The Mum Hunt by Gwyneth Rees

Twelve year old Esmie, along with her brother Mathew, lives in a residence run by a single parent, and and their nanny, Juliette. For as long as Esmie can remember, her dad has been single, and she decides that it's finally time that things changed around here. And so we begin the mum hunt- searching for the perfect mother is harder then it seems.

There were many things that intrigued me about this book- including the characters, their personalities, the plot, the writing style, and the voice. The thing is, I got this book a long time ago, maybe when I was six years old? Back then, I didn't really like reading- wow- so I never really picked the book up. The cover didn't really help either. I mean now, I don't usually judge a book by its cover, but back then, I had a very strict policy. So just a few days ago, I had nothing better to read, and I just saw this lying around on my shelf. I picked it up and read the first few lines, and guess what? I was hooked. I just couldn't resist the witty style.

 The story itself is told by 12 year old Esmie- short for Esmeralda. The girl seems to have a lot to say. You'll find yourself in her shoes and really feeling what she's feeling. Then there's her brother, Mathew. Definitely an interesting character. A little bit of a rebel really. There were times when Mathew made decisions that really made me angry. Like the time he went and got his ear pierced even though his dad forbade him. It brought down the whole mood in the story, and it brought down my mood as well. The nanny, Juliet, is only 20, and you really get attached to her after a while. She's always interfering with Esmie's father's love life, trying to find dates for him. At one point of the story, because of all the times she interfered, you'd think that Juliet and Esmie's dad were made for each other, but boy, things just seemed to go a different way.

That brings us to the plot. When you first read the story, you meet lots of women. One of them being Esmie's french teacher. Apparently, she's single, and you automatically think: It's so obvious that she'll be Esmie's step-mother. I don't blame you, because that's exactly what I thought! The interesting thing is, that phase usually passes and returns, and so you never know who will end up with Esmie's father. It's as if you're walking down a dark corridor, and when you think you've reached a door, there's nothing, so you have to go down another hallway. That was the plot, and it always had me wanting more.

Overall, there was lots of witt in this story, and I am a huge fan of humour. The plot was something lots of people can relate to, and the characters were very realistic. I'd recommend this book to anyone, even though it is a little old.

I'd give this book a four stars.