Product Description

Dixie is the youngest of the Diamond family. She and her sisters, dreamy Martine, glamorous Rochelle and tough Jude, could hardly be more different from each other but their Mum's tried to teach them the value of sticking together. Now Mum's expecting yet another baby and she's convinced this one's a boy. Time to move to a bigger place, she insists, and the girls scarcely have time to protest before they find themselves at their new house. It's rough, dilapidated and filthy and before they've even unpacked the furniture, Mum goes into labour! By the time Mum comes home with the new baby, Jude's been in a fight, Rochelle's found a new boyfriend and Martine's stormed off. Only Dixie stays loyally by Mum's side - so only Dixie spots her secret. This is another slice of realistic contemporary life, from the UK's most popular children's author.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37414 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Diamond Girls is a wonderfully typical novel by Jacqueline Wilson. It has everything her fans expect… and demand. "A typical slice of real life," proclaims the jacket. "Tough on the outside, warm on the inside." It has some great characters, who talk like normal people talk, some tough moments, some heart-melting moments, a few teasing cliff hangers and a satisfying ending. Hoorah for consistency!

Dixie is the youngest of the Diamond girls and the narrator of the story. Her sisters--Rochelle, Jude and Martine are all very different and each have their owns needs, strengths and weaknesses. Together with their mum, heavily pregnant with baby number five, the family move to a rundown dream house that turns out to be anything but. It’s on the roughest estate ever, and is rough, dilapidated and dirty, with peeling wallpaper and rude words spray-painted all over the front door.

Disaster strikes immediately when Dixie’s mum goes into labour. Left to fend for themselves the sisters soon go their separate ways, despite their mum’s wise words that they should always stick together no matter what. Dixie is the only one who supports her mum when she comes back with Baby Sundance and helps to get the house put right and everybody back together. It’s a big task.

Books by Jacqueline Wilson come along at adoringly-appreciated rate of two a year now--one in the Spring, another in the Autumn. But to dismiss The Diamond Girls as yet another novel in a production line of kitchen-sink trauma-dramas is to vastly under-appreciate its immense value and worth. Importantly, with each new story, Wilson deftly chronicles, with insight and skill, the sort of life many children may experience either directly or indirectly. They’re entertainment, but there’s more to them than that. Wilson is a national institution! (Age 10 and over) --John McLay

From the Inside Flap
'You're all my favourite Diamond girls,' said Mum. 'Little sparkling gems the lot of you . . .'

Dixie, Rochelle, Jude and Martine - the Diamond girls! They might sound like a girl band but these sisters' lives are anything but glamorous. They've moved into a terrible house on a run-down estate and after barely five minutes Rochelle's flirting, Jude's fighting and Martine's storming off. Even though Dixie's the youngest, she's desperate to get the house fixed up before Mum comes with her new baby! Will the Diamond girls pull together in time for the first Diamond boy?

A typical slice of real life - tough on the outside, warm on the inside - from the bestselling, multi-award-winning Jacqueline Wilson.

From the Back Cover
'You're all my favourite Diamond girls,' said Mum. 'Little sparkling gems, the lot of you...'

Dixie, Rochelle, Jude and Martine - the Diamond girls! They might sound like a girl band but these sisters' lives are anything but glamorous. They've moved into a terrible house on a run-down estate and after barely five minutes Rochelle's flirting, Jude's fighting and Martine's storming off. Even though Dixie's the youngest, she's desperate to get the house fixed up before Mum comes home with her new baby. Will the Diamond girls pull together in time for the first Diamond boy?

'A compelling mix of gritty realism and warmth where the chaos is largely redeemed by love' - Independent

'Wilson writes with such humour and affection for her characters that this book is full of unexpected joy' - Daily Mail

Customer Reviews

relevant issues
As a (semi) adult reader of Jacqueline Wilson, I have developed and increasing amount of respect for her books and the way they deal with so many awkward gritty issues, like child abuse, divorce, child neglect, etc... And in this book, bad parenting - not by the fathers, but by the mothers. I was touched by this book, highlighting the strength of children in the face of some of the darkest adversity. And the kindness and warmth of strangers, in Bruce. Most of all, it was Mary's story that saddened me. The book doesn't deliver a wishy-washy feel good ending either. Teen pregnancy, delusional mothers, absent fathers ... this book has it all, and gives it to you how it is. And, in the end, family's unconditional.

The brilliant book of 2004!!!!
Anouther amazing title from the best selling author of double act and many others.Dixie,rochelle,jude and martine the diamond girls are here,and here to stay.But will they love it or hate it in there new house that their mad mum had moved them too?
It was an exciting and well writen book,with the correct standard of writing skills you would expect from such a well known well loved writer.It is great that she has been able to encourage so many new readers, as many children are put off by friends for reading as they think it is 'uncool' to read . But DO NOT be put off,as reading helps you to progress your own reading ability.reading different sorts of books to get your imagination flowing with great creativity,And punctuation.

Reviewed by amara.melechi

Life like
Dixie, Rochelle, Jude & Martine Diamond have the worst possible lives ever. They finally find the perfect apartment to live in...and soon enough are moving, moving into a run-own house which has vomit on the sink and paint all over the walls. All this and another baby is coming their way. And their mum, Sue Diamond, is hiding something about the baby, that she doesn't want them to know....
I would recommend this book to both boys and girls between the ages of eight and 14. The book takes you to a completly different world and you just can't stop reading it.