It's 1834 in England, and Lydia Maddison and her family have nowhere to go. Their father has left them - and left them with nothing. So they begin at the workhouse as paupers, in Victorian England. It's a hard way to live. Lydia's son Tom and his sister Rose need to summon all their strength and ingenuity to survive. What does the future hold for the Maddison family? A final note at the end of the book offers some historical background to the Poor Laws and workhouses in nineteenth-century England.

An eye-opening tale that is sobering but ultimately uplifting. Based on real historical events, and drawing parallels with our lives today, this is an evocative narrative that will appeal to children who are curious about the past and who want a story with a little more grit than the usual books for their age range.