Product Description

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Jacqueline Wilson's favourite character, Tracy Beaker, who lives in a children's home. Ten-year-old Tracy is smart and full of energy but more than anything she wants love. In "The Story of Tracy Beaker", Tracy doesn't know where her mum lives but that doesn't stop her having long imaginary conversations with her. She's had two foster families before which haven't worked out but hopes a woman named Cam will be her next foster mum. In "The Dare Game" Tracy is now living with Cam and starting a new school. Things seem to be looking up for Tracy - but then the trouble begins. She has a horrible teacher, the other kids laugh at her and things between her and Cam aren't going as well as expected. Tracy's friends Alexander and Football are having their own problems, too. Then one day, out of the blue, who should appear but Tracy's long-lost mum. Starring Victoria O'Donnell as Tracy and Rebecca Front as Cam.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1031806 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-02
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Audio Cassette

Amazon.co.uk Review
Shortlisted for the Smarties Prize in 1991, Tracy Beaker's story, which is told in the first person by the infuriating and loveable 10-year-old Tracy, is a wonderfully funny and thought- provoking slice of life in a children's home. Tracy, as she herself tells us, has had a hard time. She's been fostered a number of times but it's never worked out. Now she dreams of her glamorous mother coming to fetch her and spends her time, when she's not quarrelling with the other children, writing her life story. And then one day, Cam, a real writer, visits the home and after a rocky start, she and Tracy really hit it off. This highly accomplished, prolific, prizewinning author is outstandingly successful in dealing with painful social and personal problems in a realistic, funny, touching and highly memorable way. The story is delightfully illustrated by Nick Sharratt and laid out in a genuinely user-friendly way. A must for 7- 11-year-olds. --Tamsin Palmer

From the Back Cover
'I'm Tracy Beaker. This is a book all about me. I'd read it if I were you. It's the most incredible dynamic heart-rending story. Honest.'

Tracy is ten years old. She lives in a Children's Home but would like a real home one day, with a real family. Meet Tracy, follow her story and share her hopes for the future in this beautifully observed, touching and often very funny tale, all told in Tracy's own words.

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. * 'A brilliant young writer of wit and subtlety' THE TIMES * 'Hugely popular with seven to ten year olds: she should be prescribed for all cases of reading reluctance' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY * 'Has a rare gift for writing lightly and amusingly about emtional issues' BOOKSELLER

Customer Reviews

Brill
The story plot of the book
This book is like a fictional diary and a girl, aged 10, in a foster care home, is writing in it. Follow Tracy as she writes about her life in the Dumping Ground with friends and enemies...

About the author of the book
Jacqueline Wilson is one of my favourite authors and she wrote this book! She has her own personal collection of over 15,000 books and I have about a thirtieth of that!

About the awards and sequel for the book
In 2002 this book was voted the winner of the Blue Peter People's Choice Award. The book is the first in a series of books about Tracy Beaker. The second is the `Dare Game' and there is another book called `Staring Tracy Beaker'.

My awards for the book
I would rate this brilliant book 10/ 10; I really, really enjoyed this book, to prove that I really, really enjoyed this book I couldn't put it down until the very end! I would recommend it to anyone who really likes Jacqueline Wilson's books - just like me, especially girls.

A real kid's kid
Tracy Beaker is a real life, believable 10 year old - she's offensive, defensive, loud, obnoxious, occasionally violent, and totally lovable. If she was real I think we'd foster her!

The novel is a warm look at life as a child in care, with all the ups and downs, loves and hates that that engenders. In no way is Tracy a Pollyanna character who can see the best in every situation, but she is a gutsy and intelligent girl who just deals with all the situations that life throws at her. And this is where she is so endearing to other children - she IS naughty (sometimes, she's horrendous!), she DOES get into trouble and spends time in the quiet room - she does many things that my son could identify with, and she suffers the consequences, just as he has to! She is a child who other children can relate to. And like they have to, she just gets on with it.

The ending is open, with no decisions made, no new life to go to - but there is the hope that this will happen. And indeed, how else could Jacqueline Wilson end it? Life has no certainties in reality, no sure-fire happy endings, but it does have lashings of ups and downs and ladles of hope - and so does the novel. I - and my son - heartily recommend it!

This book is excellent.
I chose this book of Tracy Beaker as my favourite Millennuim story as the character Tracy made me laugh and smile and made me realise how lucky I am to live in a nice house with my mum and my dad brothers. I read this book when I was 7 my mum read it first when I was 6.

The story is all about a girl called Tracy being sent to live in an orphange because her mum's boyfriend doesn't like her. Lots of people adopt her but they don't keep her because she is vicious and rude. Tracy tells funny stories and jokes about the people that adopled her and she told a story about a family that smacked her every time she told a lie. The story also made me feel sorry for Tracy.