Jacqueline Wilson Annual 2023

Product Information

I was quite looking forward to reading this when I first heard that Jacqueline Wilson was doing a sequel to her 2001 book Sleepovers, 22 years after the original, and was interested to see what it would be like. Despite seemingly continuing from where they left off, taking place only right after the original book, it included some present-day elements such as TikTok, which didn't seem to fit in with the timeline of things, being a continuity error at that, given that the previous book took place in 2001, long before TikTok and most social media platforms and apps for that matter existed, but then again I could see why it would be easier to include these elements into a story being written today, especially when involving kids with all the trends they following being social media centered.

Extremely well-connected, their idea of starting slowly was to invite Lady Antonia Fraser, Anthony Horowitz, Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Frayn to take part. All duly spoke at St Michael & All Angels, with other writers such as the Windrush poet James Berry, and we were on our way. This book is the sequel to Jacqueline Wilson's Sleepovers, which is a book I read as a child. Honestly I reread the first book before reading this, but I can’t say I think the author did, as there were a couple of inconsistencies between the two.

Family Organisation

I loved the focus on children with disabilities, and the highlighting of the importance of Makaton. I am a firm believer that Makaton should be taught to all children from a young age. I also LOVED the fact that Uncle Gary was a Drag Queen! Lots of diversity was explored and celebrated in this book, and that’s exactly what children need to be exposed to within their reading for pleasure. Children need to know that everybody is different and that that’s more than okay. The book has an even more half-bothered ending than usual from JW (and that’s saying something!) because it just ends, mid-conversation, just like that. I might just be autistic here, but I'm not even sure Amy and Bella are still friends with Emily and Daisy, and if anyone is friends with Chloe now as well? I'm not sure who's friends with who! Not much really happened in the book, and the writing was rather bland. Even the mean girl Chloe, who was an absolutely awful child in the first book, didn't really do much here. It's almost as if JW was worried about offending anyone if she made her mean character too mean. Which, come on, if you've read any of JW's other work, well it’s very colourful. It’s interesting. But this book is quite boring apart from the disabled kids and it’s rather sad. And the disabled kids are only done well because it's so refreshing to see disabled characters in media! Over 7 million copies of her books have now been sold in the UK alone. In a recent poll to find the Nation's Favourite Children's Book run by the BBC programme, Bookworm, Double Act was voted 10th and was the only contemporary title in the top ten. Jacqueline herself was voted 4th in the Treasure Islands Favourite Children's Author poll.

Honestly the first one was a better book, but Lily was better written in this one. I might just be nostalgic for my own childhood though.

All Family

Jacqueline Wilson was born in Bath in 1945, but spent most of her childhood in Kingston-on-Thames. She always wanted to be a writer and wrote her first "novel" when she was nine, filling countless Woolworths' exercise books as she grew up. Since having her daughter, Emma she has been writing full time. I wrote several more books about Tracy, eventually moving on to her becoming a mum herself. It would be wonderful if we had Tracy having to go into a home for the elderly, too, bringing her story full circle. But I see Tracy having a wonderful future no matter what, even if it’s only in my head. Through Tracy, I’ve done all sorts of work with the fostering network. Some kids I met said Tracy raised their status at school. Of course, because the books and shows are aimed at children, you can’t include the whole reality. Being a child in care is no picnic. Jacqueline has been on countless shortlists and has won numerous awards, including The Young Telegraph/Fully Booked Award in 1995 for The Bed and Breakfast Star, the Smarties Prize, the Sheffield Children's Book Award and the Children's Book Award for Double Act. The Illustrated Mum was on the shortlist for the 1999 Whitbread Children's Book Award and has won the 1999 Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and the Guardian Children's Fiction Award. If you're a fan of Jacqueline Wilson, I'm sure you won't be disappointed with this book, it was a fun little read during some annual leave from work.