Product Description

India lives in a large, luxurious house with a mum she can't stand and a dad she adores, though he hasn't had much time for her recently. She seeks solace in her journal, which she keeps in sincere imitation of her heroine, Anne Frank. Treasure lives on the local council estate with her loving and capable grandmother. She is devoted to her nan but lives in fear of having to go back to live with her mother and violent stepfather. A chance meeting sparks a great friendship between the girls. And when Treasure has to run away to avoid her stepfather, India comes up with a hiding place inspired by her favourite author. India hasn't got a real Secret Annexe but she has got a hidden attic...This is a fantastic new novel from our bestselling author about two girls from very different backgrounds, who are inspired by a famous young writer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3717 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Josie Lawrence reads Jacqueline Wilson's Secrets in this unabridged four-cassette pack.

Wilson is bang on form with this stirring story of two young girls from opposite sides of the tracks and the effect they have on each others' lives.

India lives in the lap of luxury on a posh housing estate. Her mum is a famous children's clothes designer and her dad is top man at a top company. But India is far from happy with her life. Her uptight anorexic mother does little to hide her disappointment in her chubby offspring, and her dad is decidedly distracted these days, so India follows in the footsteps of her heroine Anne Frank and reveals all in her secret diary.

Treasure lives in a council flat with her glamorous, line-dancing Nan but is scared she may one day have to go back to live with her mum. She, too, keeps a diary but hers is called the Terrible Terry Torture Manual and is filled with all the things she would like to do to get her own back on her bullying stepfather.

Treasure, the floppy-haired stringbean, and India, the rotund red-head, meet by chance and against the odds forge a friendship that is tested to the limit when Treasure runs away to avoid having to go and live with her mum and Terry again. The frightened little girl takes refuge in her new best friend's attic, while India relishes the chance to take care of a real Anne Frank...

Told via alternating entries from the two very different diaries, Secrets brims with the stuff of pre-teen childhood (best friends, secrets, diaries and the allure of other people's families) while cleverly combining the swift realism of class barriers, broken homes and society's deep-rooted suspicions.

Wilson does it again in a story that will undoubtedly win her new fans, but will also be warmly welcomed by anyone who has read (or heard) The Illustrated Mum, The Story of Tracy Beaker, Vicky Angel, The Bed and Breakfast Star or any of the other superb award-winning titles this remarkable author has tucked safely under her belt. Ages eight and over.

Running time is five hours. --Susan Harrison

From the Back Cover
'I keep a diary,' Treasure said.
'I keep a diary, too,' said India, and then she blushed.

Treasure and India are two girls with very different backgrounds. As an unlikely but deep friendship develops between them, they keep diaries, inspired by their heroine, Anne Frank. Soon the pages are filled with the details of their most serious secret ever.

A superbly moving novel for older readers from the prize-winning author of The Illustrated Mum and The Story of Tracy Beaker.

'The Diary of Anne Frank is woven into this story . . . this could have been a dangerous device for a lesser novelist; Wilson carries it off triumphantly. This brilliant writer still provides her fans with reality at it's most unvarnished'
Independent

'Wilson's skilful way with dialogue and plot makes this a moving, funny and uplifting story about friendship'
Observer

About the Author
Biography for Jacqueline Wilson 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 Biography for Nick Sharratt 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

Secrets - an AMAZING book and one of my favourites!
I read this book and immediately I knew that it would have pride of place on my bookshelves.Filled with detail,the superb writing made me feel as if I was actually in the same room as the two main characters, India and Treasure. I could particularly relate to India's frustration at times .
The keeping of diaries filled with secrets and the lives of the two girls truly brings out the outstanding originality of this story. With Treasure's currently happy life with her nan, which is continuously troubled by the prospect that she might have to go and live back with her mum and terrible stepfather and India's constant battle with her mother about her weight, on top of her dad who is apparently too busy to take notice of India anymore, you are slowly drawn into the lives of the girls throughout the book.
I loved this book, and I would seriously recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great book with an original storyline. It keeps my eyes glued to the pages whenever I read it.

Very secretive
Jacqueline Wilson has created a masterpiece which is one of my favourite books. Secrets is about a friendship between two people from two different backgrounds. India lives in the lap of luxury on a posh housing estate. Her mum is a famous children's clothes designer and her dad is top man at a top company. But India is far from happy with her life. Her uptight anorexic mother does little to hide her disappointment in her chubby offspring, and her dad is decidedly distracted these days, so India follows in the footsteps of her heroine Anne Frank and reveals all in her secret diary. Treasure lives in a council flat with her glamorous, line-dancing Nan but is scared she may one day have to go back to live with her mum. She, too, keeps a diary but hers is called the Terrible Terry Torture Manual and is filled with all the things she would like to do to get her own back on her bullying stepfather. Nan takes her to hospital where she lies to keep Terry out of trouble and then Treasure stays with her Nan for a while. Treasure meets India one day while coming back from school, at the bike park. They become good friends and see each other often. Treasure, the floppy-haired string bean, and India, the rotund red-head, meet by chance and against the odds forge a friendship that is tested to the limit when Treasure runs away to avoid having to go and live with her mum and Terry again. The frightened little girl takes refuge in her new best friend's attic, while India relishes the chance to take care of a real Anne Frank...

One of Wilson's Best
I think that this is one of Wilson's best books--it introduces a traditional role model throughout the story, and has a significant parallelism to the life that this role model led. I think it is good that this runs through the story.
Also, Wilson has also once again succeeded in showing children emotions--there is also the issue of overcoming class within the story, which becomes the actual moral at the end.
Overall it shows how friendship can help with many problems such as family violence and over demanding something off someone, which helps to contribute to a very good story.