When Charlie meets her new teacher, it doesn't look like the year is off to a good start! She's forced to sit with swotty old Jamie Edwards, her mum Jo gets fired and Mrs Beckworth, her teacher, refuses to call her Charlie, instead calling her Charlotte!
Charlie thinks that Mrs Beckworth's Victorian project is the last straw! But, she soon discovers that the Victorians aren't as boring as she though, she decides that instead of doing a report like everyone else she'll do a diary!
She begins to enjoy writing the diary of eleven year old Victorian nursery maid Lottie, but her modern life seems to be getting worse! Jo gets three new jobs all for cleaning! But she seems to be getting a bit to friendly with one of her bosses. She has to clean for him and look after his weedy, little, five year-old son, Robin. Meanwhile, back at school Charlie's best friends Lisa and Angela have gone boy mad! Angela is bonkers about some boy band and Lisa is dippy about stupid David Wood!
But, things get worse!
Jo's boss, Mark, takes all of them to the Red River Theme Park, Charlie and Robin see Jo and Mark kissing in the tunnel of love!
Charlie is very upset and takes it out on little Robin by claiming that his dad won't love him now he's got Jo. Robin decides to run away to his mothers house with his small soft toy robin Birdie.
A search party is sent out and Charlie tells Jo, Mark and the police exactly what she said to Robin.
When Robin is found, but he has pneumonia, Charlie writes down everything shes going through into Lottie's dairy, adding to the story. Charlie starts crying in front of Mrs Beckworth, who hears the whole story and conforts her.
Robin eventually gets better, but Charlie is left with one question:
Will it still be just Jo and her?
