Elsa is little girl who loves telling jokes to cheer people up and most of the time it works. She has big ginger hair and her family call her 'The Lion'. Life isn't perfect, but Elsa's jokes keep the family smiling.

When Elsa gets a new stepdad, "Mack the Smack", her life goes from bad to worse. At first, the family has lots of money, but when her stepdad loses his job, the family become so poor they have to move out of their house to live in a dirty Bed and Breakfast. The B&B is called "The Royal Hotel", but it isn't very royal! Their room is really small, dirty and smelly and they don't even get a hot breakfast like bacon and eggs.

Elsa tries to cope with the changes and difficulties in her life by telling jokes and she dreams of becoming a famous actress. One day, her dream almost comes true when a television company comes to the hotel to make a film about child poverty. Elsa is desperate to be the star of the film, but unfortunately her enthusiasm leads to disaster!

The Bed and Breakfast Star is a great book and it's heartbreaking to see Elsa trying to keep everyone cheerful. It also makes you realise how lucky you are compared to some children who have to live in places like The Royal Hotel.

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