The Story of Tracy Beaker The Story of Tracy Beaker The Story of Tracy Beaker is a British children's book first published in 1991, written by Jacqueline Wilson and illustrated by Nick Sharratt. The book is told from the point of view of Tracy Beaker, a troubled ten-year-old girl. The reason Tracy is often unhappy and has problems with her behaviour because she is lonely, frustrated and feels unloved. Tracy resides in a children's residential care home (nicknamed "The Dumping Ground") where she has been placed as a result of neglect and domestic violence. Her mother often left Tracy to stay by herself when Tracy
The Story of Tracy Beaker who attempted to foster her after discovering they were expecting a child of their own, knowing Tracy's background with younger children (especially an incident involving Tracy shutting a baby in a cupboard). From an adult's point of view, Tracy has "behavioural problems" and she is always telling tales. Tracy's stories seem to provide a high level of comfort and security for her. For example, 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. Tracy says that her mother is so busy being