Jacqueline Wilson "before she was famous"

[lavenderandrose]

I had a book I adored as a child about a girl who lives in a seaside town who meets a down-and-out and when I Googled recently I was surprised it was by Jacqueline Wilson (The Dream Palace, if anyone's interested) and an extensive Google made me realise a lot of the books I loved as a teenager were by her, but a rather different genre to the one she has now.

I LOVED The Other Side, about a girl who's mother has a nervous breakdown, Falling Apart, about a girl who attempts suicide, and This Girl, who tries to get a job as a London nanny to a wealthy couple.

Most of them are really dated now because they talk about things like YTS schemes and so on but have loved rediscovering them so wondered if anyone else was a fan?

Yes, I was a fan of all those you mention when I was in my early teens - also Waiting for the Sky to Fall, Nobody's Perfect and Amber - which are very similar. I highly recommend them! I haven't read any of JW's modern stuff - I don't have any children so I have lost touch with modern children's fiction - but I gather she writes for younger children now.

I loved waiting for the sky to fall! I loved the descriptions of the clothes Katherine used to imagine herself in :)

Yes, and I really hankered after the green velvet jacket her boyfriend's friend's girlfriend wore to the cinema . The descriptions were brilliant - I could picture the depressing flat above the shop so well, and Katherine's overweight mum. I was about 13 when I read it, and it made me dread my upcoming GCSEs.

It's strange how things stay with you. Lolly (in Dream Palace) had a summer dress I loved the sound of!

Thanks for the tip I grew up on reading illustrated mum, Lottie project, bad girls era but will try these ones suggested. Love JW.

I'm with you shakemysilliesout those were the ones I grew up reading. Loved those books, wonder if I'd look daft revisiting them 🤔

Do, shake - they're really good. They have nostalgia value too - as lavender said, they refer to quite a few obsolete 70s/80s things.

I think JW wrote some adult novels as well, and I keep meaning to check them out.