Moving On Up is subtitled "Beat the bullies, make fearless friendships and deal with funny fails", and the publishers promise the "ultimate school survival guide for 9 to 11-year-olds". Each generation has a series of children’s books that is guaranteed to spark nostalgia in the decades to come. They grew alongside the characters that they love. For my parents, it was The Famous Five by Enid Blyton. For me, it was Rainbow Magic and Goosebumps. Now, Rosie Jones is bringing this joy to another generation.

A wonderful book about a young girl with cerebal palsy. Edie was a very funny character, perhaps due to some of the likeness from the author herself. The writing style is nostalgic with hints to Jacquelin Wilson. Overall a story about how disability does not define you and is often your greatest asset. Billie Upton Green is about to embark on her third accidental diary (which is cunningly disguised as a Spellings jotter so her Mums think she’s studying and not scribbling). And she has life-changing news. It’s a really lovely story that captures exactly what it is to be eleven and starting a new school - the new routines, the navigating of friendships, new hobbies and becoming more independent. I think this series is going to do really well, and I'll be here to cheer Edie (and Rosie) on with every volume.LOVE IT! Wat mij betreft een must-have qua thematiek. En fantastisch lekker geschreven voor en vanuit kind/tiener(perspectief). Funny, moving and extremely well-written, with a main character that will win your heart and hold onto it after the book has ended, this is an absolute must-read for all children, parents, teachers… everyone really! It’s such a happy book. Full of kindness and giggles, I am far from the target audience. I’m forty. I wasn’t reading it with or to a child. I was reading it for me. I really like Rosie Jones, and I can’t remember seeing any books with a disabled main character when I was a kid, and that would have been nice because my mother was in a wheelchair.

There were some genuinely funny moments (I particularly liked the Stephen King / Stephen Hawking mix up!) But also some tender ones too. The way Edie talked about CP is going to be such a game changer for kids and how they perceive disabilities. In case of emergency, at the beginning of the book, Edie only had her family and her best friend Oscar. However now Edie has multiple different people. On top of that Edie is trying to figure out where she fits in: do you have to define all friendships? And can you be a writer AND a performer, or do you have to choose between the two? But then the school organises a camping trip.... complete with muddy walks and team games. It is a DISASTER. The only fun bit is sitting by the fire and telling stories. But life is far from simple when you move up to big school, and Edie finds herself under pressure to make new friends as her best and only since primary develops new interests and devotes himself to football and his shiny, new girlfriend.

I admire this book because it is the first book or film that I have seen that includes a character that has cerebral palsy. Edie is an average eleven-year-old girl; she has a loving family and a best friend named Oscar who shares her love of sausage rolls and Marvel films. She also has cerebral palsy which makes her a little wobbly, more likely to fall over, and a little slower at talking. Edie has always relied on Oscar to help her out – he even carries a special box around with him that includes plasters and spare tights – but at their new school they are put into separate classes and Edie realizes she won’t always be able to rely on him anymore. Using verse rather than prose, the book follows Stevie’s thoughts and inner monologue, not only focussing on her feelings but also on her parental relationships, anxiety, friendships, and love of reading. And it is Stevie’s love of reading, especially about sea-creatures, that leads her to research in a library. The book contains excellent disability, LGBTQ, young carer, and sausage roll/pizza/Maccy D’s representation throughout. Jokes aside, so many positive elements feature casually and as the norm (as in life, and as it should be). This is exactly the kind of writing we need for children today, funny, bold, inclusive. This was an outstanding book from a new author who also lives with cerebral palsy, giving the story real insight into the experiences of a disabled tween taking those first big steps into real independence. Edie’s disability is obviously a key element of her story, but it never takes over to *become* the story. Instead, we see how Edie faces some big changes in her life, dealing with the occasional unthinking comment or obstacle as a result of her cerebral palsy but being a very average tween girl at the same time. This is very far from the kind of “inspiration porn” stories that are often shared regarding disability and is instead a story that is genuinely heartwarming and also laugh-out-loud funny, Sophie was also surprised and delighted to spot some strong, unexpected LGBTQ representation here too.

I just have a weak spot for diary-written-books. This one is no different. I just loved reading this dairy and I had a laugh at the beginning, because in the beginning of the diary Edie was not a fan. But her mom promised her some money if she would keep on writing because mom thought it would be good for Edie to get her thoughts on paper. But as the story goes on we see that Edie gets more invested in the diary and takes it with her everywhere. I loved that! I really like the character of Flora because she is not afraid of being who she is around other people. She is also not scared to stand for what she believes in. I like how she influences Edie to try new things even if it is reading a DC comic instead of a Marvel comic. I found the debate on fictional heroes funny because it would be a normal thing to do with your friends (to have silly debates over nothing).Written in diary format with awesome illustrations by Natalie Smillie, the story follows Edie - an eleven year old girl from Bridlington, Yorkshire, as she starts secondary school. Edie has cerebral palsy, a great family, a best friend called Oscar, and a positive, sunny disposition. You've probably heard this already, but just in case you haven't; Edie has cerebral palsy, just like the author of this novel, Rosie Jones. You're probably seen Rosie around if you're into any of the comedy panel shows; she's often on Dave or the BBCs, being really quite extraordinarily funny. Her humour translates beautifully into this book. And most peeps know how I often feel about little brothers or sisters? Well, I have to say that Louie was just adorable and sweet. I loved how he was with Edie and how Edie was with him. What I love is that this is a story of an 11 year old girl who does all these things, but happens to have cerebral palsy. It’s by no means central to the plot - just a part of what makes up this funny, excitable 11 year old girl. As a massive fan of Rosie Jones, I was super excited when I saw that she had released a children's book. Even more excited when I found out that the central character of said book would have cerebral palsy. The disability that Rosie Jones lives with.