It was the Illustrated Mum for me, I'll literally never forget that book. Jacqueline Wilson is one of my heroes too, she totally shaped my primary school years.
Loved this live review as you read this book concept. As someone who was born in 1962 to an unmarried woman who gave me up for adoption it peaked my interest and I could have been Laura's child. Ironically I recently found my birth mother by going through my adoption agency. I had a wonderful childhood and never really felt the need to search for my birth mother, but when my adoptive mother died aged 90 and my dad had died 27 years before her, I thought as I was approaching 60 my birth mother would be in her 80's, so I decided to just see if there was anything in my file or if she was still alive. She responded to the social workers letter immediately, which apparently is unusual, and when my SW spoke to her she was excited and thrilled to hear I was alive and well. Found out she was a nurse and couldn't keep me because back in Ireland in those days it was such a shameful thing if you had a child out of wedlock, but she said she loved me and would have loved to have been able to keep me etc. SW reported it all back to me and was more excited than I was. I hadn't been expecting such a good reaction. SW asked me to write a letter to birth mum which I did just generally telling her about my childhood and how happy I'd been. I emailed it to my SW who forwarded it on to my birth mother to find it bounced back undelivered. She'd obviously deleted her email account and SW has not heard from her since. I totally understand why, as she had married and had other children but had never told her husband or children about me. I was still a huge secret and I supposed she was scared her secret would come out. It was like a slap in the face to be honest as all I had ever wanted from her was one non identifying letter telling me a bit about herself and the circumstances of my birth and maybe my fathers name. That was all I wanted and I would have been happy with that. I had no intention of trying to meet her or intruding into her life and if anything I'd been shocked at her enthusiasm when the SW first spoke to her and had said I wanted to slow it down. To have her then retract everything and delete her email account was quite a shock and it actually made me feel bad about myself that I wasn't even worth one non identifying letter. I am being punished for something she did as a 22 year old and am being denied knowing my fathers name. Ironically I did a DNA test a few years ago and have been linked to a close family member on my birth fathers side. His sister I believe, who has been so welcoming to me, (as my birth father is deceased). My 'aunt' and her family have all been really lovely and helpful and welcoming having no clue about my existence as I reckon my birth mother hadn't even told my birth father I'd been conceived. They live in America so we've been corresponding by email. All I wanted from my birth mother was to confirm his name, as DNA does not lie. He has 6 children, 5 of whom are still alive, but there is no way I would ever ask any of them to do a test unless I was 100% sure he was my father. My birth mother holds all the clues and due to GDP rules I am not allowed to know her name. I know her first name because ironically she called me after herself, but I will now never know who she is, or who my father was, so I feel punished for the sins of my parents so to speak. Some day I may get to the bottom of it as more people do DNA tests and I could be linked to half siblings in the future, but the irony is I wasn't overly bothered or interested to begin with but now she has put the barriers up and disowned me I do feel like her 'dirty little secret' which is so sad. My adoptive brother (not genetically related) had the same with his birth mother when he found her 20 years ago. She had married 3 years after having him and had never told her husband or children and she did the same. She is terrified of them finding out about him. Ironically she was a Scottish nurse who was working in Dublin and she refused to tell him who his father was. So that is the reality of being adopted in the 60's. You are a dark secret that must never come out for fear of embarrassing your parents who dared to have sex before marriage. Thank goodness I had wonderful parents who I class as my 'real parents'. Anyone can make a baby but it is a wonderful person who takes on someone else's baby and loves it like their own and I am forever grateful to them that they adopted me and 3 other children. Sorry this is a long post but I thought it was relevant to Jacqueline's book.
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. I am so sorry to hear that your heart has been so played with, it sounds like it has been an incredibly difficult situation and you have been very strong in the face of some very tough emotions. I am so glad that there have been some fantastic people in your life too - your parents, siblings, and also your new-found aunt and family. You are deserving of only the loveliest things.
Sorry you've had such a difficult experience and haven't got the answers you so desperately wanted - I hope you'll be able to find out more one day, but if not at least you know that you had parents who chose you, loved you and always did the right thing by you ❤️
The whole girls series of books: in love, in tears, under pressure, out late. Really helped and awakened me as a young teenager going through puberty and helping me understand friendships, school, body imagine, crushes and a lot more that I didn’t have an adult to talk to these things about at the time. At nearly 28 I need to go back and read those books again with a adult view.
I'm adopted, and the bit at the end from Adoption UK, about it not being your fault, always makes me cry. And Baby Love is one of my favourite books, aged 20 🩷
I remember when I read My Sister Josie and I literally had to hide that book under my bed out of sight because it was so traumatizing 😅 her books really do stay with you, I can’t wait to pick this up for myself!!
Oh now this is my kind of thing…i had EVERY SINGLE Jacqueline Wilson book! I will always be a fan and need to get the new book! Vicky angel was traumatic! I was such a fan, we were so so lucky that Jacqueline Wilson came to my sleepy little primary school and i was starstruck and i remember her being the sweetest human ever! The Lottie project, double act, the mum minder, the bed and breakfast star, bad girls, the illustrated mum, dustbin baby ahhhh memories! 🥰
Her writing helped me find my passions and taught me that it’s okay to have adverse childhood experiences. I think she has had a big impact on my career, in that I have worked supporting others since I left school. I am now a community mental health nurse. I owe this lady a lot 🥰
Ohhhhh! I'm such a book nerd and really need to read this one! I got pregnant at 16 by the one boy I dated in high school. After much pushback from my family, I decided to keep the baby. She is now 25 and I'm 41, and as hard as it was...I can 100% say she is the best thing to happen in my life. I think both of us will enjoy this book.
Lola Rose was my favourite as well. The denim jacket with the fake fur lives in my head rent free lol, and the imagery of her pressed up against the shark tank as a sort of ritualistic sacrifice/challenge to save her mother's life was just outstanding
oh god lucy this made me so emotional!! jacqueline wilson books were such a staple of my childhood and this has made me crave the feeling of reading her books - definitely going to have to pick this one up 🥰
My grandparents got pregnant at 15 and my nan was sent to a mother and baby home and she only got to keep my auntie because my grandad managed to get an apprenticeship the week before she was born - the representation of these real life stories is incredible 👌🏻
You listing the Jacqueline Wilson books of the past made me realise just how many of them I also read in my Lilac bedroom. I really need to get back into reading so all of your recent book videos have been very useful 😄
Jaqueline Wilson lived in my town next door to a family friend growing up- she is exactly as lovely and smart and cool as you’d hope. She wears about 30 silver rings, used to come and sign books at our primary school, and had a huge happy smile for anyone who wanted to talk about books. I can’t wait to read this!!
Jacqueline Wilson also unlocked my reading bug as a young girl. I'm 30 now too and dying to read this! As soon as you mentioned Vicky Angel, a core memory was unlocked and instant tears 😭
Jacqueline Wilson as many have said is such a staple of my childhood and this had just made me want to dig out every one of her books and wander down memory lane- theres just something so comforting about her books. Also the clip of you in the kitchen reading just gives me Belle from Beauty and the beast vibes !
Im 40 this year and missed the Jacqueline Wilson book hype of the 90s however really wanted to read this based on your video and I honestly loved every moment of it. It was beautifully handled and was full of emotion. Beautiful book. Thanks for the recommendation. X
I'm not from the UK but live here now. But I just adddored Jacqueline's books when I was growing up. Some of her most popular ones got translated into Slovenian and I read ALL that I could find in my library! My absolute fave was Lola Rose ^^
Thank you so much for this video. Last week was the anniversary of a friend’s death and I’ve been struggling to remember specific instances from our childhood together, but this has just unlocked a primary school memory where we queued up for hours to meet Jacqueline Wilson in our local bookshop. I remember she commented that we both had the same names as some of her characters. That’s a really precious memory, so thanks for the help unlocking that! Your videos always make me smile, but especially today!
Oh wow the topics! I think Judy Blume was the Jaqueline Wilson of my era! I remember Tracy beaker being on the telly but I was defo older! You should defo look out Judy Blume!!xx
I remember Jacqueline's book Kiss, it had the biggest effect on me it was just incredible. She is an absolute hero for getting so many of us to read! 👏
wow, I remember when I was younger that because I was an advance reader, I read Jacqueline Wilson's 'Girl in Love' series and boy was that not very appropriate for 11 year olds to be reading!! Jacqueline was always an icon!
As a library technician in a public library, I really appreciate your story in having such a fond memory of finding your love of reading from the public library. I hope most of the kids who come into my library find that excitement about books and reading. I'm not familiar with Jacqueline Wilson, but I'm Canadian so maybe she's not as popular over here. I really loved Beverly Cleary growing up. Loooove the Flo cameos.
As a 90s child I was raised on Jacqueline Wilson and The Sleepover Club 🥰 I used to listen to them on tape before I went to bed as well! The ones that stick in my memory are The Bed and Breakfast Star, Lola Rose and The Illustrated Mum. They were all stories so far from my experience that I learned so much from them. I kept reading JW even past the age they were meant for me (before I realised that you can read YA at any age) but haven’t read any for years. I really should pick them back up again. I’m tempted to scour charity shops, read them all then save them for when my niece is old enough for them 😊
omg those dog ears are elephant ears 😭😂 also unlocked a massive memory for me with the biscuit wrapper wine glasses ommmmmg this has definitely made me want to go back and reread some JW - this book also sounds great
I had a very similar experience when I got a book from the Angus Thongs series from one of those library trolleys from my Nanna. I loved it so much I got the full set for Christmas and I remember laughing so much at those books. Love these random memories that explain why now we just love reading x
I just bought my cousin all the Angus Thongs books for her 13th birthday because she loved JW so much and like you said…. Some books just shape your entire reading life ✨
My favourite JW book as a kid was Midnight - which deals with so many big issues! Friendship, sibling relationships, fangirling, adoption, infant mortality....damn!!
Vicky angel scarred me at 9 years old when I moved to Ireland and discovered Jacqueline Wilson!! I mean I loved it. But it scarred me 😂😂 I remembered it randomly last year and went looking for it at my mum's thinking did I really read about a child dying and haunting her best friend? Then again my favorite book at the time was Goodnight Mister Tom so...
Omg 🤣 same! My fave book was Goodnight Mr Tom too. I am a mental health nurse and in hindsight knowing what I know now, the way Jaqueline writes about grief and touches on losing reality is very clever!
I literally bought every single book she ever brought out when I was younger, the last one I ever bought was candyfloss and I still have some of my favourites on my shelf 🥰
i loved candyfloss i remember vividly reading it on holiday in wales and just spending about 3 days in the caravan park inside the caravan and getting moaned at for not getting some sun 😂
Thank you for sharing such a wonderfully nostalgic video! My best book memory from my childhood is meeting Jacqueline Wilson at a book signing; she shook my hand, and I vowed to never wash it again, and was so angry when my parents made me! I've just requested this book from my library, and am so looking forward to reading it.
Loved this and I’ve reserved the book at the library I work in, as soon as it’s returned it’s mine to devour like I did through my childhood! Every couple of years when our copies of Jaqueline Wilson books are all lost or falling apart at work, I beg for us to buy more. They still get borrowed so much, partly down to me getting every bookworm 9 year old girl into them but also she has been writing long enough for her original readers, to now have their own kids to get to enjoy her stories with again!
I was obsessed with her books! My favourite was always Midnight. Think I need to get this book! I find it hard to read books due to brain fog but her books were always so easy to read so might have to give it a try!
I absolutely love Jaqueline Wilsons books. There's only 9 that I haven't read by her! Dreading the day i have read them all! I find her books 📚inspiring & they really take u into another world. Seeing how other people's lives could be like. She really brings it to life and uses her imagination. Always loved the way she writes! Perfect for teenage girls 👧 needing a bit of love 😊❤
This is the kind of content that I love from you - brought back so much nostalgia for Jacqueline Wilson and other authors I adored at that age! So many of the books I can remember so clearly- like im sure there was one about a girl getting into a relationship with her teacher?? Absolutely wild
literally nobody else ever remembers the cat mummy but that book fully traumatised me!! but jacqueline wilson is the person who got me into reading and I owe so much to her x
Memories of reading Jacqueline Wilson books fills me with warmth to this day! I'd love to read them all again now at 30, and this new one! X *finishes watching video, immediately orders book* Damn you Lucy!
My childhood book memories are Enid Blyton, Jacqueline Wilson and Harry Potter. My favourite Jacqueline Wilson books were the Lottie project and the illustrated mum and I used to try draw the illustrations too. I need to get this new book!
I loved jacqueline wilson books too, they always had some hard issues in the core of them e.g. eating disorders, divorce, poverty, death. And who could forget the artwork! I've been collecting a few of my old favourites for my kids to read when older :)
Oh wow I need to get this book, hits very close to home as my dad was adopted as a baby because his mum in the 60s had a similar situation and had to give him up at 16 after staying in one of those places, also love Jacqueline Wilson she was a big part of every 90s kid childhood 🙌🏻
Absolutely loved her books when I was younger and still enjoy them now at 25 :) I distinctly remember being traumatised by Cookie as I read the bunny scene in the school library and I'm certain the same thing happened with My Sister Jodie
Love this kind of video😊 I'm from Denmark, and the way you describe your relationship with Jacqueline Wilson kind of reminds me of my relationship with Astrid Lindgren, she's also amazing (at any age☺️)
Love this content! Hard relate to everything. I’m 34 and I still have so much love for Jacqueline Wilson. I remember reading Double Act and thinking it was the most brilliant, moving book I’d ever read. Core book memory!
Bloody loved this video Lucy, brought back so many memories! I'd forgotten how many Jacqueline Wilson books I had! My daughter has just got into The Story of Tracy Beaker so I'm definitely going to take her to the library to find all the old classics as she gets older! The point you made about her books tackling adult topics is so true but I've never thought of it from an adults perspective! Also I've just started rewatching The Gilmore Girls - so good!
Highly highly recommend listening to Emma Gannon’s episode with Jacqueline Wilson on her podcast. An hour of heart melting, nostalgic feels. The purest form of joy. It’s like listening to a cuddle. She is an incredible woman. I’ve listened to it 2 or 3 times!
I loved this video and I'm not even hugely fussed about reading, there's just always something about you Lucy, say it all the time but you really are my comfort person, always feel so cosy watching your videos 🥰 obsessed with the book artwork though, the cover is gorgeous! Jacqueline Wilson really is a legend for creating such iconic characters like TB! Hope to see some more vlogs soon ☺️ x
I just fin reading this tonight!!! It’s sooo good!!! I’ve read a few of her stories but I especially loved Hetty Feather!🥹😍🫶🏽 I love the feeling I get reading her stories. I get lost into the stories & I’m glad that I got this story🤞🏽💘
My mum used to bribe me to go shopping with a trip to WHSmith for a Jaqueline Wilson book because I hated shopping! Oh the memories! The chokehold ‘sleepovers’ had on me back in the day! As always, I absolutely adore your book content & the way you talk about reading/books!
This video brought back so many warm fuzzy memories of going to the library. I’m going to go to our local library with my kids tomorrow to sign up so they get to experience this too! Thank you!
The Hetty Feather series will forever hold a special place in my heart, those books just spoke to me in a way that I can’t really explain 🥺 this makes me want to pick up some of her books again 📚
Omg! I used to be obsessed with Jaqueline Wilson books back in the late 90’s early 2000’s. Dustin baby and girls in love were my favourites. I totally ordering this new book! Thanks for sharing
I'm not a massive reader, and never have been #adhdurapainintheasslol but even i have this internal spark of joy and comfort (despite her stories being quite scarring lol) from hearing the titles and seeing the covers. I can literally feel the sensation of reading them which i know makes no sense! Such an icon!
I’m so excited to read this book. I went and watched her do a talk at the Brighton Centre about 5 years ago and she was just incredible, it was honestly like meeting a childhood hero.
I remember reading and loving Jacqueline Wilson so much when I was young! I grew up in Germany so my British mother bought me the books instead of getting them from the library. Tracy Beaker and Co were literally the first English books I ever read and cemented my love for books and reading, I never really realized how instrumental Jaqueline Wilson was in that until just now! I'm pretty much read all the Jacqueline Wilson books I could get my hands on back then, I think I'll have to add Baby Love to my kindle for the nostalgia for sure :)
This has made me want to go back and read all my Jacqueline Wilson books! I think it’ll be really interesting to read them from an adult’s eyes because there’s probably a lot I didn’t understand when I was younger
Loved this video ☺️ and I liked how you talk about reading for pleasure and how reading doesn't always have to be certain things and you can read what you like 📚
My love with Jacqueline Wilson began with me picking 1 of her books last minute from a shop in a New Zealand airport during a layover - the book was Lola Rose
Jacqueline Wilson books are just my childhood 😭😭😭. My mum was a local librarian and me and my sister always got first dibs on her new books and my gosh we were the coolest in the playground 😂📚
I got so nostalgic watching this. Although I’m not sure she kept the dead cat in her wardrobe, I think she found it there after it went missing, although my naive brain may have purposefully blocked that out. I think Lola Rose was one of my favourites, where her mum wins money on a scratch card and she runs away from an abusive partner in the night with the kids. I need to reread that one.
cookie and candy floss were the 2 books which have emotionally scarred me. also feel so blessed to have met this amazing author and she was even lovelier in real life💘
My first ever Jacqueline Wilson book was The Bed and Breakfast Star, not really knowing much about the author but I loved it! I would hate it when teachers had a go at reading JW, clearly they didn't understand the tone, topics & comfort these books bring. I love Laura in Baby Love 💚 was so lovely to read her growth throughout
I ADORED Jacqueline Wilson's books as a kid growing up in England, and now as a 27 year old in Canada I just ordered this book from UK Amazon, shipping fees be dammed lol cause I honestly can't wait to read this!
Loved this review and look forward to reading it. The Jacqueline Wilson book which stuck with me the most since childhood is Dustbin Baby-so incredibly sad and I recommend if you haven’t read it before.
Ah this has unlocked some amazing memories! I loved all of the Jacqueline Wilson books, growing up. I used to borrow them from the library too! I was constantly in my room reading books 📚 not much has changed I guess!
The 10 year-old girl I nanny loves Jacqueline Wilson’s books, and my sisters were pretty into them about 20-25 years ago. I have read some of them and recently read her autobiography, Jackie Daydream. We have similar personalities ( quite shy/quiet, tendency to daydream, love of books/writing, sickly as children) so I now appreciate her work even more.
Omg the nostalgia ❤ ill be honest I never really read that MANY Wilson books (i was way more into horse girl books and fantasy) but the ones I did read stuck with me for a while. A book memory though; always going down the library on a Saturday with my mum and then going up the road to buy 100g of bon bons for 60p. Then going to talk to the parrot in the pet shop and then walking home to read all my books.
The cat mummy haunted me! I am a member of the millennial Jaqueline Wilson club, it’s so funny revisiting these stories, I loved the illustrated mum. Xx
Lucy I’m on a book buying ban myself! But all your videos just make me want to buy more! My favourite Jacqueline Wilson book was the suitcase kid I remember that book so vividly! Like you said I just remember feeling pure joy whilst reading her books when I was younger. I think I will buy this when my every growing tbr pile goes down a bit 😂 thank you for your video though was a lovely watch and always love Flos presence in your videos 🐱 xxxxx
I loved this so much, I’m (a teeny bit) too old to have read any Jacqueline Wilson books but this sounds really good, I almost wanted to stop this video halfway through in case there were spoilers! It’s now on my Kindle list for my holiday next week and I can’t wait. Also absolutely loving this style of video where you vlog each part, absolute book nerd (absolutely counting myself as this) perfection 👌🏻
Reading Jacqueline Wilson at 30 just to feel something...
Me at 20 😭
Podcast idea: a book club but we reread all of Jaqueline Wilson’s books. I would 100% listen
I think getting Jacqueline Wilson books from your local library is also a right of passage for millennial girls in the U.K. 🤣
I'm a gen z guy and I also did this lmao
Jacqueline Wilson was the sole reason I loved books so much as a kid. What an absolute icon of our childhood 🙌
It was the Illustrated Mum for me, I'll literally never forget that book. Jacqueline Wilson is one of my heroes too, she totally shaped my primary school years.
Loved this live review as you read this book concept.
As someone who was born in 1962 to an unmarried woman who gave me up for adoption it peaked my interest and I could have been Laura's child.
Ironically I recently found my birth mother by going through my adoption agency. I had a wonderful childhood and never really felt the need to search for my birth mother, but when my adoptive mother died aged 90 and my dad had died 27 years before her, I thought as I was approaching 60 my birth mother would be in her 80's, so I decided to just see if there was anything in my file or if she was still alive.
She responded to the social workers letter immediately, which apparently is unusual, and when my SW spoke to her she was excited and thrilled to hear I was alive and well. Found out she was a nurse and couldn't keep me because back in Ireland in those days it was such a shameful thing if you had a child out of wedlock, but she said she loved me and would have loved to have been able to keep me etc. SW reported it all back to me and was more excited than I was. I hadn't been expecting such a good reaction. SW asked me to write a letter to birth mum which I did just generally telling her about my childhood and how happy I'd been. I emailed it to my SW who forwarded it on to my birth mother to find it bounced back undelivered. She'd obviously deleted her email account and SW has not heard from her since.
I totally understand why, as she had married and had other children but had never told her husband or children about me. I was still a huge secret and I supposed she was scared her secret would come out.
It was like a slap in the face to be honest as all I had ever wanted from her was one non identifying letter telling me a bit about herself and the circumstances of my birth and maybe my fathers name. That was all I wanted and I would have been happy with that. I had no intention of trying to meet her or intruding into her life and if anything I'd been shocked at her enthusiasm when the SW first spoke to her and had said I wanted to slow it down.
To have her then retract everything and delete her email account was quite a shock and it actually made me feel bad about myself that I wasn't even worth one non identifying letter. I am being punished for something she did as a 22 year old and am being denied knowing my fathers name.
Ironically I did a DNA test a few years ago and have been linked to a close family member on my birth fathers side. His sister I believe, who has been so welcoming to me, (as my birth father is deceased). My 'aunt' and her family have all been really lovely and helpful and welcoming having no clue about my existence as I reckon my birth mother hadn't even told my birth father I'd been conceived. They live in America so we've been corresponding by email.
All I wanted from my birth mother was to confirm his name, as DNA does not lie. He has 6 children, 5 of whom are still alive, but there is no way I would ever ask any of them to do a test unless I was 100% sure he was my father.
My birth mother holds all the clues and due to GDP rules I am not allowed to know her name. I know her first name because ironically she called me after herself, but I will now never know who she is, or who my father was, so I feel punished for the sins of my parents so to speak.
Some day I may get to the bottom of it as more people do DNA tests and I could be linked to half siblings in the future, but the irony is I wasn't overly bothered or interested to begin with but now she has put the barriers up and disowned me I do feel like her 'dirty little secret' which is so sad.
My adoptive brother (not genetically related) had the same with his birth mother when he found her 20 years ago. She had married 3 years after having him and had never told her husband or children and she did the same. She is terrified of them finding out about him. Ironically she was a Scottish nurse who was working in Dublin and she refused to tell him who his father was.
So that is the reality of being adopted in the 60's. You are a dark secret that must never come out for fear of embarrassing your parents who dared to have sex before marriage.
Thank goodness I had wonderful parents who I class as my 'real parents'. Anyone can make a baby but it is a wonderful person who takes on someone else's baby and loves it like their own and I am forever grateful to them that they adopted me and 3 other children.
Sorry this is a long post but I thought it was relevant to Jacqueline's book.
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. I am so sorry to hear that your heart has been so played with, it sounds like it has been an incredibly difficult situation and you have been very strong in the face of some very tough emotions. I am so glad that there have been some fantastic people in your life too - your parents, siblings, and also your new-found aunt and family. You are deserving of only the loveliest things.
Sorry you've had such a difficult experience and haven't got the answers you so desperately wanted - I hope you'll be able to find out more one day, but if not at least you know that you had parents who chose you, loved you and always did the right thing by you ❤️
The whole girls series of books: in love, in tears, under pressure, out late. Really helped and awakened me as a young teenager going through puberty and helping me understand friendships, school, body imagine, crushes and a lot more that I didn’t have an adult to talk to these things about at the time. At nearly 28 I need to go back and read those books again with a adult view.
Also lilac bedroom 👌 my teenage bedroom was the exact colour but also full of groovy chick stuff and horse ornaments from boot sales 🤣🤣
I'm adopted, and the bit at the end from Adoption UK, about it not being your fault, always makes me cry. And Baby Love is one of my favourite books, aged 20 🩷
✋🏻 still scarred by Vicky Angel, aged 26. I’ve just ordered Baby Love and can’t wait to revisit Jacqueline’s writing again.
I remember when I read My Sister Josie and I literally had to hide that book under my bed out of sight because it was so traumatizing 😅 her books really do stay with you, I can’t wait to pick this up for myself!!
Oh now this is my kind of thing…i had EVERY SINGLE Jacqueline Wilson book! I will always be a fan and need to get the new book! Vicky angel was traumatic! I was such a fan, we were so so lucky that Jacqueline Wilson came to my sleepy little primary school and i was starstruck and i remember her being the sweetest human ever! The Lottie project, double act, the mum minder, the bed and breakfast star, bad girls, the illustrated mum, dustbin baby ahhhh memories! 🥰
Her writing helped me find my passions and taught me that it’s okay to have adverse childhood experiences. I think she has had a big impact on my career, in that I have worked supporting others since I left school. I am now a community mental health nurse. I owe this lady a lot 🥰
My sister Jodie absolutely broke my heart at the end
Ohhhhh! I'm such a book nerd and really need to read this one! I got pregnant at 16 by the one boy I dated in high school. After much pushback from my family, I decided to keep the baby. She is now 25 and I'm 41, and as hard as it was...I can 100% say she is the best thing to happen in my life. I think both of us will enjoy this book.
I can hardly remember the storyline of Lola Rose but I can distinctly remember the emotional impact. That's true storytelling
Also Vicky Angel - I'm fairly sure that book scarred me 😂
Lola Rose was my favourite as well. The denim jacket with the fake fur lives in my head rent free lol, and the imagery of her pressed up against the shark tank as a sort of ritualistic sacrifice/challenge to save her mother's life was just outstanding
I am living for the booktube transition!
oh god lucy this made me so emotional!! jacqueline wilson books were such a staple of my childhood and this has made me crave the feeling of reading her books - definitely going to have to pick this one up 🥰
My grandparents got pregnant at 15 and my nan was sent to a mother and baby home and she only got to keep my auntie because my grandad managed to get an apprenticeship the week before she was born - the representation of these real life stories is incredible 👌🏻
You listing the Jacqueline Wilson books of the past made me realise just how many of them I also read in my Lilac bedroom. I really need to get back into reading so all of your recent book videos have been very useful 😄
Jaqueline Wilson lived in my town next door to a family friend growing up- she is exactly as lovely and smart and cool as you’d hope. She wears about 30 silver rings, used to come and sign books at our primary school, and had a huge happy smile for anyone who wanted to talk about books. I can’t wait to read this!!
Jacqueline Wilson also unlocked my reading bug as a young girl. I'm 30 now too and dying to read this! As soon as you mentioned Vicky Angel, a core memory was unlocked and instant tears 😭
'A young girl' - why do I sound 80 😭😂
Jacqueline Wilson as many have said is such a staple of my childhood and this had just made me want to dig out every one of her books and wander down memory lane- theres just something so comforting about her books.
Also the clip of you in the kitchen reading just gives me Belle from Beauty and the beast vibes !
Im 40 this year and missed the Jacqueline Wilson book hype of the 90s however really wanted to read this based on your video and I honestly loved every moment of it. It was beautifully handled and was full of emotion. Beautiful book. Thanks for the recommendation. X
Nearly 31 years old and 37 weeks pregnant and just read baby love. Still love Jacqueline Wilson. 😊
I'm not from the UK but live here now. But I just adddored Jacqueline's books when I was growing up. Some of her most popular ones got translated into Slovenian and I read ALL that I could find in my library! My absolute fave was Lola Rose ^^
I used to devour Jacqueline Wilson books as a kid in Australia ❤️ I’m so excited to go get my hands on this book!
Thank you so much for this video. Last week was the anniversary of a friend’s death and I’ve been struggling to remember specific instances from our childhood together, but this has just unlocked a primary school memory where we queued up for hours to meet Jacqueline Wilson in our local bookshop. I remember she commented that we both had the same names as some of her characters. That’s a really precious memory, so thanks for the help unlocking that! Your videos always make me smile, but especially today!
Oh wow the topics! I think Judy Blume was the Jaqueline Wilson of my era! I remember Tracy beaker being on the telly but I was defo older! You should defo look out Judy Blume!!xx
I remember Jacqueline's book Kiss, it had the biggest effect on me it was just incredible. She is an absolute hero for getting so many of us to read! 👏
wow, I remember when I was younger that because I was an advance reader, I read Jacqueline Wilson's 'Girl in Love' series and boy was that not very appropriate for 11 year olds to be reading!! Jacqueline was always an icon!
Hearing you chat about your favorite childhood books just radiates the biggest soul-deep glow that has nothing to do with my phone brightness! 💛💛💛
Oh my gosh, every book you mentioned was such a nostalgia trip for me! I’m definitely tempted to get Baby Love for old time’s sake! I love this video
As a library technician in a public library, I really appreciate your story in having such a fond memory of finding your love of reading from the public library. I hope most of the kids who come into my library find that excitement about books and reading. I'm not familiar with Jacqueline Wilson, but I'm Canadian so maybe she's not as popular over here. I really loved Beverly Cleary growing up. Loooove the Flo cameos.
As a 90s child I was raised on Jacqueline Wilson and The Sleepover Club 🥰 I used to listen to them on tape before I went to bed as well! The ones that stick in my memory are The Bed and Breakfast Star, Lola Rose and The Illustrated Mum. They were all stories so far from my experience that I learned so much from them. I kept reading JW even past the age they were meant for me (before I realised that you can read YA at any age) but haven’t read any for years. I really should pick them back up again. I’m tempted to scour charity shops, read them all then save them for when my niece is old enough for them 😊
omg those dog ears are elephant ears 😭😂
also unlocked a massive memory for me with the biscuit wrapper wine glasses ommmmmg
this has definitely made me want to go back and reread some JW - this book also sounds great
I had a very similar experience when I got a book from the Angus Thongs series from one of those library trolleys from my Nanna. I loved it so much I got the full set for Christmas and I remember laughing so much at those books. Love these random memories that explain why now we just love reading x
I just bought my cousin all the Angus Thongs books for her 13th birthday because she loved JW so much and like you said…. Some books just shape your entire reading life ✨
My favourite JW book as a kid was Midnight - which deals with so many big issues! Friendship, sibling relationships, fangirling, adoption, infant mortality....damn!!
Vicky angel scarred me at 9 years old when I moved to Ireland and discovered Jacqueline Wilson!! I mean I loved it. But it scarred me 😂😂 I remembered it randomly last year and went looking for it at my mum's thinking did I really read about a child dying and haunting her best friend? Then again my favorite book at the time was Goodnight Mister Tom so...
Omg 🤣 same! My fave book was Goodnight Mr Tom too. I am a mental health nurse and in hindsight knowing what I know now, the way Jaqueline writes about grief and touches on losing reality is very clever!
I literally bought every single book she ever brought out when I was younger, the last one I ever bought was candyfloss and I still have some of my favourites on my shelf 🥰
i loved candyfloss i remember vividly reading it on holiday in wales and just spending about 3 days in the caravan park inside the caravan and getting moaned at for not getting some sun 😂
candy floss was my last one too :) I made chip butties hehe
Thank you for sharing such a wonderfully nostalgic video! My best book memory from my childhood is meeting Jacqueline Wilson at a book signing; she shook my hand, and I vowed to never wash it again, and was so angry when my parents made me! I've just requested this book from my library, and am so looking forward to reading it.
Loved this and I’ve reserved the book at the library I work in, as soon as it’s returned it’s mine to devour like I did through my childhood! Every couple of years when our copies of Jaqueline Wilson books are all lost or falling apart at work, I beg for us to buy more. They still get borrowed so much, partly down to me getting every bookworm 9 year old girl into them but also she has been writing long enough for her original readers, to now have their own kids to get to enjoy her stories with again!
I was obsessed with her books! My favourite was always Midnight. Think I need to get this book! I find it hard to read books due to brain fog but her books were always so easy to read so might have to give it a try!
I absolutely love Jaqueline Wilsons books. There's only 9 that I haven't read by her! Dreading the day i have read them all! I find her books 📚inspiring & they really take u into another world. Seeing how other people's lives could be like. She really brings it to life and uses her imagination. Always loved the way she writes! Perfect for teenage girls 👧 needing a bit of love 😊❤
This is the kind of content that I love from you - brought back so much nostalgia for Jacqueline Wilson and other authors I adored at that age! So many of the books I can remember so clearly- like im sure there was one about a girl getting into a relationship with her teacher?? Absolutely wild
literally nobody else ever remembers the cat mummy but that book fully traumatised me!! but jacqueline wilson is the person who got me into reading and I owe so much to her x
Jaqueline Wilson is the reason I enjoy reading , you’ve made me want to go back and re read them
Memories of reading Jacqueline Wilson books fills me with warmth to this day! I'd love to read them all again now at 30, and this new one!
X
*finishes watching video, immediately orders book*
Damn you Lucy!
My childhood book memories are Enid Blyton, Jacqueline Wilson and Harry Potter. My favourite Jacqueline Wilson books were the Lottie project and the illustrated mum and I used to try draw the illustrations too. I need to get this new book!
So many of my core memories relate to Jacqueline Wilson books! I almost welled up watching this! Love this content. Just what I needed this week 💕
I loved jacqueline wilson books too, they always had some hard issues in the core of them e.g. eating disorders, divorce, poverty, death. And who could forget the artwork! I've been collecting a few of my old favourites for my kids to read when older :)
This was just fab! Jacqueline Wilson was responsible for sooo many core memories, I’m def going to get this book now too! What a great idea, Lucy! ❤️
Jacqueline Wilson books were my literal childhood, I had so many of them growing up! The nostalgia hit is real!
Clean Break, Lola Rose and the Girls in Love series have such vivid memories in my brain! Looking forward to reading this one 📚
What a freaking throwback! Now I need to go back and read the Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging series!
The reading content lately has been ON POINT!
Oh wow I need to get this book, hits very close to home as my dad was adopted as a baby because his mum in the 60s had a similar situation and had to give him up at 16 after staying in one of those places, also love Jacqueline Wilson she was a big part of every 90s kid childhood 🙌🏻
Absolutely loved her books when I was younger and still enjoy them now at 25 :) I distinctly remember being traumatised by Cookie as I read the bunny scene in the school library and I'm certain the same thing happened with My Sister Jodie
Love this kind of video😊 I'm from Denmark, and the way you describe your relationship with Jacqueline Wilson kind of reminds me of my relationship with Astrid Lindgren, she's also amazing (at any age☺️)
Love this content! Hard relate to everything. I’m 34 and I still have so much love for Jacqueline Wilson. I remember reading Double Act and thinking it was the most brilliant, moving book I’d ever read. Core book memory!
I remember getting the book leaflet in school when it was the book fare and ordering the illustrated mum! The mems!
Bloody loved this video Lucy, brought back so many memories! I'd forgotten how many Jacqueline Wilson books I had! My daughter has just got into The Story of Tracy Beaker so I'm definitely going to take her to the library to find all the old classics as she gets older! The point you made about her books tackling adult topics is so true but I've never thought of it from an adults perspective! Also I've just started rewatching The Gilmore Girls - so good!
Loved this, and would definitely not say no to a video series of you re-reading Jaqueline Wilson books from our collective childhood!!
Highly highly recommend listening to Emma Gannon’s episode with Jacqueline Wilson on her podcast. An hour of heart melting, nostalgic feels. The purest form of joy. It’s like listening to a cuddle. She is an incredible woman. I’ve listened to it 2 or 3 times!
I loved this video and I'm not even hugely fussed about reading, there's just always something about you Lucy, say it all the time but you really are my comfort person, always feel so cosy watching your videos 🥰 obsessed with the book artwork though, the cover is gorgeous! Jacqueline Wilson really is a legend for creating such iconic characters like TB! Hope to see some more vlogs soon ☺️ x
I just fin reading this tonight!!! It’s sooo good!!! I’ve read a few of her stories but I especially loved Hetty Feather!🥹😍🫶🏽 I love the feeling I get reading her stories. I get lost into the stories & I’m glad that I got this story🤞🏽💘
My mum used to bribe me to go shopping with a trip to WHSmith for a Jaqueline Wilson book because I hated shopping! Oh the memories! The chokehold ‘sleepovers’ had on me back in the day! As always, I absolutely adore your book content & the way you talk about reading/books!
Jaqueline and nick came in to have dinner at my old workplace a couple of years ago, they’re the nicest people ever!
This video brought back so many warm fuzzy memories of going to the library.
I’m going to go to our local library with my kids tomorrow to sign up so they get to experience this too! Thank you!
Just reserved this at the library! So excited to read it 😍
The Hetty Feather series will forever hold a special place in my heart, those books just spoke to me in a way that I can’t really explain 🥺 this makes me want to pick up some of her books again 📚
Omg! I used to be obsessed with Jaqueline Wilson books back in the late 90’s early 2000’s. Dustin baby and girls in love were my favourites. I totally ordering this new book! Thanks for sharing
I'm not a massive reader, and never have been #adhdurapainintheasslol but even i have this internal spark of joy and comfort (despite her stories being quite scarring lol) from hearing the titles and seeing the covers. I can literally feel the sensation of reading them which i know makes no sense! Such an icon!
That’s how I felt about certain books as a kid/teen, like they somehow opened up my brain and I could let them in. #adhdisabitch
Thats odd I have ADHD and I don't stop reading 😂
I’m so excited to read this book. I went and watched her do a talk at the Brighton Centre about 5 years ago and she was just incredible, it was honestly like meeting a childhood hero.
That sounds wonderful! She's a total icon 👑
I LOVED Jacqueline Wilson’s books when I was younger 😊 would probably still enjoy them now at 30! Haha xx
this video took me right back to my childhood / teenage years ❤️ love jaqueline wilson xx
I had no idea Jacqueline had a new book out so I've just ordered this!
I bet I’m not the only one who would love a deep dive into Jacqueline Wilson books as an adult!
I remember reading and loving Jacqueline Wilson so much when I was young! I grew up in Germany so my British mother bought me the books instead of getting them from the library. Tracy Beaker and Co were literally the first English books I ever read and cemented my love for books and reading, I never really realized how instrumental Jaqueline Wilson was in that until just now! I'm pretty much read all the Jacqueline Wilson books I could get my hands on back then, I think I'll have to add Baby Love to my kindle for the nostalgia for sure :)
This has made me want to go back and read all my Jacqueline Wilson books! I think it’ll be really interesting to read them from an adult’s eyes because there’s probably a lot I didn’t understand when I was younger
I never would have picked this book up as an adult but now I’m going to, thanks Lucy!
Loved this video ☺️ and I liked how you talk about reading for pleasure and how reading doesn't always have to be certain things and you can read what you like 📚
My love with Jacqueline Wilson began with me picking 1 of her books last minute from a shop in a New Zealand airport during a layover - the book was Lola Rose
Jacqueline Wilson books are just my childhood 😭😭😭. My mum was a local librarian and me and my sister always got first dibs on her new books and my gosh we were the coolest in the playground 😂📚
I got so nostalgic watching this. Although I’m not sure she kept the dead cat in her wardrobe, I think she found it there after it went missing, although my naive brain may have purposefully blocked that out. I think Lola Rose was one of my favourites, where her mum wins money on a scratch card and she runs away from an abusive partner in the night with the kids. I need to reread that one.
cookie and candy floss were the 2 books which have emotionally scarred me. also feel so blessed to have met this amazing author and she was even lovelier in real life💘
My first ever Jacqueline Wilson book was The Bed and Breakfast Star, not really knowing much about the author but I loved it! I would hate it when teachers had a go at reading JW, clearly they didn't understand the tone, topics & comfort these books bring. I love Laura in Baby Love 💚 was so lovely to read her growth throughout
I ADORED Jacqueline Wilson's books as a kid growing up in England, and now as a 27 year old in Canada I just ordered this book from UK Amazon, shipping fees be dammed lol cause I honestly can't wait to read this!
Loved this review and look forward to reading it. The Jacqueline Wilson book which stuck with me the most since childhood is Dustbin Baby-so incredibly sad and I recommend if you haven’t read it before.
"The Lottie Project" was my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE!!! I have read it so many times!!
Ah this has unlocked some amazing memories! I loved all of the Jacqueline Wilson books, growing up. I used to borrow them from the library too! I was constantly in my room reading books 📚 not much has changed I guess!
The 10 year-old girl I nanny loves Jacqueline Wilson’s books, and my sisters were pretty into them about 20-25 years ago. I have read some of them and recently read her autobiography, Jackie Daydream. We have similar personalities ( quite shy/quiet, tendency to daydream, love of books/writing, sickly as children) so I now appreciate her work even more.
I have been rereading Jacqueline Wilson books to help me reach my reading goal since january and it is a really interesting experience as an adult
I used to love Jacqueline Wilson books when I was younger. I don't read anymore cos m always on my phone but I need to get back into it
Omg the nostalgia ❤ ill be honest I never really read that MANY Wilson books (i was way more into horse girl books and fantasy) but the ones I did read stuck with me for a while.
A book memory though; always going down the library on a Saturday with my mum and then going up the road to buy 100g of bon bons for 60p. Then going to talk to the parrot in the pet shop and then walking home to read all my books.
The cat mummy haunted me! I am a member of the millennial Jaqueline Wilson club, it’s so funny revisiting these stories, I loved the illustrated mum. Xx
Loved Jacqueline Wilson as a child. Defo was obsessed with her xx
I absolutely loved the bed and breakfast kid, I might pick up her new one after watching this, I looooved this video so much!
Lucy I’m on a book buying ban myself! But all your videos just make me want to buy more! My favourite Jacqueline Wilson book was the suitcase kid I remember that book so vividly! Like you said I just remember feeling pure joy whilst reading her books when I was younger. I think I will buy this when my every growing tbr pile goes down a bit 😂 thank you for your video though was a lovely watch and always love Flos presence in your videos 🐱 xxxxx
I loved this so much, I’m (a teeny bit) too old to have read any Jacqueline Wilson books but this sounds really good, I almost wanted to stop this video halfway through in case there were spoilers! It’s now on my Kindle list for my holiday next week and I can’t wait. Also absolutely loving this style of video where you vlog each part, absolute book nerd (absolutely counting myself as this) perfection 👌🏻