Advanced Reader copy - Enjoyed this book, really opened my eyes and made me seek out other similar books to read.

I love Emma Donaghue and there is certainly something charming about this little middle grade but I think her adult work is more to my taste. Although I'd be interested to see if she writes more for children in the future and how she developed.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

I liked the idea of this book more than its execution. It's chaotic in thought - although this may be a beautiful metaphor for their family life and their grandfather's brain. It's diverse in the extreme, as if the author had a list of types of character she thought deserved a representation and threw them all in. I felt there were too many characters to get to know properly and too many ideas and too much wordplay for my preferences. However I applaud the idea and it's good to have gay, non-binary characters as mainstream and there's different backgrounds and ages getting a turn.

Meet the Lotterys: a unique and diverse family featuring four parents, seven kids and five pets - all living happily together in their big old house, Camelottery. Nine-year-old Sumac is the organizer of the family and is looking forward to a long summer of fun.
But when their grumpy and intolerant grandad comes to stay, everything is turned upside down. How will Sumac and her family manage with another person to add to their hectic lives?
This book was slow to start but then got going-I really enjoyed it-a wonderful read.

It is something of a surprise for an author best known for writing harrowing tales of abuse and incarceration to take a side-step into children's fiction but looking back on Emma Donoghue's back catalogue, it is perhaps not so surprising. Room had a five year-old boy as its protagonist. The Wonder centred around a nurse's desperate attempts to save an eleven year-old girl from herself. Donoghue has a history of putting children at heart of her writing. Still, The Lotterys Plus One represents a distinct change of pace for her, with a story designed to reassure rather than to leave her readers reeling. For an author so adept at taking us into the depths of darkness, how is she going to do as she tries to lead us into the light?

The Lotterys are quite the clan, with four papers (PapaDum, PopCorn, CardoMom and Maximum) and seven children, some adopted and some biological, all of whom were named after trees. The fathers are a couple, as are the mothers and when they found a winning lottery ticket a number of years previously, they all quit their jobs, changed their last name to Lottery, bought a big house and decided to raise a family together. The children are home-schooled, one of the dads is from India, one is from the Yukon, one of the mothers is from Jamaica, the other is from the Navaho tribe, and the second-youngest child has changed her name from Briar to Brian and insists that she is a boy. However, one day a phone call comes - PopCorn's estranged Scottish-Canadian father has accidentally set his house on fire and, although he is unwilling to admit it, needs help. In the midst of all this diversity, the conservative Grumps is unwilling and unable to fit in but following his dementia diagnosis, it becomes clear that this may have to be a permanent arrangement. Can the Lotterys find room for this plus one?

Having grown up with series such as The Family At One End Street, The Bagthorpe Saga and What Katy Did, I found it interesting how Donoghue tapped into this staple story of a large unruly families whilst also subverting the tradition with this highly unusual domestic arrangement. Indeed, in her Guardian article to publicise the series, Donoghue discusses how large families champion diversity in having such a diverse range of characters within and consciously makes reference to some of the books that have influenced The Lotterys - clearly she and I read a lot of the same books growing up. The fact is that stories about big families are fun - as a de facto only child (my siblings and I are geographically challenged), I always liked the idea of being part of a 'clan', I enjoyed imagining myself as part of the chaos. However. The Lotterys Plus One does not quite feel like a children's book.

I think that Donoghue's main issue is her protagonist, the nine year-old Sumac who likes to think of herself as the good girl of the family. Her nose is put out of joint when Grumps takes over her bedroom and she has to go and stay in the attic and she begins working on various strategies to get rid of him, including a painful Powerpoint presentation of various local assisted living facilities. The issue for me was that she never really seemed like a convincing nine year-old. Towards the end of the novel, she discovers that Grumps had been taking her as a twelve year-old (but undersized, since he assumes she spent her early years in an orphanage) and as a reader, I could understand his mistake. The balance of innocence and wisdom here is not so well-managed as it was in Room. Sumac did not come via an orphanage, but is instead the product of an unplanned pregnancy between a couple of the parents' friends. The detached way in which Sumac notes that her biological parents who are no longer together probably discussed 'via email' what to do with her did not seem like an observation something a nine year-old would have reached. Twelve perhaps, but nine no. And as someone whose father vanished pre-birth, I would emphasise here that I speak from experience.

It also felt at times as if Donoghue was trying too hard. I read her acknowledgements at the end where she noted the sources of some of her ideas, such as four year-old Brian's word 'imagic' instead of 'imagine', or Sic's slogan t-shirts. She has clearly workshopped amongst friends for the most interesting quirks to give her Lotterys but the result is a slight 'everything including the kitchen sink' feel. I felt that the Lotterys lacked a real theme as a family. By this I mean that most families by the fact of long-term association will have certain qualities in common, so that even if there are some members who do not fit in, they are noticeably 'the black sheep'. For example, Helen Cresswell's Bagthorpe family are all ultra-competitive, so that the easy-going Jack stands out. I appreciate that seven children and four parents are a lot of characters for an author to manage, but somehow I didn't feel that they related together very closely.

This being said, this was a novel which really exuded warmth and I really respected what I felt Donoghue was trying to do. I have often found it troubling how far some people seem to believe that the only valid model of family is the hetero normative one. Casual references to my primary school best friend's two mothers prompted a number of my otherwise apparently liberal friends to ask in hushed voices if that friend had grown up 'ok' (and yes, she's fine, of course she is). I think it can be very challenging for people to look at a family which has a different set up to their own and not feel threatened. For someone like me, who grew up with only one parent, I read The Lotterys and found the prospect of four (four!) parents utterly overwhelming. To me, parenting operates with one parent and one child in a non-stop conversation with no interlopers in to interrupt. Or at least, there weren't any until I turned fifteen when my Dad arrived and believe me, I took my time getting used to that. But my point is that as an adult I can step back and recognise that this is not the only way. It will likely not even be the way that I parent if/when I reproduce. Books such as The Lotterys allow for a dialogue from a young age that families come in many different shapes and sizes and that the only compulsory ingredient is love.

Grumps definitely represents the demographic who find the Lotterys' lifestyle disconcerting. PopCorn explains to Sumac that he could not get over his son having married a man instead of a woman and Sumac responds derisively that that all happened years ago. In one of the most upsetting scenes, Wood is speculating on the relationship between two snakes he saw in the wood, with each of the family chipping in but then Grumps puts in that the only natural way to have a family involves one man and one woman. The atmosphere immediately becomes very tense. Later research reveals that snakes do not raise their young together and the children note that nature has many different ways. Yet, Donoghue never demonises Grumps and we sense his frustration at the Lottery 'if it's yellow let it mellow' approach to toilet flushing and his silent horror when Sumac mentions casually that the children are all homeschooled and so there will be no breather from all of this constant chaos. Again, I can see how reading this with a child could open a useful dialogue about tolerance going both ways.

Yet still, Donoghue does seem to be trying to show how we all have more in common than we think. The youngest child Oak's birthday goes off with a bang and includes a lovely ceremony where each member of the family writes in an envelope what the love about the birthday boy. Sic spends most of the book trying to find someone willing to teach him to drive and finally settles on the Korean lady next door who harangues him about the importance of showing filial obedience to all four of his parents. The book closes with the family all celebrating Raksha Bandhan, a Hindu ceremony which focuses on the bond between brothers and sisters - as the mothers tie bracelets on the fathers who are their brothers by bond if not blood, the Lottery family seem like a pretty fun bunch of people to hang around with.

I think that Donoghue still has her training wheels on in terms of writing children's literature, but I think that the Lotterys definitely merit a return visit - although possibly not through the eyes of Sumac. The very fact that the family's lifestyle is predicated on them having won a large amount of money niggled me slightly - was there no way of making this 'alternative' (I hate the term alternative) family viable without making them millionaires? However, I can see that if Donoghue is planning a series, the cash mountain does offer a huge amount of possibilities for continuing adventures. The Lotterys Plus One is a 'nice' book but going from the first book alone, it leaves little impression behind it, which is really surprising given the calibre of its creator. I think we will just have to wait and see.

Sadly for me this did nothing, it seemed to have a million and one issues pushed into one book and didn't hook me at all

I have read many Emma Donoghue books and have loved them all. This one is a new book written for children and is quite different. Ms Donoghue does not shy from topics that leave you feel uncomfortable (Room is a fine example) but this felt like this book was trying to tackle almost too many different ideas. I think it will cause confusion for some young readers and certainly will need explaining to others.
As an adult I enjoyed the diversity but still felt that there were too many issues all being dealt with in one big blow. There could have been 4 different books written using the same ideas.
The topics of dementia, transgender, same sex relationships, adoption were all dealt with but in a haphazard manner.
I enjoyed the book but nonetheless left me feeling a little deflated by the end.

Ms. Donaghue has delved into a world which is very rarely spoken, and children are rarely educated about, diversity within a family circle. The lotterys are a multicultural family, with the fathers being a couple, and the mothers being a couple. Plus the adopted children come from across the world. You don’t get much more diverse than that!

The book is beautifully written, heartwarming and funny. It will have children understanding that families come in all shapes and sizes, and that love and understanding is what matters above all else.

There were a few little things that did irk me. The main one being Brian/Briar. This is a little girl, who decides that she wants to be male, and although the family now treats her as male, and refer to her as Brian, Ms. Donaghue uses the words her/she all the time when mentioned Brian, which can get a little confusing.

The book is a slow starter, but there is a lovely underline message running throughout the story, in regards to treating everyone with respect, no matter who they are, their beliefs, race, gender, etc. It is certainly different from other children’s/YA books, whether a little too different for some children is yet to be seen.

Don't get me started on how quickly I gave up on this ultra-PC, lefty bollocks, with the world's least endearing family and their smug in-jokes. A heinous waste of paper – and ten of my minutes. Zero stars.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I requested Emma Donoghue’s first book for children. I love Room and The Wonder, and presumed I would also love this book about a big family, with what I hoped would be a big heart. I never got into the book, and I never really warmed to the characters in the way I would have liked to. I felt that so much went into creating and describing the family and their set up, that we never got an in depth look into the characters apart from ” the nerdy one”, “the accident prone one”, or “the moody one.” It was a nice story with beautiful illustrations, but it left me underwhelmed.

Not my standard e.d. fare, I almost gave up halfway through. Yes it's current and poses intriguing questions but that makes it adults book and it doesn't appeal unfortunately.

I've been a fan of Emma Donoghue's adult fiction since I first read Room, so I was delighted to discover that she had written her first book for children. The Lotterys Plus One is a gorgeous book about a large, diverse family, all living together in the same house (Camelottery), and what happens when a grumpy grandad gets added into the already fairly hectic mix! I loved the characters in this book, especially Sumac, who was just wonderful. This was a charming, funny, and heartwarming novel, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

I was sent an early copy of this book in return for my independent honest review.
I rated this book 1.5*
So sorry to rate one of my favourite authors so low. This is Emma Donahue's transition from adult fiction to middle grade. Unfortunately this just didn't work for me.
As I love this authors adult books, I was so excited to read this new release. The premise sounded exciting and so promising.
My overall thought is the old adage 'Less is More' it's as if she thought of everything she wanted to put in a novel for younger people and threw it all into one book.
There is a decent plot somewhere and the messages that this work is wanting to portray are important, however in my opinion the execution was not good.
There are two families who have won the lottery and changed their surnames to The Lotterys. The 'whole' new family are not what once was termed 'A Traditional Family' with heterosexual parents and varying number of children,but is made up of two lesbian mothers and two gay fathers. There are seven children all named after trees, and one is perhaps transgender. I like the idea that all the children have male and female role models in this family unit, which celebrates diversity, however I didn't think it was particularly well done. I usually love how Donahue portrays her characters in her adult work, from what I read, I didn't particularly feel endeared to any of them in this.
The plus One is Grandpa, an actual parent to one of the adults and is stereotypical of a much older generation who doesn't particularly understand diversity or unusual family living.
Unfortunately after a while I had to give up on this book. Too much diversity thrown into one place without enough substance and too confusing plot, spoilt the enjoyment for me.

I enjoyed Room by Emma Donoghue immensely so I was looking forward to a bit of light reading with The Lottery's Plus One. Especially as I've read a lot of thriller's recently. Unfortunately I find myself absolutely flummoxed by this huge family. I keep stopping and starting to remind myself whose who! I have now decided to call it a day.

This is a child's book and many children will love it. I would have.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Thanks Netgalley. Not sure what I can say about this book, it was okay is probably enough

The lotterys plus one is a book about two couples who win the lottery all move in together (children and pets included) and use their winnings to live a "perfect" life until one of the parents' parent (grandpa) joins the eccentric family.
Although written as a 'children's' book it was still an okay read as an adult. I chose to read this as I loved the book Room by this author.