Iconic Jacqueline Wilson Characters Who Probably Shaped You As A Person

Consider yourself a fully fledged bookworm these days? Then we're guessing that your love of reading probably stems from having your nose constantly buried in your favourite stories as a kid.

So if that's the case, you can expect our generation to now be a weird combo of the wizarding world and Georgia Nicholson's life lessons.

Before we get all nostalgic, here's 5 reasons why you NEED to visit Chewton Glen's latest swanky dream treehouse...

Anyone who considers Jacqueline Wilson to be worthy of the Nobel Prize for Literature was pretty excited last week when she revealed that she’s bringing back her all time fave Tracy Beaker for a catch up.

Sadly it won’t be set at The Dumping Ground with an appearance from Justine Littlewood, but instead it’s set to tell the story of Tracy in 2018.

27 years after The Story of Tracy Beaker hit library shelves, My Mum Tracy Beaker will be told by her daughter Jess as Tracy tries her best to raise a child as a single mum, in and out of work and living in a council flat.

Chatting about the inspo behind Tracy’s revival, Queen Jacqueline said: "When I realised just how long ago I wrote the first Tracy Beaker book, I thought: if we were in real time, Tracy herself would be in her 30s."

The author went on: “I’ve always thought that, even though Tracy had lots of problems in her life and a pretty rubbish mum who was never there for her, Tracy herself would be a good mum, no matter what.”

Tracy is just one of Jacqueline’s iconic characters who you probably wished could be your bestie back in the day.

So it’s time to celebrate her huge comeback and get seriously nostalgic, with a whole load of iconic Jacqueline Wilson characters who totally shaped you as the person you are today.

1. Tracy from The Story Of Tracy Beaker

Not only did she provide you with a lifetime of perfect insults (‘Bog off, weed’ and ‘I’d rather drink a cup of cold sick’ are always classics), but Tracy’s IDGAF attitude is a good one to channel when life throws its endless crap at you.

TB didn’t let her difficult past hold her back from anything, she was always unapologetically herself (shove off, Elaine the Pain), and proved in the end that you should never lose hope that better things are waiting just around the corner.

In other words, an icon tbh.

2. Ellie from Girls In Love

Girls In Love was the series that you had to really persuade your mum that you’re were old enough to read - mainly because it involved boys, sexy snogging and sneaking out to parties.

While Magda was glam and Nadine was edgy, ginger Ellie with glasses, a sketchbook and thighs she thought were too big was the girl for anyone who didn’t see themselves in the usual book characters.

Ellie was basically one big mess of hormones with zero self confidence (aka all of us), and served up a whole load of reassuring realities. Boyfriends are never quite as good as you think they’re gonna be, staying in is better than going out, and your appearance totally doesn’t define your self worth. YAS.

3. Stella from How To Survive Summer Camp

A reoccurring theme in Jacqueline Wilson book was her main characters coming from a broken home, which was always pretty comforting to read for anyone who could hear their mum and dad whisper-shouting after you went to bed.

Sassy Stella was one of them, left at summer camp while her mum went swanning off on a swanky honeymoon. She was awkward and unfriendly and stubborn, but eventually managed to turn her nightmare situation into something great.

The hero of our times for anyone who's ever felt angry at the world, or like they struggle to fit into a new situation. Yep, told you they were all still relatable even in your twenties.

4. Andy from The Suitcase Kid

Another BFF for anyone who was struggling to cope with their parents' divorce-a-thon at home, Andy somehow made it a whole lot more acceptable to feel as though you weren’t okay with seeing your mum and dad splitting up. 

While also being super vulnerable and reliant on her tiny toy rabbit Raddish (CUTE), Andy was strong, brave and also impressively accepting of a situation that she had no control over.

Actually, we probably all need to be a bit more like Andy when things go wrong. What a gal.

5. Elsa from The Bed And Breakfast Star

The Bed and Breakfast Star is a prime example of reading a Jacqueline Wilson book over and over as a kid, but not realising the deep and meaningful side of the story.

It might have seemed like Elsa was living the dream while moving from hotel to hotel but err… her family were literally homeless and living in poverty. Her mum’s depressed, her dad’s abusive and she was bullied at school. Woah, heavy.

Despite all of that, Elsa managed to make the best of her terrible situation, by keeping a smile on her face through it all, supporting her loved ones and, cracking constant jokes and focusing on her future ambitions. Coping mechanisms, anyone?

6. Ruby and Garnet from Double Act

The magic of the twins in Double Act was that you probably related way more to one or the other. You were either confident, gobby and born to be a star like Ruby, or you were quiet, calm and a people pleaser like Garnet.

Without you even realising, the twins’ constant bickering but unwavering love for each other taught you about the importance of finding your own identity and always being yourself. How cute?

And if you grew up with a sister, Double Act was a good reminder that while she probably seemed like a pain in the arse and your biggest rival at times, she was always your best friend whatever you faced together. 

7. Tanya from Bad Girls

Remember this one? You’re lying if you say you didn’t dream of finding your own bad gal best mate like Tanya to come and turn your extremely boring, homework-filled world upside down.

Mandy and Tanya's friendship taught us a few lessons from different angles. Stand up to the bullies you encounter in life, don’t ever let anybody walk all over you, and remember that a good friend will help you get through pretty much anything.

And also don't go shoplifting nice tops from the shopping centre. It never ends well.

8. Charlie and Lottie from The Lottie Project

Not only did The Lottie Project get you vaguely interested in history lessons for maybe two weeks max, but Charlie was another Jacqueline Wilson character who probably made any difficult home situations seem way more normal and less frightening.

Her mum loses her job, struggles to make ends meet and brings a new man into the family, so talk about hashtag relatable for the rest of us.

But, while Charlie learned to cope with each hurdle thanks to the parallel story in her Victorian project, the big life lessons were passed on to us through the book. Hmm, looking back this was a pretty weird story, wasn't it?

9. Dolphin from The Illustrated Mum

Mental health is a HUGE topic these days so The Illustrated Mum, featuring a heavily depressed mother and daughter Dolphin who loves her unconditionally, was way ahead of its time. Pretty cool.

It was a super relatable story for anyone dealing with a similar situation at home, and showed that a loving family bond is important no matter what your background may be.

The most brutal part of The Illustrated Mum was always the loose ending that didn’t give much away about Dolphin’s future. But hey, that probably taught you that life is usually a mess and things don’t always tie up as you want them. A true ray of sunshine.

10. Vicky and Jade from Vicky Angel

And last but not least, the book that left you living with the constant paranoia that your best mate was going to die in unexpected circumstances and haunt you while you were on the loo at school. Cheers, Jacqueline Wilson.

Aside from all of that, Jade and Vicky taught us that opening up to someone about your worries and problems will always makes things seem better, as well as the unconditional love in friendship and the importance of letting go when its needed.

Yeah, we almost definitely wouldn't be emotionally stable enough to read these again now.

Words by Lucy Wood