Product Description

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 and sister. 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? Or would they be better off with a clean break - just like Em's arm?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #185178 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 169 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
At just over 300 pages, Jacqueline Wilson’s new novel Clean Break may be her longest yet, but her ever-increasing legions of fans will never complain. The more words from their favourite author they can get crammed into one book, the better. The country’s most-borrowed author is again on familiar ground, with a cast of colourful and needy characters that could live just around the corner. Her ability to reflect modern life, and how ordinary people live it and struggle with it, is unparalleled in contemporary children’s fiction.

Clean Break is told from the point of view of Em, or Emerald as she likes to be known, and is about what happens to her mum, gran, and two half-siblings, Maxie and Vita, when the man of the house leaves them for another woman. Her mum’s second husband, Frankie, is not her real dad, but he has been Em’s dad ever since she can remember and she does not want to let him abandon them all. It’s an understandably traumatic departure.

Frankie leaves on Boxing Day morning and Em’s mum, Julie, is devastated. They all cling on to the hope that he will soon return to them, but it quickly transpires that he’s not coming back and that they’re all just going to have to deal with their new circumstances in whatever way they can. Gran just goes on criticising her daughter, which doesn’t help, but Em, Maxie and Vita find solace and comfort in their friends and heroes, real and imaginary.

Despite the story’s sad themes, Wilson always leaves the reader and her characters with the shoots of new, better beginnings and hope for the future. Like any book, its worth is in the quality of its storytelling, and fortunately this particular author is great at doing just that.

(Age 9 and over) --John McLay

From the Back Cover
When Dad and Mum break up, Em does her best to cheer up her little brother and sister, even though she's miserable too. She tells them exciting tales because she knows a good story can make life seem better. Meeting the author of her own favourite books would be a dream come true. But could her other greatest wish be granted? Is any story powerful enough to bring Dad back?
Another charming book about real family life from a prize-winning, bestselling author.
'Jacqueline Wilson comes up trumps with this wonderful novel' SUNDAY TIMES
'Surely every girl aged between seven and eleven will require a copy' EVENING STANDARD

About the Author
JACQUELINE WILSON is an extremely well-known and hugely popular author. THE ILLUSTRATED MUM was chosen as British Children's Book of the Year in 1999 and was winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Award 2000. Jacqueline has won the prestigious Smarties Prize and the Children's Book Award for DOUBLE ACT, which was also highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. Jacqueline was awarded an OBE in 2002. Nick Sharratt has written and illustrated many books for children and won numerous awards for his picture books, including the Sheffield Children's Book Award and the 2001 Children's Book Award. He has also enjoyed great success illustrating Jacqueline Wilson books. Nick lives in Brighton.

Customer Reviews

FANTASTIC
This story is about a young family. There is a older sister called Emily she has a brother called Maxie. But her sister Vita is there step sister. Vita has a really cool dad who is married to Emily's mum. Unfortunely one christmas they break up. Emily then tries to get them back together by planning day trips that never go right. Jacqueline Wilson has described in great detail of all the emotions of the characters espically Emily who desperatly wants to get them back together. She tells me so much about the characters i fell they come alive. Because i am a great fan i have read almost all of her books and i think this is one of her best. Iwould defintly recommend this to young teenagers. Does she succeed in getting her family back together? Well you will just have to read the book and find out.

Loved every word!
I utterly loved this book because of the description and detail of the feelings of main character,Emily, or Emerald.As with all her novels, Jacqueline Wilson hooked me from beginning to end and I could just not put the book down.I highly recommend this book to girls aged 8 to 16.Go and buy it NOW!!

Clean break
Clean break makes me so sad I feel like crying every time i read it.Jacqueline Wilson is my favourite author and if you like Vicky Angel you will definately like this book.

Em is a girl who loves her step father as if he was her own. Once after Christmas Em wakes up to find her father gone and her mum's heart broken. Did he go out really early for a walk or is this actually a Clean Break?

This book is recommended for people over 10 but if you are under 10 there will be other recomended books that you will definately enjoy