Jacqueline Wilson

RosePetals · Mar 22, 2024

Yes can’t wait for this new book!

I’d love a similar book, or even short story, for kiss. Did anyone else read that? It was about a teenage boy who collected glass ornaments finding out he was gay, he kissed his male friend, got rejected, and cut his arms very badly destroying his glass collection.

It was published in the 2000s, and I think it would be particularly interesting not just because of public attitudes changing and more acceptance, but also following Jacqueline Wilson coming out herself.

I do wish she’d write more teenage/adult fiction in general. I enjoyed the teen pregnancy book published a few years ago too.

queencarmen · Mar 23, 2024

RosePetals said:
Yes can’t wait for this new book!

I’d love a similar book, or even short story, for kiss. Did anyone else read that? It was about a teenage boy who collected glass ornaments finding out he was gay, he kissed his male friend, got rejected, and cut his arms very badly destroying his glass collection.

It was published in the 2000s, and I think it would be particularly interesting not just because of public attitudes changing and more acceptance, but also following Jacqueline Wilson coming out herself.

I do wish she’d write more teenage/adult fiction in general. I enjoyed the teen pregnancy book published a few years ago too.

i loved kiss. I related a lot to the main character a lot, Sylvie but I always wanted to be like Miranda!

cryptix · Mar 23, 2024

RosePetals said:
Yes can’t wait for this new book!

I’d love a similar book, or even short story, for kiss. Did anyone else read that? It was about a teenage boy who collected glass ornaments finding out he was gay, he kissed his male friend, got rejected, and cut his arms very badly destroying his glass collection.

It was published in the 2000s, and I think it would be particularly interesting not just because of public attitudes changing and more acceptance, but also following Jacqueline Wilson coming out herself.

I do wish she’d write more teenage/adult fiction in general. I enjoyed the teen pregnancy book published a few years ago too.

Never read either of these what is the teenage pregnancy book called?

Wynonna · Mar 23, 2024

witchofwestbyfleet said:
She wrote several adult novels back in the day with plenty of swearing so I'm sure it will be fine lol. I wonder if anyone else here read any of her adult novels? I can remember two, but not the titles:

A married woman, iirc named Claire, begins an affair with ... some guy. A plot point was someone getting killed in a hit and run but I don't remember who

A police detective (warning; plot involves CSA/sexual assault) goes on a date with a girl who he thinks is at least 18, but is actually only 15. So he leaves and immediately afterwards, she gets sexually assaulted walking home and assumes it was him and he gets arrested. He has to find the real culprit, who is also attacking other women

According to the description, Ellie is a single mum, so it will be one of the other two. None of them ever had a "good" relationship even in the original. Ellie had Dan (loser) and Russell (pretentious jerk who treated her badly but she believed he was her true love because they were both into art.) Magda and Nadine wanted an adult boyfriend and looked down on "schoolboys", so they drew the kind of predatory man who'd be attracted to a 14-year-old girl. I wonder if it wouldn't be Magda who has a seemingly nice/perfect life but abusive or manipulative husband? As is common with a lot of JW's novels for children

Also predict one of the girls being gay/bisexual, maybe Ellie (the promo talks about her encountering many surprises in life)

I think the first book you mentioned is called Truth or Dare.

witchofwestbyfleet · Mar 23, 2024

Wynonna said:
I think the first book you mentioned is called Truth or Dare.

That rings a bell! I’ll have to see if I can find it somewhere …

Ashlgr · Mar 23, 2024

cryptix said:
Never read either of these what is the teenage pregnancy book called?

It's called Baby Love, I read it last summer and found it was really well written.

cryptix · Mar 23, 2024

Ashlgr said:
It's called Baby Love, I read it last summer and found it was really well written.

Thankyou must look out for it

CabalofBolorneaise · Mar 23, 2024

LaBlonde said:
i reread them at the start of this thread and ellie’s dad is VILE. i’d completely forgotten how much younger ellie’s stepmum is (and that he was her teacher?) and how ick he always was with magda.

as a kid i though ellie’s boyfriend was the dream but when i reread it i just wanted her to run away from him. i love JW deeply but she doesn’t half write some really awful male characters.

JW clearly totally hates men, even the ones where I get the impression she’s trying to write them as nice guys they end up sounding awful!

LaBlonde · Mar 23, 2024

CabalofBolorneaise said:
JW clearly totally hates men, even the ones where I get the impression she’s trying to write them as nice guys they end up sounding awful!

i know!! the times where she does try and make them “nice” they turn into absolute wet blankets (to my memory anyway ) i’m desperately trying to remember a decent JW man now.

emm · Mar 23, 2024

LaBlonde said:
i know!! the times where she does try and make them “nice” they turn into absolute wet blankets (to my memory anyway ) i’m desperately trying to remember a decent JW man now.

When I was younger some of them seemed nice, idont remember finding ellies boyfriend awful but looking at it now he is atrocious. Not sure if it's just me being older or that tines have changed as well

RosePetals · Mar 23, 2024

LaBlonde said:
i know!! the times where she does try and make them “nice” they turn into absolute wet blankets (to my memory anyway ) i’m desperately trying to remember a decent JW man now.

I think the stepdad in the longest whale song was nice, and the male teacher in the worry website.

Those are the only two that spring to mind though

witchofwestbyfleet · Mar 23, 2024

LaBlonde said:
i know!! the times where she does try and make them “nice” they turn into absolute wet blankets (to my memory anyway ) i’m desperately trying to remember a decent JW man now.

Dolphin’s dad in The Illustrated Mum was IMO a decent guy. Also Katy’s dad in Katy, but he may not count since he was based on the same character in the original novel (and he’s another one mentioned to have had two much younger wives)

wellingtonboots · Mar 24, 2024

I’m so excited for this book!

Completely agree re the toxic men lol - Ellie’s boyfriend was awful! So was her dad.

I think the only decent men I remember is the teacher in the Worry Website, and the real dad in the Illustrated Mum as previously mentioned on here!
I remember India’s parents in Secrets were absolutely awful.

HockyRorror · Mar 24, 2024

The dad was nice in Bad Girls but he didn’t really have much of a role

queencarmen · Mar 24, 2024

There are a few nice men scattered through the books but they’re always minor characters

bcfc999 · Mar 24, 2024

I seem to remember Roland Butter being quite nice (was that The Worry Website?). I remember the cute notes he wrote with pictures.

Ingognito.Queen · Mar 25, 2024

wellingtonboots said:
I remember India’s parents in Secrets were absolutely awful.

I Googled this to remind myself of the book -

Wow - JW's writing really is quite dark...

'Treasure lives with her mother and her abusive stepfather, Terry, who she hates very much. When Terry whips Treasure with his belt over the Christmas period, scarring her forehead, her grandmother Rita puts her foot down and takes Treasure in herself, although she still has nightmares that Terry is coming to get her.

India lives in the upper middle-class, expensive Parkfield Estate, with her parents and her au pair, miserable Australian-born Wanda. Her father is a businessman with a terrible drinking problem, and her mother, Moya Upton is a controlling fashion designer who finds India's weight problem particularly embarrassing. India is unpopular at school and her only friend now goes to boarding school. Her only source of comfort is rereading The Diary of Anne Frank, whom she considers her heroine.'

Ray1403 · Mar 25, 2024

HockyRorror said:
I wonder if newer prints are updated though? I think I read EB has been edited and modernised since, to reflect shillings for pounds, for example, and no mentions of slappings as punishment.

just read through this thread (jw was my favourite as a kid) and you’re right, enid blyton has been updated, some in ridiculous ways. i‘m 30 now but was really ill with a kidney infection last year so listened to an audiobook of the magic faraway tree as a bit of a comforter - imagine my shock that they’d renamed the characters dick and fanny to rick and franny!

witchofwestbyfleet · Mar 26, 2024

Ray1403 said:
just read through this thread (jw was my favourite as a kid) and you’re right, enid blyton has been updated, some in ridiculous ways. i‘m 30 now but was really ill with a kidney infection last year so listened to an audiobook of the magic faraway tree as a bit of a comforter - imagine my shock that they’d renamed the characters dick and fanny to rick and franny!

That is strange especially when reprints of the Famous Five books have kept Dick as a Dick

Millennial Pink · Mar 26, 2024

Is it just Dick and Fanny together that are deemed unacceptable?

I used to know a Dick in real life, but he was at least 50. Never met a Fanny.

Jacqueline Wilson

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