The Dare Game (Tracy Beaker #2) by Jacqueline Wilson
Release: October 5th 2006
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Yearling
Source: Public Library
Dare Game Synopsis:
I’M TRACY BEAKER, THE GREAT INVENTOR OF EXTREMELY OUTRAGEOUS DARES – AND I DARE YOU TO READ A MORE BRILLIANT STORY THAN THIS!
I’ve bought a big fat purple notebook for writing down all my mega-manic ultra-scary stories in. But especially for my own story. Of how my foster-mum, Cam, has turned out to be a real meanie. No designer clothes, when I really need them. A pokey flat, and a horrible new school. No wonder I bunk off . . . Still, it will have to do until my real mum comes and gets me. And until then, no-one is going to be better at the Dare Game than Tracy Beaker!
Review:
I remember reading the first book “The Story of Tracy Beaker” a few years ago and somewhat liking it. Honestly, I didn’t remember much of the story except recalling the main character lived in a Children’s Home. I picked this book on a whim at the library and just started reading not knowing what to expect.
The main plot of the book is its highlight and what makes it stand out. The book touches on some serious aspects like Tracy having to choose between her real mom and her foster mom. It is interesting to see how Tracy reacts when what she wished for doesn’t turn out the way she expected. Also, the characters are written as down to Earth facing realistic issues, whether they are children or adults. We get to see one character being bullied in school, while another fights for a parent’s love. Each person in the book has a distinctive personality that make their interactions with one another fun to read.
The only downside is that I found Tracy’s character to be very annoying! Although there are a few parts where she is sweet, she is rude and obnoxious most of the time. I mean, this girl is mean towards her foster mom just because Cam doesn’t buy her designer clothes? It’s hard to imagine a girl who used to live in a Home would be so demanding over designer wear. The only character I really liked in this book was Alexander. He’s interesting, sweet, smart and likeable, and I hope the author writes a standalone book just about him.
Also, this book had some adult themed jokes that, even though it’s funny, is not suitable for children. For instance the below:
The illustrations by Nick Sharratt are VERY cute and make the characters adorable! In fact, he makes the characters more likable than how they are described in the text. I feel that Jacqueline Wilson had a brilliant idea for this book but failed to execute in writing. I found the writing style to be monotonous and not progressing at times. While I didn’t like the writing style, I respect the author for bringing forward an adoption theme in this book. I will read some of her other books to see if her writing style improves based on the story’s theme.
Overall, this was a fun little book to read, but I feel could have been much better! I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
