The Story of Tracy Beaker
Encyclopedia
The Story of Tracy Beaker is a British children's book first published in 1991, written by Jacqueline Wilson
and illustrated by Nick Sharratt
.
. She is unhappy because she hasn't seen her mum for a long long time, she doesn't get on well with the staff or the other children at the care home, (especially a girl called Justine Littlewood) and has been rejected by two couples who tried fostering her. From an adult's point of view, Tracy has "behavioural problems" and she is always telling tales. A recurring story that Tracy likes to tell is that her mother is a glamorous Hollywood movie star, and that she is coming to collect her someday. Among other things, Tracy's autobiography details her life so far, her being "deprived and abused" in the children's home (for example, she is deprived of Mars Bar
s and Smarties
) and the types of revenge she would like to take upon her enemies. She is very imaginative and believes that her mum will come home one day. She often portrays a deep and complicated mind.
In 2002 the book was voted the winner of the Blue Peter
People's Choice Award
. Jacqueline Wilson has written three sequels to the book, The Dare Game
, Starring Tracy Beaker
, and Tracy Beaker's Thumping Heart (a Red Nose Day Special).
in the role of Tracy Beaker. Montanna Thompson
plays Justine Littlewood, Tracy's worst enemy and Nisha Nayar
, her social worker, Elaine 'the pain' Boyack. There are many characters in the TV adaptation that did not feature in the book itself. The TV adaptation has several series, and towards the end, some episodes do not feature Tracy. The TV programme expands on the lives of the children's daily affairs, whereas the book ends with Cam fostering Tracy and her living happily ever after. In the TV programme, Tracy has disagreements with Cam and ends up back in the Dumping Ground but maintains a strong relationship with Cam. Cam gets married to Gary at the end of the series and the last we see of her is talking to Justine on the steps of the 'dumping ground' after being told she will be adopted by them. Having heard this, Justine decides to give living with her dad another go.
Jacqueline Wilson
Dame Jacqueline Wilson, DBE, FRSL is an award-winning English author, known for her vast and diverse work in children's literature. Her novels have been adapted numerous times for television, and commonly deal with such challenging themes as adoption, divorce and mental illness...
and illustrated by Nick Sharratt
Nick Sharratt
Nick Sharratt is a British illustrator and author of children's books, and was chosen to be the Official Illustrator for World Book Day 2006...
.
Background
The book is the "autobiography" of Tracy Beaker, a ten-year old tomboy. Tracy is living in a children's residential care home (nicknamed "the dumping ground") where she has been placed as a result of neglectNeglect
Neglect is a passive form of abuse in which a perpetrator is responsible to provide care for a victim who is unable to care for himself or herself, but fails to provide adequate care....
. She is unhappy because she hasn't seen her mum for a long long time, she doesn't get on well with the staff or the other children at the care home, (especially a girl called Justine Littlewood) and has been rejected by two couples who tried fostering her. From an adult's point of view, Tracy has "behavioural problems" and she is always telling tales. A recurring story that Tracy likes to tell is that her mother is a glamorous Hollywood movie star, and that she is coming to collect her someday. Among other things, Tracy's autobiography details her life so far, her being "deprived and abused" in the children's home (for example, she is deprived of Mars Bar
Mars Bar
Mars is a chocolate bar manufactured by Mars, Incorporated. It was first manufactured in Slough, Berkshire in the United Kingdom in 1932 as a sweeter version of the US Milky Way bar which Mars, Inc. produced...
s and Smarties
Smarties (Nestlé)
Nestlé Smarties are a colour-varied sugar-coated chocolate confectionery popular primarily in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Germany and Greece. They have been manufactured since 1937, originally by H.I. Rowntree & Co.....
) and the types of revenge she would like to take upon her enemies. She is very imaginative and believes that her mum will come home one day. She often portrays a deep and complicated mind.
In 2002 the book was voted the winner of the Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
People's Choice Award
Blue Peter Book Awards
The Blue Peter Book Awards are a series of literary prizes for children's literature awarded annually by the BBC television programme Blue Peter, and inaugurated in 2000....
. Jacqueline Wilson has written three sequels to the book, The Dare Game
The Dare Game
The Dare Game is a children's novel written by Jacqueline Wilson and illustrated by Nick Sharratt, first published in 2000. It is a sequel to the bestselling The Story of Tracy Beaker.- Plot summary:...
, Starring Tracy Beaker
Starring Tracy Beaker
Starring Tracy Beaker is a 2006 British children's book, written by Jacqueline Wilson, and illustrated by Nick Sharratt. The book was first released on 5 October 2006, and was published by Doubleday....
, and Tracy Beaker's Thumping Heart (a Red Nose Day Special).
The Story of Tracy Beaker (TV)
A TV adaptation of the book was made by the BBC. There have so far been five series of the TV programme, which mainly airs on CBBC, starring Dani HarmerDani Harmer
Danielle Jane "Dani" Harmer is an English television actress and singer. Harmer is best known as the title character in the UK television programme The Story of Tracy Beaker/Tracy Beaker Returns, and as Molly Venables in the BBC sitcom After You've Gone...
in the role of Tracy Beaker. Montanna Thompson
Montanna Thompson
Montanna Thompson is an English actress best known for her role as "Justine Littlewood", Tracy's biggest rival, in CBBC's popular TV adaption of Jaqueline Wilson's book, The Story of Tracy Beaker. Montanna first appeared in The Story of Tracy Beaker in 2002, also appearing as Justine in the 2004...
plays Justine Littlewood, Tracy's worst enemy and Nisha Nayar
Nisha Nayar
Nisha K. Nayar is a British actress, perhaps best known for her recurring role as Elaine 'The Pain' Boyak in The Story of Tracy Beaker.- Filmography :- External links :...
, her social worker, Elaine 'the pain' Boyack. There are many characters in the TV adaptation that did not feature in the book itself. The TV adaptation has several series, and towards the end, some episodes do not feature Tracy. The TV programme expands on the lives of the children's daily affairs, whereas the book ends with Cam fostering Tracy and her living happily ever after. In the TV programme, Tracy has disagreements with Cam and ends up back in the Dumping Ground but maintains a strong relationship with Cam. Cam gets married to Gary at the end of the series and the last we see of her is talking to Justine on the steps of the 'dumping ground' after being told she will be adopted by them. Having heard this, Justine decides to give living with her dad another go.