Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery

by Keren David

Overview

Money can’t buy you love. But it can buy many other very nice things.



Lia’s mum is a nag, her sister’s a pain and she’s getting nowhere in pursuit of the potentially paranormal Raf.

Then she wins £8 million in the lottery, and suddenly everything is different. But will Lia’s fortune create more problems

than it solves?



Everyone dreams of winning the lottery - but what’s it really like? Find out in this hilarious story by Keren David, nominated for the Carnegie medal.



Check out the fabulous Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery microsite at
www.liasguidetowinningthelottery.co.uk

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781907666803
Publisher:	Frances Lincoln
Publication date:	08/04/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	509 KB
Age Range:	12 - 15 Years

About the Author

Keren David was brought up in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire and went to school in Hatfield. She left school at 18 and got a job as a messenger girl on a newspaper, then turned down a place to read English at university to take an apprenticeship as a junior reporter. She was freelancing as a reporter on the old Fleet Street by her mid-twenties and, after living and working in Scotland for two years, was appointed as a news editor on The Independent at the age of 27. She worked at The Independent for six years, moving from news to become a commissioning editor on the Comment pages. She and her family then went to live in Amsterdam for eight years where she was editor in chief of a photo-journalism agency. On returning to the UK in 2007 she decided to attend a course on writing for children at the City University. When I Was Joe started out as a project for that course. She lives in London with her husband and two children and studying for an Open University degree in Humanities with Art History. To read a Q&A with Keren David, click here
Keren David was brought up in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, and went to school in Hatfield. She left school at 18 and got a job as a messenger girl on a newspaper, then turned down a place to read English at university to take an apprenticeship as a junior reporter. She was freelancing as a reporter on the old Fleet Street by her mid-twenties and, after living and working in Scotland for two years, was appointed as a news editor on The Independent at the age of 27. She worked at The Independent for six years, moving from news to become a commissioning editor on the Comment pages. She and her family then went to live in Amsterdam for eight years where she was editor in chief of a photo-journalism agency. On returning to the U.K. in 2007 she decided to attend a course on writing for children at the City University. When I Was Joe started out as a project for that course. She lives in London with her husband and two children.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1



It might be magic, it might be destiny. Or it might just prove that the universe is completely random.

It doesn’t matter. You’re rich.



My mother kicked me out one minute after I won â £ 8 million.

She didn’t literally manhandle me over the threshold, she just stood there, arm pointing at the door, tears pouring down her face saying, â ‘Just. Get. Out. Now.’ in a voice that sounded like she was taking huge gulps of vodka in between each word.

Actually, she was gargling red wine that evening. Burgundy, to match her lipstick and toenails.

It was totally random, this eviction. One of those fights that weâ ‘d been having a lot round about then. I thought they were all her fault. She seemed to think they were all mine. We’d been bickering all evening, and I was trying to stay cool and calm and totally reasonable. But the more I laid out my case for her to hand over twenty quid, the more quivery and emotional she became. It was completely unfair.

My little sister Natasha had struck gold when the evening was young and Mum was getting ready to go out for a party, humming Beyoncà © , trying on earrings and admiring herself in her Karen Millen purple satin sheath dress. All Nat had to do was tell her how great she looked and Mum plunged into her diamantà © clutch bag and handed over â £ 20.

By the time I realised I was in desperate need of cash, having over-celebrated my birthday earlier in the month, Dad had announced that he had man flu. Their party outing was cancelled and Mum was back in her jeans, sulking in front of The X Factor.

â ‘You’re not actually doing anything, Lia,’ she said, picking at her Weight Watcher’s Shepherd’s-Pie-free Pie. â ‘Why should I give you money? You’ve had your allowance for this month.’

I opened my mouth wide. â ‘But . . . you gave Nat twenty quid. That’s so unfair. . . I want to go shopping tomorrow. I need twenty quid as well.’

I did need money. I always needed money. There was a fabulous 1960s leather jacket at my favourite stall in Camden – I’d dragged Mum there on my birthday, begged her with tears in my eyes to buy it for me, but she’d said she wasn’t paying â £ 80 for someone’s tatty old leftovers. I couldn’t believe it – that jacket was a bargain. She just couldn’t bear letting me make my own decisions, she’d become downright mean and controlling over the last year or so. It was probably something to do with getting old – maybe she was bitter that she was getting all dried out and wrinkly while I looked reasonably OK in a good light and with the right leather jacket.

Anyway, that leather jacket was my latest ploy in the battle to get the attention of Raf, gorgeous, mysterious Raf, my latest crush. I had â £ 40 all saved up. If I could get another â £ 20 . . . and then hit Dad for some more the next day. . .

â ‘Natasha needed money to go out with her friends. It was an unexpected expense. And she doesn’t get as much allowance as you do. Come off it, Lia.’

â ‘You’re only giving her money because you’re desperate for her to have friends,’ I said. I knew it was a little mean to point this out – it was really tough for Natters when she fell into the grip of bullies last year – but that still was no reason to award her totally unearned and unfair bonuses.

â ‘Don’t be so vile,’ said Mum.

I took a big bite of spaghetti, slurping like a Dyson to pull in all the random threads.

â ‘Must you?’ she asked, with her bulimic face on.

â ‘Well, it’s true. You think Nat needs a load of extra financial help to bribe people into being friends with her. â “Come on, everyone, popcorn’s on me!â ” Actually it’ll just make her look

Editorial Reviews

'humorous and thought-provoking … it's a ten out of ten.'

'humorous and thought-provoking . it's a ten out of ten.'

'This astringent, insightful satire is a major treat.' 'Tart, funny and fast-moving, with a touch of rueful realism and a lot of heart.'

A really funny and thought-provoking tale of a teenage Lottery winner - and the inevitable chaos that follows.

'This astringent, insightful satire is a major treat.' -'Tart, funny and fast-moving, with a touch of rueful realism and a lot of heart.'

From the Publisher

Gr 9 Up—When her friend buys her a winning lottery ticket, 16-year-old Lia strikes it rich, making her eight million pounds wealthier. The self-centered teen, who lives in a London suburb, initially succumbs to the expected pitfalls of instantaneous money, making frivolous purchases, lavishing gifts on friends, and becoming a media victim. Even as she gets caught up in her new life, she's also struggling to accept her best friend's growing devotion to Islam and the strains it puts on their relationship. Of course Lia has a love interest: the mysterious Raf, who shows up at school with black eyes and sleeps in an office in an Internet café. Lia's not sure what to make of the secrets surrounding him-she even spends much of the book wondering if he's possibly a vampire, angel, or some other kind of supernatural being. The novel's pace is adequate, but it really picks up halfway through as Lia begins to learn more about Raf and herself. Some plot twists are trite, and certain elements of the Lia/Rafael relationship feel a little too convenient. The writing is appropriate to the age range, though a brief, non-graphic sex scene may skew the book toward a slightly older audience. A solid choice for libraries looking to expand their chick-lit collections.—Lindsay Cesari, Baldwinsville School District, NY

School Library Journal

Lia Latimer is more than ready to take her future in her own hands when she wins eight million pounds in the lottery. She'll drop out of school, buy a flat, leave her annoying family behind. What could go wrong? Plenty, of course, and watching it unfold in this astringent, insightful satire is a major treat. Her father's struggling bakery needs a cash infusion; her mother would like a boob job; sister Natasha longs for singing lessons. Jack (the winning ticket was his 16th-birthday present to Lia) wants an Italian motor bike; his mother demands half Lia's winnings. Some seek support for worthy causes, but unlike Shazia, who won't let Lia give her anything (Islam rejects gambling), most classmates expect presents. Financing their shopping spree (£7,000) doesn't prevent a Facebook-fueled anti-Lia movement. Her romance with mysterious, gorgeous Raf is a bright spot--unless he's just after her winnings. Lia (self-centered control freak, yes, but smart, honest and likable) makes a refreshingly assertive heroine for affluenza-ridden times, discovering that too many choices can be almost as immobilizing as having none. The text is peppered with British terms and cultural references, but readers raised on Harry Potter should have no problems. Tart, funny and fast-moving, with a touch of rueful realism and a lot of heart. (Fiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews