National Trust: The Secret Diary of Jane Pinny, Victorian House Maid

The Secret Diary Of

by Philip Ardagh, Jamie Littler (Illustrator)

Facts meet fiction in this exciting, intricate Victorian detective story!

Jane Pinny has moved to the very grand Lytton House to be a Maid Of All Work. And being a Maid Of All Work means that she has to do... well, ALL the work, obviously! Cleaning, dusting, scrubbing, washing - there's SO much to do in a Victorian country house. But when a priceless jade necklace belonging to the lady of the house disappears, Jane turns accidental detective (with the help of her best friend, a pigeon called Plump...) - can she solve the mystery of the missing jewels before it's too late?

Perfect for fans of Horrible Histories, filled with amazing facts and historical trivia, with an exciting story and brilliant illustrations, you won't be able to put this SECRET DIARY down!

Read the other books in the

The Secret Diary of John Drawbridge, Medieval Knight in Training

The Secret Diary of Thomas Snoop, Tudor Boy Spy

The Secret Diary of Kitty Cask, Smuggler's Daughter

Genres: History

194 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 7, 2017

About the author

Over six-and-a-half feet tall, with a bushy beard, Philip Ardagh is not only very big but also very hairy. He is the author of the Eddie Dickens Trilogy and when not writing silly books, Mr. Ardagh is quite serious and frowns a great deal. He lives in a seaside town somewhere in England with his wife and their son, Fred.

Reviews

[whatbooknext · Rating 4 out of 5]

Age - 7+

Jane is very excited to be starting work at Lytton House. 'House don't describe it. It looks more like a palace,' exclaims Jane in her diary. Despite a page full of rules she must soon learn, the mistress and master are good employers and the many other staff friendly.

All is well until a jade necklace is stolen from the mistress's bedroom. One of the maids is under suspicion, but is too well thought of to be blamed outright. Jane decides to try and figure out who stole it. After checking drainpipes, looking for footprints and thinking through the staff schedules she finds a real clue. Will she unmask the culprit?

This story set in Victorian times was something different. Jane speaks just as she would do as an uneducated maid, and as the story unfolds, footnotes are added at the bottom of the page for the reader to understand Victorian terms or behavior. It added so much more to the story for those who are interested, or they can be skipped at the reader's choice. This is part of the 'Only the facts are true' series.

[Shajila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have questions about the pigeon.. lol. This is actually great. I think anyone who wants the flavour of Victorian fiction without any of the commitment should try this!

[Adele Broadbent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane is very excited to be starting work at Lytton House. ‘House don’t describe it. It looks more like a palace,’ exclaims Jane in her diary. Despite a page full of rules she must soon learn, the mistress and master are good employers and the many other staff friendly.

All is well until a jade necklace is stolen from the mistress’s bedroom. One of the maids is under suspicion, but is too well thought of to be blamed outright. Jane decides to try and figure out who stole it. After checking drainpipes, looking for footprints and thinking through the staff schedules she finds a real clue. Will she unmask the culprit?

This story set in Victorian times was something different. Jane speaks just as she would do as an uneducated maid, and as the story unfolds, footnotes are added at the bottom of the page for the reader to understand Victorian terms or behavior. It added so much more to the story for those who are interested, or they can be skipped at the reader’s choice. This is part of the ‘Only the facts are true‘ series.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know that some people don’t like history books, but trust me, this is different. This book is about a young Victorian maid who is in the middle of a robbery at a manor. She writes in her diary every day, explaining what is happening. You still might be thinking “Oh no! It is going to be so confusing and boring.” NO. You’re wrong. This useful book has funny pictures to go along with the writing, and there aren’t too many dates to remember!

Plus, if you read this book, your information about Victorian maids might make your History teacher impressed!

[Emily Fryer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved it because the lady(queen of some sort) lost her jade necklace. BUT all of the servants helped to try and find the necklace. One day a chimney sweep came and found a receipt of some sort.it ended up being useless and BURNT. In the end the little naughty boy stole the necklace. Jane was a normal maid until the necklace got stolen by Master William!
Written by an 8 year old herself

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting and relatively quick read that was both educational and entertaining. It took my daughter quite a while to get her head around whether this book was fiction or fact (I read it aloud to her). I read most of the book in a cockney London accent, only breaking into my normal voice for the factual references.

Jane, a maid, takes up a position at Lytton House, a rather large house, with a full entourage of staff to support its daily function. Everything goes well until a Jade necklace goes missing and Jane does a bit of detective work to determine who is responsible.

Probably the most bizarre aspect of the book is that it is supposed to be written by a pigeon who visits Jane the maid and writes down her dictated story/diary, because Jane can not read and write well. Interesting that a pigeon can write better than a human!

[Gill James · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many ways this is a very charming book. Here we have the story of Jane Pinny how goes to work a big house as a maid. The story is at once a little quirky and heart-warming. Are there a few too many facts and is it a little disconcerting to have to read footnotes all the time?

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice little story

[Alice Hannah Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice book

[Claire Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book!

[Tim Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too educational.

[Flissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how all the characters and settings are fake but how the facts are true.

[Niamh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely children’s book with historical facts throughout

[Morgan O’Gara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed all the twists and turns
Didn’t enjoy how often the phrase “he moistened his lips” was used.