
I think my main issue is just the ending wasn't as punchy as I would have liked it to be. The climax was excellent, really gripping and tense, but then the final bit was a bit of a let down honestly. Not sure what it is with books with fantastic stories but middling endings recently.
October 9, 2024
The Girl Who Wasn’t There by Jacqueline Wilson is a most delightful children’s novel for ages ten years and older. I am considerably older than the target market but I really enjoyed the story.
Jacqueline Wilson has once more written an engaging and exciting novel that entertains from the start.
We follow a family whose father has bought a hundred year old folly at auction, with the view to renovating it. It seems like a fairytale but its’ crumbling walls and floors soon turn it into a nightmare. The family has a summer of adventure as they live in a caravan on site. The tower may be falling down but the setting is idyllic.
The action is seen through the eyes of ten year old Luna, who is big sister to six year old Aurora. Like most siblings, there are ups and downs but there is a lot of love. “Aurora was my little sister and I had to stick up for her. No one picks on Aurora at school and gets away with it!
School can be an intimidating and scary place to be as children navigate the classroom and the playground. We witness the kindness of teachers who help those who are struggling to fit in.
As with all families, there are arguments. 2020 had seen the father lose his restaurant. Now he is trying to find his place in life again, and there are natural tensions that arise. “Maybe it was time I started believing in him [father].” Luna is perceptive enough to realise her father is struggling beneath his cheerful exterior.
Everyone within the family is battling something, but at the end of the day they are a family bound together by love.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl Who Wasn’t There and can recommend it whatever your age.
Jacqueline Wilson has once more written an engaging and exciting novel that entertains from the start.
We follow a family whose father has bought a hundred year old folly at auction, with the view to renovating it. It seems like a fairytale but its’ crumbling walls and floors soon turn it into a nightmare. The family has a summer of adventure as they live in a caravan on site. The tower may be falling down but the setting is idyllic.
The action is seen through the eyes of ten year old Luna, who is big sister to six year old Aurora. Like most siblings, there are ups and downs but there is a lot of love. “Aurora was my little sister and I had to stick up for her. No one picks on Aurora at school and gets away with it!
School can be an intimidating and scary place to be as children navigate the classroom and the playground. We witness the kindness of teachers who help those who are struggling to fit in.
As with all families, there are arguments. 2020 had seen the father lose his restaurant. Now he is trying to find his place in life again, and there are natural tensions that arise. “Maybe it was time I started believing in him [father].” Luna is perceptive enough to realise her father is struggling beneath his cheerful exterior.
Everyone within the family is battling something, but at the end of the day they are a family bound together by love.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl Who Wasn’t There and can recommend it whatever your age.
August 22, 2024
Very lovely ready, having felt very intrigued and fascinated by the mystery of this apparent 'Ghost girl', while also having found Luna's experience making friends very real and heartwarming, having at first found so-called "friends" then finding a two real friends. It was a lovely story about family and friendship while also adding a historic and ghostly atmosphere to it as well.
My main problems though I'd say were definitely that the dad and Aurora were really annoying, her dad having been a total manchild for one with zero responsibility, having hastily bought a tower that could clearly not be fixed and was selfish too, given he had 2 children and a family and was not practical or fair on them. Luckily though he seems to have redeemed himself by the end.
Also like others have said here Jacqueline Wilson seems to always be determined to keep kids in her story as old-fashioned, even though it's still meant to be set in present time, which is annoying as it's not at all realistic having kids using terms such as "heaps of fun" and "extraordinary". There is also no sign of it being present day aside from the odd mention of Tik Tok, with nobody ever using a smartphone or computer, which did seem a bit weird. Like if you want to keep things old-fashioned with kids who don't use technology and who use such old-fashioned terminology you might as well just have it set in olden times, as these kids wouldn't be very out of place in an Enid Blyton novel!
My main problems though I'd say were definitely that the dad and Aurora were really annoying, her dad having been a total manchild for one with zero responsibility, having hastily bought a tower that could clearly not be fixed and was selfish too, given he had 2 children and a family and was not practical or fair on them. Luckily though he seems to have redeemed himself by the end.
Also like others have said here Jacqueline Wilson seems to always be determined to keep kids in her story as old-fashioned, even though it's still meant to be set in present time, which is annoying as it's not at all realistic having kids using terms such as "heaps of fun" and "extraordinary". There is also no sign of it being present day aside from the odd mention of Tik Tok, with nobody ever using a smartphone or computer, which did seem a bit weird. Like if you want to keep things old-fashioned with kids who don't use technology and who use such old-fashioned terminology you might as well just have it set in olden times, as these kids wouldn't be very out of place in an Enid Blyton novel!
January 12, 2025
This is an ever so slightly creepy tale about a family who uproot themselves to live in a decrepit old tower which dad has decided he wants to renovate and so start a new, dream life in their new fairy tale accommodation.
But not every one is happy with the decision… and things get worse when it appears that the fairy tale tower is even more decrepit than originally expected.
Eldest daughter, Luna, adores her vibrant little sister, Aurora, even if she can be a bit annoying sometimes. But when Aurora starts telling everyone she has a new best friend called Tansy who helps her get into more mischief than usual, something doesn’t sit quite right with Luna. Tansy doesn’t seem to attend their school and no-one has ever seen her.
An old couple who live in the village may have an explanation to the mystery but they aren’t giving much away - apart from their puppy, who they give to Luna after they can no longer look after it.
Whilst this is, in part, a mildly creepy mystery, it is also a sharp insight into a family who are struggling to come to terms with their new situation. Jacqueline Wilson shines a light into some of the darker aspects of family life - arguments, mental health struggles, sibling rivalry, power imbalances - and it is here where the story really comes to life.
The story doesn’t resolve all these issues and I for one really hope that mum and dad learn and grow from their mistakes. Dad can be quite domineering and has a short temper, while mum always tries to keep the peace - at the expense of her own wants and needs. Luna, the narrator, highlights this in her narrative but I would have liked to have seen a more obvious resolution (it is vaguely hinted at, but no more, which may be too subtle for some readers!)
Jacqueline Wilson fans won’t be disappointed and it is definitely one for fans of realistic, or even mystery, fiction as opposed to fantasy.
But not every one is happy with the decision… and things get worse when it appears that the fairy tale tower is even more decrepit than originally expected.
Eldest daughter, Luna, adores her vibrant little sister, Aurora, even if she can be a bit annoying sometimes. But when Aurora starts telling everyone she has a new best friend called Tansy who helps her get into more mischief than usual, something doesn’t sit quite right with Luna. Tansy doesn’t seem to attend their school and no-one has ever seen her.
An old couple who live in the village may have an explanation to the mystery but they aren’t giving much away - apart from their puppy, who they give to Luna after they can no longer look after it.
Whilst this is, in part, a mildly creepy mystery, it is also a sharp insight into a family who are struggling to come to terms with their new situation. Jacqueline Wilson shines a light into some of the darker aspects of family life - arguments, mental health struggles, sibling rivalry, power imbalances - and it is here where the story really comes to life.
The story doesn’t resolve all these issues and I for one really hope that mum and dad learn and grow from their mistakes. Dad can be quite domineering and has a short temper, while mum always tries to keep the peace - at the expense of her own wants and needs. Luna, the narrator, highlights this in her narrative but I would have liked to have seen a more obvious resolution (it is vaguely hinted at, but no more, which may be too subtle for some readers!)
Jacqueline Wilson fans won’t be disappointed and it is definitely one for fans of realistic, or even mystery, fiction as opposed to fantasy.
May 20, 2024
🌸OK, Miss Wilson, dropping this book. I see you!
🌸
This book is both typical, and not typical of a Jacqueline Wilson book, where we have a family, that has problems going on, seen through a child's POV, and how, when we're children, we want to fix problems for the adults, but we're quite not sure how, and how to chanel our feelings.
🌸
I thought this one might have a bit of a spooky aspect to it, given the title, but TBH it only really came in towards the end of the book.
Dont get me wrong, the boom was very well written, I really enjoyed it, I just felt it was more about the family, as opposed to the girl that wasn't there...
🌸
If you've a JW fan, definitely pick this one up! And I cannot wait for her next Girls book, coming out later this year!
🌸
🌸
This book is both typical, and not typical of a Jacqueline Wilson book, where we have a family, that has problems going on, seen through a child's POV, and how, when we're children, we want to fix problems for the adults, but we're quite not sure how, and how to chanel our feelings.
🌸
I thought this one might have a bit of a spooky aspect to it, given the title, but TBH it only really came in towards the end of the book.
Dont get me wrong, the boom was very well written, I really enjoyed it, I just felt it was more about the family, as opposed to the girl that wasn't there...
🌸
If you've a JW fan, definitely pick this one up! And I cannot wait for her next Girls book, coming out later this year!
🌸
March 23, 2025
LITTLE SPOILER! ⚠️‼️
This book is actually so good! I have loved reading Jacqueline Wilson’s new books because of the new illustrations and the very different storylines. This book is about a family of four (a dad, mum and two daughters) and they move to live in a tower. Lunas little sister, aurora, finds it hard to make friends so she has an imaginary friend called tansy now tansy is the girl who used to live in the tower so how did aurora know? She has a hard time getting rid of her and little do they know there will be greater challenges ahead…
This book is actually so good! I have loved reading Jacqueline Wilson’s new books because of the new illustrations and the very different storylines. This book is about a family of four (a dad, mum and two daughters) and they move to live in a tower. Lunas little sister, aurora, finds it hard to make friends so she has an imaginary friend called tansy now tansy is the girl who used to live in the tower so how did aurora know? She has a hard time getting rid of her and little do they know there will be greater challenges ahead…
March 31, 2024
I had high hopes for this book as I have read others by the author and loved them. I am sad to say that this book felt like I was being pulled along rather than running through it. I found myself getting to the 300 page mark and wondering if the story was gonna go anywhere and I was left at the end with not much. Didn't love it but didn't hate it.
July 8, 2024
I loved this book. It was probably one of my favourite books EVER! It was wonderful ,brilliant, super, interesting and just the best book ever. It’s a great read and now I kinda like ghosts.
It’s an entertaining and enchanting story of a girl and her family, moving house and finding out mysterious things about their new house. I definitely recommend it!
It’s an entertaining and enchanting story of a girl and her family, moving house and finding out mysterious things about their new house. I definitely recommend it!
September 29, 2025
Usually I LOVE Jacqueline Wilson books, but I just didn't like the ending of this one. The end was like, "and suddenly, I wake up to find that it was all a nightmare!" They just leave. It feels too abrupt. There is a buncha strings that have no ends. For example, the dad. Luna kept nagging her mum about it, but in the end, nothing happens. Anyways, overall is good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
books-i-have-read-to-eleanor
March 29, 2025Well I really enjoyed reading her this. It's genuinely quite a good story and Jacqueline Wilson's writing feels nostalgic to me. Some days she had fallen asleep as a chapter wrapped up, nice and neat. Other days we read a good chunk of the book before she fell asleep and I was never mad about it.
July 7, 2024
Don't know if she copied subconsciously, but there are a LOT of similarities to "Wait Till Helen Comes," which I think did this story better.
October 6, 2024
Kept Me Hooked
October 19, 2024
3.75 stars. One of the better JW books in recent years. Story & character thought provoking, writing flawless as usual.
December 22, 2024
It was ok
Read
January 24, 2025Loved it
March 22, 2025
2.5/5.
May 15, 2025
Whimsy, easy to follow story. Story was too long, the ending could have come sooner. Found the characters all too much!
August 18, 2025
3.5 stars
September 1, 2025
It was a really good book and the mystery made me want to read more. I could not put the book down it drew me in so much!
December 22, 2025
A beautiful story thoroughly enjoyed reading this book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews