- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 9–12
- Comedy
The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks
Book 1 of 8 in Lottie BrooksView the full series
A laugh-out-loud illustrated diary about starting secondary school with the wrong pencil case, no bra and no best friend. Lottie Brooks is a cringe-comedy heroine with a huge, anxious, hopeful heart.
- Best for9–12
- FormatIllustrated
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Comedic
- Conversational
- Epistolary
Tone
- Funny
- Irreverent
- Warm
- Heartwarming
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Lottie Brooks is about to start secondary school, and everything is going wrong. Her best friend Molly has moved to the other side of the world, she's got the wrong pencil case, she still hasn't got a bra, and now the whole class is calling her KitKat Chunky. Convinced the only way to survive is to worm her way in with the popular girls, Lottie hatches a plan that quickly proves to be a very bad idea. But when she meets Jess, a girl who genuinely doesn't care what anyone thinks of her, Lottie starts to work out who she actually wants to be. Told entirely through Lottie's diary of doodles, lists, thoughts of the day and hilarious over-sharing, this is a warm, painfully relatable comedy about first days, first crushes and the agony of being eleven. The opening book in a bestselling series for readers who love Dork Diaries and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Squarely a 9-12 independent read, pitched at the anxious edge of primary-to-secondary transition. The short diary entries and doodles make it very friendly for reluctant readers, and it works as a shared read for a child navigating the move to big school.
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- Best fit · 9–12
- Read aloud · 9–12
- Independent · 9–12
Prose load
Light
Visual support
High
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Funny diary
- Starting secondary school
- Reluctant readers
- Friendship dramas
- Tween girls
Avoid if
- Wants action adventure
- Wants fantasy
Particularly good for children who are…
- Moving to secondary school
- Making friends
- Low self esteem
- Reluctant reader
- Anxiety and worry
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Lottie says out loud all the mortifying things kids actually worry about, from bras to the wrong pencil case to being nicknamed KitKat Chunky. The doodles, lists and thoughts of the day make you feel like you're reading a real friend's diary.
- Being understood finally
- Friendship and belonging
- Proving yourself
- Breaking the rules safely
Why parents love it
It captures the anxiety of starting secondary school so accurately it hurts, then makes it funny. Reluctant readers race through the diary format, and the message about being yourself rather than chasing the popular crowd lands without preaching.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
In the series
Lottie Brooks.
8 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Katie Kirby.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
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