 First edition | |
| Author | Jacqueline Wilson |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Nick Sharratt |
| Cover artist | Nick Sharratt |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Doubleday (first edition, hardback) |
Publication date | 4 March 2004 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) and audiobook |
| Pages | 228 pp |
| ISBN | 978-0-385-60606-6 |
| OCLC | 53821502 |
| Preceded by | Midnight |
| Followed by | The Diamond Girls |
Best Friends is a children's novel by Jacqueline Wilson, first published in 2004.
Eleven-year-old girls Gemma Jackson and Alice Barlow have been best friends from birth, ever since they were born on the same day and in the same hospital. The two are polar opposites; Gemma is a tomboy who likes playing wild and exciting sports, while Alice is girly and loves ballet and the color pink. Despite their differences, the two girls spend almost every day together, and on their birthdays they always wish to stay friends forever.
One day, Alice tells Gemma that she and her parents are moving far away to Scotland. Gemma and Alice are both devastated at the thought of being separated, but Alice's snobbish mother claims that Alice will make new friends when they move. Not wanting this, Alice suggests that she and Gemma run away - and do so during the leaving party on the day before the move. Gemma suggests they catch a train to London. On the way they are recognized and sussed out by classmate Billy "Biscuits" McVitie, whose baby sister Polly was baptised that same day at the church that Gemma and Alice passed en-route; he tells his mother, who informs Alice's and Gemma's parents who in turn then catch the girls before they can board the train. Alice moves away and the girls are separated, and also banned from speaking to each other again. Gemma was blamed for the absconding incident.
Gemma's grandfather invites her to accompany him on a trip to Scotland when he is hired to taxi a client from Scotland to London. Upon arrival at Alice's new house the two share a happy reunion and Gemma is allowed to stay for the day. However, Gemma grows insecure when Alice is excited to show off her new pink bedroom and large house. Later in the day, Gemma meets Alice's new friend Flora Hamilton, who is a classmate to Alice at her new school as well as her new ballet class. Gemma is intimidated by Flora's friendship with Alice and approval from Alice's mother (including when Flora lies about Alice saying Gemma's family are "quite poor" regarding how a china doll came to fruition - Gemma's late grandmother left the doll to her, which she later gave Alice). When the cake Gemma has made and brought is presented at dinner, Alice requests that she and Gemma cut the cake together and make their traditional wish. When Alice's mother gives Flora the knife instead, Gemma finally snaps and shoves the cake in Flora's face.
Gemma is made to leave but Alice assures Gemma they are still best friends. Gemma gradually starts to rebuild her life without Alice, including establishing her friendship with Biscuits. The story ends on Gemma (and Alice's) birthday, when she celebrates with her family, Biscuits, and Biscuits' family. Gemma receives a birthday card and charm bracelet from Alice reassuring her that despite Alice not being able to contact Gemma any longer, they will remain best friends forever.
Biscuits makes appearances in Jacqueline Wilson novels Cliffhanger and Buried Alive!, albeit with no proper first name and with the surname Baker. Tim, the boy he befriends in these books, is referred to after Gemma's unsuccessful visit to Alice in Scotland as Gemma says she will never get to see Alice again. Biscuits says, "Yeah you can. This boy Tim and me are great mates and yet we only get to see each other on holiday."
In 2004, a five-part adaptation was produced by CITV (later aired on CBBC). It followed the book closely, but with a few minor alterations and a new ending.
Notable differences between the book and the TV series:
Tracy Beaker is the lead character in the Tracy Beaker franchise. After first appearing as the main character in Jacqueline Wilson's 1991 book The Story of Tracy Beaker, she appeared in the children's television drama of the same name, portrayed by Danielle Jane Harmer, and its sequel series Tracy Beaker Returns, as well as numerous spin-offs, Jacqueline Wilson books, a play and a video game. Harmer reprised her role as Tracy in the 2021 television series My Mum Tracy Beaker followed by The Beaker Girls.
Sweet Valley High is a series of young adult novels attributed to American author Francine Pascal, who presided over a team of ghostwriters to produce the series. The books chronicle the lives of identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, who live in the fictional Sweet Valley, California, a suburb near Los Angeles. The twins and their friends attend Sweet Valley High.
Mates, Dates is a series of books written for teenagers by Cathy Hopkins. The characters later cross over into her other popular book series Truth, Dare, Kiss or Promise.
The Alice series is a young adult book series written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, consisting of 25 books and three prequels, and it has been frequently challenged, as documented in the American Library Association's lists of the 100 most frequently challenged books from 1990 to 2019. The main character is Alice McKinley, and the Alice series covers her development through adolescence and puberty to the final book, Now I'll Tell You Everything, where Alice turns 60 years old. Through intimate relationships, jobs, disastrous accidents, and accidental parental meetings, the journey from a child into a grown woman is narrated in the Alice series. Important and notable characters are Alice's three best friends, Pamela, Gwen, Elizabeth; her first love, Patrick; her aunt, Sally; her brother, Lester; and her father. Dating, sex, friendship, familial matters, religion, and homosexuality are some of the controversial themes that Phyllis Reynolds Naylor uses to narrate the life story of Alice McKinley.
A Great and Terrible Beauty is the first novel in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray. It is told from the perspective of Gemma Doyle, a girl in the year 1895.
Clean Break is a best-selling children's novel by Jacqueline Wilson, first published in the United Kingdom in 2005. It deals with the consequences of a father abandoning his family.
Bunty was a British comic for girls published by D. C. Thomson & Co. from 1958 to 2001. It consisted of a collection of many small strips, the stories typically being three to five pages long. In contrast to earlier and contemporary comics, it was aimed primarily at working-class readers under the age of 14, and contained mostly fictional stories. Well-known regular strips from Bunty include The Four Marys, Bunty — A Girl Like You, Moira Kent, Lorna Drake, Luv, Lisa, The Comp, and Penny's Place.
Miss BG, is a 3-D animated series based on the "Gudule" French children's book series published by Hachette-Jeunesse, authored by Fanny Joly and illustrated by Roser Capdevila. The original English version was later dubbed in French under the retitle Bravo Gudule.
Kiss is a book for teenage readers, written by Jacqueline Wilson and illustrated by Nick Sharratt. It was published 2007 by Doubleday. The book revolves around a girl called Sylvie whose childhood friend Carl is struggling to come to terms with his sexuality.
Secrets is a young adult book by Jacqueline Wilson, published in 2002 by Doubleday. Secrets is told from the point of view of two pre-adolescent girls, Treasure and India, via their diary entries. Despite their very different backgrounds - Treasure coming from a violent and abusive household, India having rich but inattentive parents - the girls strike up a friendship and their stories begin to intertwine. The Diary of Anne Frank is frequently referred to in the novel and influences the girls' actions.
Sleepovers is a 2001 children's novel by the English writer Jacqueline Wilson, illustrated by Nick Sharratt.
Mandy was a British comic book for girls, published weekly by DC Thomson from 21 January 1967 to 11 May 1991. The majority of the stories were serialized, typically into two or three pages per issue, over eight to twelve issues.
Humf is a British animated children's television programme centred on a furry creature of the same name and his exploration of the world. The show is produced by King Rollo Films and Rubber Duck. It is narrated by Caroline Quentin and was broadcast on Nick Jr. and Nick Jr. 2 from 2009-2017 in the UK and Ireland, ABC in Australia, RTÉ in Ireland, TVB in Hong Kong, Knowledge Network and BBC Kids in Canada, Okto in Singapore, Four in New Zealand and CBeebies in some international countries. The episodes are usually around 7 minutes long.
I Think I'll Just Curl Up and Die! is a young adult novel by Rosie Rushton. It is the second book in her Leehampton series. It was first published in 1995 by Piccadilly Press.
How Could You Do This To Me, Mum? is a young adult novel by Rosie Rushton. It is the third part of her Leehampton series. It was first published in 1996 by Piccadilly Press.
Truth, Dare, Kiss or Promise is a series of books written for teenagers by Cathy Hopkins. The characters later cross-over and meet the characters of her other popular book series Mates, Dates.
The Longest Whale Song is a children's book by Jacqueline Wilson. It is the successor to Little Darlings, also published in 2010 and the predecessor to Lily Alone, first published in 2011.
Wallykazam! is an American CGI interactive children's animated television series created by Adam Peltzman for Nickelodeon. The series was first broadcast on February 3, 2014 on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block and ended on September 9, 2017. In Canada, it was broadcast on Treehouse TV. In December 2020, the entire series was added to Paramount+.