Entertainment

People are struggling to deal with the fact that Tracy Beaker is now a mum

Dame Jacqueline Wilson’s latest book is written in the voice of Jess, Tracy’s daughter.
Dame Jacqueline Wilson’s latest book is written in the voice of Jess, Tracy’s daughter. Dame Jacqueline Wilson’s latest book is written in the voice of Jess, Tracy’s daughter.

Tracy Beaker, the legendary Jacqueline Wilson character and an icon of millennial childhood, is back – and she has become a mum.

Beaker, who would now be in her 30s, has returned in Wilson’s latest book with daughter Jess, who has inherited her mother’s famously curly hair.

But Beaker’s comeback, whose TV portrayal by a young Dani Harmer still lingers in the minds of 90s kids, has left some people feeling old.

My Mum Tracy Beaker is currently on pre-order and will be released in October 2018.

It follows nine-year-old Jess, who tells the story of growing up on a London housing estate with single mum Tracy, who grew up in foster care.

Speaking to The Observer about the book in March, Wilson said she wanted it to reflect real life.

She said: “How many young women without much education earn enough, with a daughter, to be able to buy their own home in London today?

“Being Tracy, she wants to be independent, but with a child, how can she be? So she’s having to scratch around.”

It is aimed at seven to 11-year-olds, but readership is likely to extend to a slightly older market as original fans may want to keep up with Beaker’s latest chapter.

The book is illustrated by longtime Wilson collaborator Nick Sharratt, and comes 27 years after The Story Of Tracy Beaker was first released.