"A charming novel charting the unlikely friendship between a retired septuagenarian and a wayward teenager and the adventures they embark on together. "
Retired nurse Dot is painfully lonely. A widow with no family, she spends her days creating stories of the people she observes-- but never talks to—and trying to extend her meagre budget. The only excitement in her life comes from her penchant for shoplifting, which she does at the local garden centre and Christmas shop.
Even with her thin budget, the one thing she does without fail every week is play the lottery. The six numbers she always plays come from significant moments in her life, which are explained in chapter flashbacks, and the seventh is left to chance.
Max, a young offender doing community service in Dot’s local park, is wearing a number seven football jersey for Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo. His seven becomes her final number. When she wins £1 million in the lottery but has no one to tell, she tracks down Max to share the news, and their unlikely friendship begins.
Despite the age difference, they realise they have more in common then would first appear. Max becomes her self-appointed “Bucket Master”—in charge of all the adventures she can now afford as a millionaire. The bucket list experiences range from the simple—building a snowman—to the speedy—driving race cars-- to the sublime—dancing in a flash mob.
Through these experiences, Dot broadens her world, while also helping Max find a path forward into the future. Charm oozes from every page, and will leave readers feeling happy and inspired.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
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Win a copy of Life Hacks for a Little Alien, pin badge and a personal library kit.
Closing date: 13/03/2025
