Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “A Room Full of Chocolate” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

A Room Full of Chocolate

Jane Elson

4.20 · Rating details · 285 ratings · 38 reviews

A Goodnight Mister Tom for today - this is the book that will make you laugh and cry ...

Grace's fun loving Mum has found a lump. Her north London world of sleepovers, tap dancing and playing the clarinet fall apart when she is sent to live with her grumpy old granddad on his farm in Yorkshire while her mother goes into hospital to get better.

Grace misses her mother so much ...more

Get A Copy

Paperback, 256 pages

Published February 6th 2014 by Hodder Children's Books

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about A Room Full of Chocolate, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about A Room Full of Chocolate

Lists with This Book

The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

YA Shot Authors 2015

199 books — 40 voters

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

Oh, the Books! Bookish Guide: YA Books with Strong Female Friendships

98 books — 35 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.20 ·

Rating details

· 285 ratings · 38 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of A Room Full of Chocolate

Oct 02, 2015 Cora Tea Party Princess rated it liked it

AUDIOBOOK

5 Words: Family, past, cancer, bullies, school.

Oooh this book made me a little angry. I hate bullies. Can't stand them. Think they should all die a horrible, painful death.

But I did like how this book dealt with the subject and how the bullies were punished.

Overall this was pretty good. I loved the escapades with a piglet, I was almost howling with laughter even when I knew that things were about to plummet. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 29, 2014 Beth (bibliobeth) rated it it was amazing

My sister and fellow blogger Chrissi Reads read this book recently and devoured it in a matter of hours so when she recommended it to me I knew I had to read it immediately. I’m so glad I did, this is a beautiful and touching story of a young girl called Grace who is sent to stay with her Grandad on his farm in Yorkshire when her mum finds a lump in her breast and has to undergo treatment for cancer. This doesn’t really appeal to Grace as a) she wants to stay with her mother and is worried about My sister and fellow blogger Chrissi Reads read this book recently and devoured it in a matter of hours so when she recommended it to me I knew I had to read it immediately. I’m so glad I did, this is a beautiful and touching story of a young girl called Grace who is sent to stay with her Grandad on his farm in Yorkshire when her mum finds a lump in her breast and has to undergo treatment for cancer. This doesn’t really appeal to Grace as a) she wants to stay with her mother and is worried about what having a “lump” actually means and b) her Grandad is notoriously grumpy and her friends are in London, so staying in a strange place with no other company apart from a quick-tempered relative whom she hardly knows isn’t Graces idea of a good time! However Grace does not need to be concerned, as soon as she arrives she is accosted by a young girl in red wellingtons – Megan and her pet pig Claude who follows her round like a little shadow. The three quickly become firm friends (yes, including the pig!) and Grace discovers that Megan is the daughter of her mother’s old best friend from when she lived on the farm, which gives her an important link with her mum whom she is fretting about on a daily basis.

So you might think that the story can meander along quite happily, and Grace herself feels quite contented now that she has a new best friend and a pig to play with. Unfortunately this isn’t the case. Firstly, Grandad has taken against Meg’s “wild” family which he seems to have a long-standing rift with and forbids Grace to have any contact with them. Of course she ignores this but it leads to her having to sneak out at any given opportunity to meet her friend and take her mind off what is happening with her mother. Secondly, Meg is not exactly with the “popular” crowd at the school in Yorkshire, and is looked on as being slightly strange as she struggles to fit in. As Grace is friends with her is is automatically lumped into the same box and is subjected to taunts, threats and abuse by text message daily, which she keeps to herself, bottling it all up inside. To let her feelings out, Grace uses a journal, private to her but certain parts we as the reader are allowed to see. Grace’s heart-breaking journal entries with her worries about her mother (did she get the lump dancing?) and her fears about the bullies that are targeting her were wonderful, felt completely authentic and were my favourite parts of the book. There comes a time when Grace begins to realise how serious her mum’s illness actually is and runs away with Meg to London to try and see her with the naughty little Claude in tow of course, oinking at inappropriate moments and causing havoc when released!

I’m not going to spoil the whole book but I have to heartily recommend it as a great example of middle grade fiction that I can imagine school children of this age absolutely loving. It’s not just another cancer story, its so much more than that and touches on a wide range of issues that I think its important children should be aware of, like prejudice, bullying, serious illness, and the importance of friendship. I fell in love with the characters almost immediately (especially Claude the pig) and had that nice warm and fuzzy feeling when I eventually finished it, strangely enough like I had devoured a delicious chocolate bar. This is such a special and exciting book, I hope it gets the acclaim it deserves and I could honestly pick it up and read it all over again.

Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.com ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

May 03, 2014 Robin Stevens rated it it was amazing

A sweet, touching story about friendship, love and learning to cope with the very real, very terrible things that life can throw at you. If nothing else, it should remind adults about the intelligence and resilience that all children possess - underestimate them and you do them and yourself a real disservice. A lovely and hopeful book that deals with a very important subject.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 05, 2014 Luna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: uk-authors, publisher-review-copy-arc

I bought this book purely because so many bloggers were talking about it, never read the blurb. Just took it home sat down and began to read.

Grace is sent to live with her “grumpy” grandfather after her mother finds a lump and begins treatment at the hospital. Grace doesn’t want to go and in the infuriating way of grown-ups doesn’t get told the whole story because they are protecting her.

Not only did I love Jane Elson’s writing and character – I loved the story. There of moments that make you la ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 15, 2020 Pixi Jo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: oh-yes-please, happy-to-be-a-kiddo-book, feel-good-fluffy, slice-of-life

You know, if I were Grace I'd be pretty annoyed too!
Mum's got a lump, you're shipped off to your grandad you've never met but who's not so affectionately known of as, "The old goat", oh and dad buggers of because you know what, too much DRAH-MA!!
Yeah I'd be moody too.
But then she meets the rainbow girl and things kinda do a massive swing about to the fantastic!
She now has Megan and her family and a cute pot bellied pig named Claude to help her through these tough times.
And they do get tough!
Beca ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 17, 2014 Big Book Little Book rated it really liked it

Caroline for www.bigbooklittlebook.com
Copy received in exchange for an honest review.

I started reading A Room Full Of Chocolate with the expectation that I was going to love it. The synopsis had caught my attention the first time I come across it, while the extremely positive reviews of bloggers I respect had me moving it swiftly to the top of my TBR. While there was so much that I loved about this debut middle grade novel my biggest issue was that I was unable to disengage my adult, or more cor ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 27, 2014 Lindsay rated it it was amazing

Shelves: childrens

'I've realised that sometimes family isn't the one you are born into but the people and pigs you collect along the way.'

Ten-year-old Grace Wilson lives with her mum and dad in London, but after her mum discovers a lump, and her dad proves to be unreliable and uncaring, she is sent to live with her Grandad on his farm in Yorkshire. Grace’s mum and Grandad have been estranged for many years; Grace has never even met him before. She is desperate to stay at home and look after her mum after her surg 'I've realised that sometimes family isn't the one you are born into but the people and pigs you collect along the way.'

Ten-year-old Grace Wilson lives with her mum and dad in London, but after her mum discovers a lump, and her dad proves to be unreliable and uncaring, she is sent to live with her Grandad on his farm in Yorkshire. Grace’s mum and Grandad have been estranged for many years; Grace has never even met him before. She is desperate to stay at home and look after her mum after her surgery. Arriving reluctantly at her Grandad’s place, she meets a girl dressed in many colours, who she immediately thinks of as the ‘rainbow-girl’. This is Megan, and the little friend who precedes her into the yard is Claude the pig! Megan makes Grace feel 'a tiny ray of curious sunshine push through my grey lonely fog.' They immediately become firm friends. When Grace meets Megan’s kind mum, Allie, she discovers more about her own mum and the past too.

Grace has lots to cope with, as well as trying to understand what her mum is going through – though her family has tried to shield her from this with good intentions but perhaps misguidedly, she has done her own bit of research on the Internet and found out worrying things – she also has to adjust to a new school. Megan is there, although she is in Year six and Grace in Year five, so they are not together all the time, and there are some very unkind pupils who start to bully Grace in person as well as via nasty text messages. Grace misses her mum terribly, and finds it difficult at first living with her Grandad, who himself has to reconsider if he has been a good judge of character or not, and decide whether he can overcome his fears and change his ways. Grace writes in her 'Special Blue Book', recording her innermost thoughts, sections of which are shared with the reader throughout the story

This is a wonderful story written with warmth and humour, with sensitive and honest handling of difficult, serious topics, namely bullying and serious illness. Grace is a great central character, innocent and kind, curious and fun, as she tries to cope with a lot of change in her life. The character development is really good with Grace seeing that there is more than one side to her Grandad, and the strong bonds of friendship between Megan and Grace are beautifully written. There is friendship and adventure, illness and sadness, humour and love, plus a couple of magical moments. There are some delightful animal characters included in the story; as well as Claude the simply fabulous, hilarious pig with his starring role, there is affectionate Lara the Golden Retriever and Martha the cat.

I read this quickly and enjoyed it very much, the story had my attention throughout and I was keen to see how it ended. I think young readers will find much to enjoy and ponder in this lovely children's fiction debut.
4.5 stars ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 27, 2014 Katy Noyes rated it it was amazing

This lovely children's story stand on its own merits without comparison to Goodnight Mister Tom. I'd even venture to say the comparison does it a disservice - yes, a child is sent away from her mother to live with a crotchety old man in the countryside. Yes, she's initially unhappy there and yes, eventually she both warms up to her new home and (mini-spoiler but not really) warms the heart of her grandfather.

For me this wasn't at all central to the story. The real heart of this book is Grace and ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 26, 2014 Debbie rated it it was amazing

Also published on my blog at http://snugglingonthesofa.com/book-re...

I dont read a lot of Middle Grade or Children’s fiction. However, when my friend Cait told me about A Room Full of Chocolate, I knew I had to have it. We follow the story of Grace, who gets sent to her grandad’s when her mum finds a lump. However, this isn’t just another cancer story- it is so much more. A story of friendship, growing up, love and laughter.

Right from the beginning the story tugged on my heartstrings. Grace is ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 05, 2017 Stephen Connor rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 52books2017, family, bullying, illness-disability

When Grace’s mum finds a lump, she sends her 10-year-old daughter away to live temporarily with her grandad. This means starting a new school in a new town with a new way of living - and Grace finds it hard. She is bullied, gets into trouble at school and develops a friendship with Megan, a girl from a family her grandad doesn’t trust. The story of how Grace deals with her new surroundings and her difficulty accepting Mum’s illness is engaging throughout.

There are some dark moments here, and it ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 03, 2018 Camilla Chester rated it really liked it

This was such a sweet story. I love the friendship between the two girls best of all. I love a story that ties up nice and neatly and I like the link between the mothers and the daughters.

My 11-year-old daughter cried and cried when she read this book. She said it was one of her all-time favourites and as soon as she finished it she read it again!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 07, 2020 Avril Welch rated it it was amazing

I think this book for young adults is brilliant - it is sensitive and is full of emotion. The difficult subject matter of cancer and a young child is well handled and if anyone is going through difficulty with not knowing how to help their child get through a cancer diagnosis with a parent - this is a great story to help.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 12, 2016 Isabella S added it

I really like this book because it has a nice friendship in it a has adventure and sacredness in it

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 22, 2018 Ava rated it it was amazing

Shelves: friends-and-romance

loved this book

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 21, 2020 Lola rated it it was amazing

Amazing book. The characters are so wonderful and the relationship between Grace and Megan is overjoying. Definitely recommend, I finished in about 3 hours.😁

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 02, 2018 Eve beinguniquebooks rated it it was amazing

When ten year old Grace gets sent to stay with her granddad after her parents split and her mum fights cancer. Though Grace always tries to block out any thought that she has surrounding cancer As she tries to put it to the back of her mind.

As she stays with her granddad though, she discovers her mum's old childhood best friend Allie along with her daughter, Megan still live by them in the same house after her granddad sent his daughter away to school so As to split Allie and Grace's mum Chloe u ...more

flag Like · see review

May 02, 2018 Natalie added it

I think this book is really good because it teaches the importance of family, This book is a very touching story about friendship and family. In the book the main character Grace has to move away because her mom can no longer take care of her and everything was moving so fast yet it was detailed. In this book it gives a lot of detail about how grace felt which I think is a pretty good factor in a book.

flag Like · see review

Jun 02, 2019 Nat Jane rated it it was amazing

It is a beautiful book, I have read it multiple times and it so capturing and truly unbelievable as to how good it is.

flag Like · see review

$Faye {Daydreaming_Star}$

Feb 09, 2014 Faye {Daydreaming_Star} rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed

As soon as I was told about A Room Full of Chocolate, I knew it was a book that I really wanted to get my hands on. It sounded like a really intriguing story that I would love to read. Then, upon hearing so many others raving about this book, I got even more excited to read it until eventually I opened the book. Unfortunately, however, this book did not live up to the expectations that I had given it. Essentially I had expected to be blown away by this book but this simply was not the case. Whil As soon as I was told about A Room Full of Chocolate, I knew it was a book that I really wanted to get my hands on. It sounded like a really intriguing story that I would love to read. Then, upon hearing so many others raving about this book, I got even more excited to read it until eventually I opened the book. Unfortunately, however, this book did not live up to the expectations that I had given it. Essentially I had expected to be blown away by this book but this simply was not the case. While I did enjoy this book and liked reading it, I was wholly disheartened by a lot of it and was constantly pulled out of the story due to the issues I had with it. I would still recommend it, but I certainly would warn that it’s not a brilliant book.

One of the things I was most drawn to about this book was that it sounded like a cute story of friendship and dealing with big scary illnesses in a really lovely way. While this book does deal with friendship, and dealing with big scary illnesses, and has its cute moments, it just didn’t deliver as I hoped it would. The biggest problem I had with the book was that there were never any repercussions for the actions of the children in the book, the pig was used as a scapegoat one too many times, and the representation of the bullying just didn’t feel right. I feel that if the characters were older then the bullying would have felt more realistic, but it was too grown up and got violent far too quickly and again, there weren’t enough consequences for these actions in the end of it. But, when you look past these things, the story is emotional, and cute, and does have a happy ending and I can see why people love it but I just couldn’t see past these issues to truly enjoy my time reading it.

I loved Grace. I thought she was the most realistic character in the book. She was rash in her decisions, kept all of her emotions at bay, and had a little bit of a temper. But she was also friendly, protective, caring, worried, and just a ten-year-old girl struggling to deal with the big real world things facing her. I also liked Megan and her free personality. She was sure of herself, strong, and protective as well. She was a great friend for Grace and I enjoyed reading about her. In all honesty, it was due to these two characters that I continued reading this book. I wanted to see where their friendship was going to take them. While some of the other characters and their actions didn’t feel quite right – such as the bullying mentioned above – I felt that these two were strong and well-written, which made it an easier book to like!

One of the best things about this book was the voice of the main character. It had a light tone that was easy to be pulled into and I found myself really wanting to read more of it. I feel that Jane has really managed to create a wonderful voice for herself and her protagonist that helps to make it an enjoyable read. While the other issues did make it hard for me to absolutely love this book, I know that I will still be keeping an eye on Jane to read whatever she publishes next as I feel that she has a lot of talent and I cannot wait to see what she will do with it. For the writing alone, I would definitely recommend this book just reminding people to take the story with a grain of salt.

Essentially this was a good story and I can see why people loved it but as it wasn’t what I was expecting and didn’t do what I was hoping it would, I struggled to love it. I did, however, still like and enjoy it and definitely want to see what Jane will be writing next. Caroline at Big Book Little Book spoke with me about this and we both decided that it is better suited for those in the higher range of middle grade fiction who can understand that what Grace and Megan did should have had heavier punishments, or to read it with younger children to be there to discuss what they think or feel about what happened. I would also add that it would be the perfect opportunity to discuss bullying with the child and what they should do if they are getting or get bullied. So it does have potential, but for me there were just a few too many things that didn’t sit right with me that pulled me away from enjoying it too much. But I’d definitely be interested to know what you think if you ever read it – or have already! ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 02, 2015 Karinate rated it really liked it

This story is about a girl called Grace. Grace and her mum has been living together ever since her father left them. Grace loved her mum so much that she was very shocked to find out her mum had a lump. Her mother sent Grace to live with a grandfather she's never met before. Grace hates the idea, no matter how hard she tries to convince her mum that she can take care of her, Grace's mum won't hear of it. So Grace went to her grandfather's place which was all the way in the southern side. Grace h ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 06, 2016 Cubza rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag Like · see review

Jun 28, 2015 Georgia rated it it was amazing

This book is a very good book. It feels like your watching a movie, it's one of those books that is a can't put down book.
Its about when grace has to move away to stay for Grandad because her mum has "the lumps". But she hates it until she her neighbour called Megan they get along to together very well. And thats how Grace whole Jorney begins. ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 20, 2017 KillerFrost rated it it was amazing

Beautiful Story. About a girl named Grace, She got sent away to her granddad who in her words is a miserable old goat, because her mum is in hospital cause she had a lump on her arm. Shes meets a girl and they become friends. Grace gets bullied at her school but her new friend Megan will help her get through those tough days what will happen to her mum?!

flag Like · see review

Mar 16, 2014 Emma Carroll rated it it was amazing

A gorgeous story of heartache and hope. It deals with difficult issues in a very tender way. The cast of characters are brilliantly drawn- especially the animals! I also liked the boys on the bus, who most certainly didn't revert to stereotype. This is middle-grade fiction at its finest. ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 01, 2014 Elizabeth Beverley rated it it was amazing

What a fantastic book, beautifully written.

flag Like · see review

May 26, 2014 Rachel rated it it was amazing

Beautiful, funny, and charming. Left me crying.

flag Like · see review

Jan 01, 2015 Margaret Pemberton rated it really liked it

A really heartwarming story of friendship and home. It makes me want to try anything by this author.

flag Like · see review

Jan 03, 2015 Emmiem rated it it was amazing

I loved the book. Megan and Grace make great friends and so do their mothers!

flag Like · see review

Aug 08, 2015 Melissa rated it liked it

Shelves: childrens

OK - may be a good girls book, but I was never into this kind of book as a kid, and am still more of a sci-fi girl myself!

flag Like · see review

Nov 17, 2015 Holly Rosette rated it it was amazing

this book is mega mega good so sad but I looovveee it

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Teen/YA protagonist named Grace that gets sent to live with her grandfather (?) but runs away back to her mother who is sick. [s]	3	22	May 30, 2019 05:03AM