Cosima Unfortunate Steals A Star is a brilliantly diverse book for the middle-grade age range, about a group of girls with a range of physical disabilities who have been hidden away in the Home for Unfortunate Girls, as they do not meet the Victorian Societies idealistic views of what the ‘perfect child’ should be.
Cos is an imaginative and endearing character whose impulsiveness often leads to disastrous events that her friends must rescue her from. She is a determined, spirited and highly independent heroine who continually fights to prove herself and her friends in the Home for Unfortunate Girls are more than their physical disabilities. The author, Lauren Noakes, addresses the discrimination towards these girls in a sensitive and positive way. It is clear to young readers that the viewpoint of many at the time are reflective of the era.
I enjoyed this book and the way the girls ingenious teamwork overcomes not only their physical disabilities but also outwits the dastardly owners of the Home for Unfortunate Girls the sinister Stain siblings, Miss Stain and her awful brother Mr Stain. When they discover on one of their many heists that the smarmy Lord Francis Fitzroy wishes to adopt all twenty of the girls in the home, Cos and her friends endeavour to solve the mystery of why he would want as he described a bunch of ‘defective children’.
When Miss Noone gate-crashes the Stain siblings social gathering at the home it provides the girls with the opportunity to visit The Empire Exhibition, where Lord Fitzroy is displaying a vast wealth of treasures he has acquired from around the world to find out his motives, only to discover he plans to experiment on them to find a so-called cure. Cos is motivated to plan a new even more daring heist to liberate the jewels Lord Fitroy has stolen from his travels around the world, including the fabulous tiara, containing the Star diamond from India, and send them back to where they belong. The sub-plot of Cos investigating who her family is works well and has been well plotted, albeit a little predictable.
I am always impressed by Flavia Sorrentino’s illustrations and in Cosima Unfortunate Steals A Star her beautiful artwork compliments the text perfectly, as she expertly portrays the characters and their disabilities.
This book would be suitable to read to the class during a topic on the Victorians in KS2. the Victorian setting is well described and provides the ideal backdrop for a story with a theme of overcoming discrimination. It would also be a great book to initiate discussions on empathy and equality.
On the whole, it is a fun, well-crafted mystery adventure with some memorable characters.

Cosima Unfortunate is an action packed story of friendship and pulling together against evil forces. It is a fantastic, inclusive story that many children will be able to see themselves represented in. I thought the book being set in the Victorian era was a good way to encourage reflection that attitudes have changed significantly towards visible and invisible disabilities but also that we have a long way to go still.

Cosima is a determined character and role model. I loved how much value she places on the meaning of friendship and and appreciating the unique qualities of all her friends.

The Stains characters are, quite simply, vile. They are shocking at times but this is indicative of the importance that Cosima and her friends succeed in their mission.

I really enjoyed this book and all of the exciting escapades within and will be adding it to our school library as soon as I can!

This is a charming story of friendship and a celebration of our differences. It’s a comforting hug of a book! Set in the Victorian era in a children’s home for so-called ‘defective’ children, it follows the adventures of our heroines, Cos, Diya, Mary and Pearl, who set out on their most daring heist yet at the prestigious Empire Exhibition. All of the girls have conditions that make their lives harder, but they also have particular talents, such as Pearl’s artistic flair and Diya’s scientific know-how, which they use together to become a determined and invincible team! I really enjoyed this book and it’s themes of determination, friendship and diversity. I also loved the historical setting, which Laura Noakes brings alive with references to the match girls’ strike, factory conditions and the everyday lives of children caught up in poverty at the time (Miles). This would open up lots of discussion in a classroom, including also evaluating the effects of the British Empire. At its heart though, this is an adventure story about a group of friends led by one determined and loyal protagonist, Cosima. I can imagine lots of children loving this story and I will be recommending it to children in my school! Well done, Laura Noakes!

Cosima Unfortunate Steals A Star features Cos, a self-appointed queen of heists and her fellow group of 'unfortunates'. A fierce group of girls, ready to do their biggest heist yet! Is it stealing if they're already stolen?

Showing the power of friendship, hope and determination, they empower each other and highlight the positives of each other's personalities even when everyone around them sees them as defective and nothing more than their disabilities. With quirky and fantastical elements that I wish it leaned on more, it felt like it was dipping its toe in with unrealistic elements, like the realistic crown of rope and paint, and it would have been so much more if it embraced the quirkiness even more.

Home for the Unfortunates is a perfect introduction to the history of disability, especially invisible and ambulatory wheelchair users and a stepping stool for further discussions and the reality that there is still a long way to go, that every child should read. As someone with EDS, it was lovely to see someone in a book just like me.

Review from my 9 year old;
Cosima Unfortunate Steals A Star is a very brilliant book about a home for children who are disable or who are little bit different. The children really don't like the home and dream of escape but they love each other and their friendships are great and strong and they keep themselves entertained planning and carrying out little heists. They find out a man is planning on adopting all of them and so Cos and her friends have to pull off the biggest heist of their lives.
I really loved all the characters and how determined they were. It was a funny entertaining read that made me feel happy. I loved it and think so many other kids will too.

** This book prompted great conversation with me daughter. Its brilliant to see disabled children represented in a realistic way. My daughter loved this book, one we will definitely buy as gifts.

Charming, fun, mysterious with a diverse cast of "unfortunates" - I really am here for this wave of inclusive, enjoyable middle grade novels that we seem to be enjoying at the moment. This is absolutely the sort of book that I might recommend to some of my Year 7 students - those who have disabilities and don't often get to see themselves as the heroines in particular, but I think anyone who enjoys engaging, well plotted middle grade fiction could enjoy this. I know I did as a thirty-something supposedly full grown adult.

It is so positive to see an ever-increasingly diverse range of characters now being included in books written for children and I cannot be the only one who is delighted that on several of the front covers of recent and upcoming titles we are seeing individuals represented with a whole range of disabilities. Obviously, there are also disabilities that are invisible and cannot be shown but for those with hearing impairments or limb differences, for example, how refreshing it must be for young readers to see individuals like themselves clearly portrayed as the star of the show in the brilliant artwork that so often accompanies children’s fiction.

Here, that star is Cosima (Cos), one of a group of 20 residents housed in the Home for Unfortunate Girls. Supposed to be unpicking old rope like the other girls, Cos heads to the window to sneak a look at the mysterious guest who has come to visit Miss Stain – one of her two guardians – before rushing back to her seat ahead of being checked upon by the other, Mr Stain. Once he has disappeared, Cos and friends Mary, Diya and Pearl plot to steal a delivery of cakes that has arrived – one destined for Miss Stain and her social circle, rather than the half-starved girls.

Putting their plan into action, all appears to be going well until Cos is distracted by the presence of the unknown man in Miss Stain’s office and deciding to try to find out who he is and why he is visiting discovers that the guest – Lord Francis Fitzroy – intends to adopt all 20 of the home’s girls. Worried as to what the gentleman might have planned for her and her friends, Cos vows to somehow find out more about him and the opportunity soon presents itself when Miss Stain’s ladies arrive for afternoon tea and a new member of the circle, a Miss Noone, tells a stunned Miss Stain that she has come at the suggestion of Lord Fitzroy.

When Miss Noone provides the girls with the opportunity to visit The Empire Exhibition, where Lord Fitzroy is displaying a vast wealth of treasures he has acquired from around the world, Cos starts to hatch a plan to steal the Fitzroy tiara – a fabulous piece of jewellery, containing a famous diamond. By doing so, Cos is confident that she and the other inmates of the home will be able to prevent their adoption by the nobleman but when the opportunity presents itself to find out more about her roots, will Cos be able to stick to the plan? And what will happen to her and the rest of the girls if she can’t?

The treatment of Cos and her friends by the Stains, Fitzroy and several of the other minor characters throughout the book is hurtful, cruel and frequently shocking to the reader but is sadly not entirely fictional. Throughout the book, the girls are referred to using painful language – they are often described as defective, for example – and there are times when accessibility for Cos, who sometimes uses a wheelchair, is limited – something that we know is a very serious issue for many. The presentation of the perception of many of those who society deems to be normal of the girls and their unmet needs makes for a very powerful read.

This is so very important for our children to see in their stories. First and foremost Cos is a very likeable protagonist – and why would she not be? – but for those readers who, unlike her, do not have any barriers to their ability to move about as they wish, the book clearly shows that at times her disability is entirely invisible, while at others she uses a stick or wheelchair to allow her something approaching the freedom that most of us take for granted. By the empathetic and positive presentation of Cos and her friends, and the wonderful and varied ways in which they support one another, all of our children will be able to see the importance of friendship and inclusion clearly described within the pages of this book.

And what a book it is. One which I have to say I am very surprised is not getting more attention on Twitter – it certainly deserves to. Perfect for Year 4 upwards, this is a brilliant adventure which would make a great read aloud and is beautifully brought to life by the gorgeous illustrations of Flavia Sorrentino that appear throughout. I for one am now very much looking forward to finding out what happens next.

As always, my enormous thanks go to Net Galley and to publisher Harper Collins for my advance virtual read. Cosima Unfortunate Steals A Star publishes 25th May.

I have mixed feelings about this book.I read it to the end ,wanting to know what happened, so I must say that the overall plot engaged me.I appreciated the representation of children with disabilities which are few and far between in children’s’ Literature but sadly I found too much unbelievable even for fiction of this genre.
I feel that perhaps there were too many sub plots.Did the jewel theft have to happen just to provide money at the end? Was Miles well enough integrated into the story ? Clearly the issue of the Empire matters to the author.This is important to us all but I’m unconvinced that the comments about it would really help educate a middle grade reader in a balanced way.Likewise some of the vocabulary and phrasing were at odds with the narratorial voice.

I have been very critical and so won’t be publishing this review on line.In many ways I think a child would enjoy much of it and I wish the author well with her future writing.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this ARC
A joyful, exciting MG adventure celebrating diversity and girl power! Cosima is a feisty, relatable heroine who doesn't allow herself or her friends in the Home for Unfortunate Girls to be defined by their disabilities. I loved the richly described Victorian settings and particularly enjoyed how Diya's inventions assist the girls as they gang up against the ghastly Stain siblings and the sinister Lord Fitzroy. The gorgeous illustrations complement the story perfectly!

Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star centres around Cosima and her friends who all reside in a home for 'defective children.'
Set in the Victorian age, children with any form of disability would have been sent away from their families as they were not perfect children.
Noakes handles this topic with sensitivity but also instills in her characters a sense of 'we will not put up with this!' The theme of disability runs heavily through the novel, perhaps it's mentioned too many times - but it only serves to drive home how much society has changed since the 1900s. However, this does not detract from the wonderful story and Cosima's search for her parentage, the girl's battle against the brother and sister who run the home and who is Lord Fitzroy.
Leaving the story on a cliff hanger, I look forward to the next Cosima adventure.