Showing results by author "Jacqueline Wilson" in All Categories

Tess loves to dance – even when her tummy is empty and her boots are pinching. She and her brothers and sisters are all alone in the world after their mum dies and their pa abandons them. They have to eat bread and dripping, and take in washing to earn a few pennies. How will they afford food – and milk for baby Ada? Tess’s big brother and sister go out to look for work, but Tess has to stay in class at The Ragged School and look after Ada too. But Tess is determined that even though she is poor, she will still get to go to the ball . . .

Diamond wasn’t always a star. Born to penniless parents who longed for a son, she was a dainty, delicate daughter – and a bitter disappointment. Discovering she has an extraordinary natural gift for acrobatics, Diamond tries to use her talent to earn a few pennies. A mysterious stranger spots her performing on the street, and makes a deal with her father. Diamond is sold and is taken to become an acrobat at Tanglefield’s Travelling Circus.

India lives in a large, luxurious house with a mum she can't stand and a dad she adores, though he hasn't had much time for her recently. She seeks solace in her journal, which she keeps in sincere imitation of her heroine, Anne Frank. Treasure lives on the local council estate with her loving and capable grandmother. She is devoted to her nan but lives in fear of having to go back to live with her mother and violent stepfather. A chance meeting sparks a great friendship between the girls.

You look as if you've seen a ghost!' Jade is so used to living in the shadow of Vicky, her loud, confident best friend, that when a tragic accident occurs, she can hardly believe that Vicky's no longer around. But Vicky's a sparky girl who's not going to let a small thing like being dead stop her from living life to the full! Whether Jade is in lessons, out running or tentatively trying to make new friends, Vicky is determined to make her presence felt ...

Violet has always been in the shadow of her mesmerising, controlling brother, Will - by turns delightful and terrifying. Now that Will has learnt a shocking secret about his own past, things seem to be getting worse. Violet retreats further into her fantasy world built around the fairy characters created by her favourite author, Casper Dream.

Being a sister isn't always easy ... but what's the very worst thing about your sister? Marty and her sister Melissa couldn't be more different. Marty loves her Converse trainers, playing football, hiding in her secret den and helping her dad with his DIY. But Melissa loves Justin Bieber and all things pink, girly and pretty. The sisters can manage to live together, despite their occasional scraps but then Mum tells them they have to share a room.

Em adores her funny, glamorous dad – who cares if he's not her real father? He's wonderful to her, and to her little brother Maxie and sister Vita. True to form at Christmas, Dad gives them fantastic presents, including a real emerald ring for his little Princess Em.Unfortunately he's got another surprise in store – he's leaving them. Will Dad's well-meaning but chaotic attempts to keep seeing Em and the other children help the family come to terms with this new crisis?

Ella's mum is in a deep coma, having just had a new baby. That means Ella has to live with Jack, her hopeless stepfather, and cope with her tiny newborn brother, as well as worrying about Mum. The only thing that's going right is her school project. It's all about whales and how they sing out to each other to attract a mate – sometimes for hours. Maybe a whale song could reach Mum, wherever she is, and bring her back to Ella and baby Samson. Surely it's worth a try?

Clover Moon's imagination is her best escape from a life of hardship in poverty-stricken Victorian London. When tragedy plunges her into a world of grief, Clover realises that everything she loved about the place she called home is gone. Clover hears of a place she could run to, but where will she find the courage - and the chance - to break free? And could leaving her family be just what she needs to find a place that really feels like home?

April has lots of nicknames: there's April Showers, because she's always crying, and April Fool, because of when her birthday falls. Her worst nickname of all, though, is Dustbin Baby. That reminds her of how she started out in life: abandoned in a rubbish bin. When she turns 14, April decides that she must find out who she really is, where she came from and, most importantly, who her real mother is. There have been lots of people she's called Mum, and now she lives with Marion.

Tilly can't believe it when her best friend, Matty, is asked to be a bridesmaid. In Tilly's favourite daydream, she's kitted out in the most beautiful bridesmaid dress, walking down the aisle behind a beautiful bride. The one wedding she'd really like to attend is her own mum and dad's. But as that's never going to happen, it's time for Tilly to make her own dream come true - and put her bridesmaid services up for hire....

Ten-year-old Tracy was taken into care a while ago, and now she lives in a Children's Home. She doesn't know exactly where her mum lives, but she used to have long, pretend phone calls with her. Tracy's had two foster families, but things just didn't work. She allows us to share her hopes for the future in this touching and often very funny tale.

Gemma and Alice were born on the same day and have been devoted best friends ever since. Despite Gemma's larger-than-life personality and Alice's quieter, calmer character, the two are inseparable – until Alice has to move house, all the way to Scotland. Gemma is utterly distraught, particularly at the thought that Alice might find a new best friend. Is there anything Gem's brothers, or perhaps her Grand dad, can do to help?

Victorian London, 1851. Queen Victoria is on the throne, and the Great Exhibition is about to open! Lucy Locket lives with her father, the New Mother and the New Baby. They sent away her beloved nurse and replaced her with a horrid governess. Lucy desperately wants someone to be kind to her and to have some fun - there's very little of that in her house. Kitty Fisher is a street performer who earns tin for her supper by tumbling. She has always lived on the street and on her wits, with only the kind Gaffer to help her. But now Gaffer is gone, and Kitty is all alone.

The third novel in the phenomenally successful Tracy Beaker series, read by Dani Harmer, star of the acclaimed TV series. Tracy Beaker is back . . . and she's just desperate for a role in her school play. They're performing A Christmas Carol and for one extremely worrying moment, the irrepressible Tracy thinks she might not even get to play one of the unnamed street urchins. But then she is cast in the main role. Can she manage to act grumpy, difficult and sulky enough to play Ebeneezer Scrooge?

Floss's parents are divorced, and she divides up her week, spending five days with her mum, her new step-dad and her baby half-brother. The other two days Floss spends with her dad, helping him to run his greasy spoon cafe. But their simple arrangement is thrown into disarray when Floss's mum decides to move to Australia. Making the difficult decision to stay at home, Floss moves in permanently with her dad and they muddle along happily together, surviving on chip butties and enjoying visits to the local funfair.

The summer holidays have finally arrived, and Daisy is bored. Daisy is glad she won’t have to see her worst enemy Chloe for a while but she longs for a proper holiday at the seaside, building sandcastles, eating lots of ice cream and maybe even spotting a mermaid in the sea. Daisy’s sister, Lily, wants to come too but, she uses a wheelchair which can make trips to the seaside tricky. Especially with all that sand! Daisy’s summer gets a bit more exciting when she starts looking after her neighbours’ dog, Scruff. Daisy has always wanted a dog of her own to walk and cuddle!

A fantastic stand-alone historical novel in the tradition of Hetty Feather and Wave Me Goodbye, this rich, entertaining novel will delight fans news and old. Mona and her aunt live in a little cottage on the edge of the Somerset estate, where her aunt sews wonderful dresses for the lady of the house. Mona never knew her mother or father, but Aunty has always looked after her - and Mona knows she can always talk to her mum where she lies in the village graveyard.

New twins have arrived in the family and Connie is in despair - until Nurse Meade arrives and gives her two tiny blue glass beads. When Connie twiddles with the beads, magical things begin to happen.

Ruby and Garnet are ten-year-old twins. They're identical, and they do everything together, especially since their mother died three years earlier – but they couldn't be more different. Bossy, bouncy, funny Ruby loves to take charge, and is desperate to be a famous actress, while quiet, sensitive, academic Garnet loves nothing more than to curl up with one of her favourite books.