I decided to re-read this book recently because I have been adoring my old Jacqueline Wilson collection and having an adventure with my blasts from the past. Tracy Beaker is probably the most famous character that Jacqueline Wilson has created. This being the second book of her adventures, its a no-brainer that I enjoyed it so much. 'The Dare Game' is the second instalment of Tracy Beaker's life. She is living with her foster mum, Cam, who she adored from the first book, however she still has the want and desire to be accepted and loved by her real mum. Tracy seems a lot more grown up in this book, as whilst she's writing about her mum being 'famous' and an 'actress', she says something along the lines of: 'who am I kidding?' She seems to be a lot more adapted and understanding of reality. However, in the story, Tracy's mum soon bobs out of the blue and Tracy finds herself considering which home is her real home. Throughout the book Tracy embarks on new adventures and meets new people and goes to different places, finding out where she belongs. However, is there no place like home? Or was home where she began?As before, Jacqueline has single handedly shown the truth of care homes and how children feel. Yes, some care homes are quite nice and the children are treated fabulously, however people seem to forget that children want to feel nurtured, and Jacqueline has used Tracy to portray these feelings impeccably. Jacqueline has successfully shown a change in personality of Tracy. She seems more down to Earth, and although she is still outrageous and rude sometimes, she is still accepting and loving. She seems more in touch with her feelings. I think this is a wise ordeal of Jacqueline. She has allowed readers to connect with Tracy in the book before, so now you feel even more connected as she grows along with you. Jacqueline has also structured the book beautifully, by having each chapter describe someones home. This home is where Tracy is for now, so even if it's just a make believe treehouse, Jacqueline has made the chapter for it. I think this is a good idea and shows a lot more depth towards the story. The overall moral, to me anyway, is to do with finding out where you belong and finding where you are accepted for who you are and finding who loves you, and I think by structuring the chapters like this and having each chapter resemble a place, it shows Tracy's journey and begins to highlight the moral for you more-so.Jacqueline has also added some new characters so you're not stuck with the same old characters from before. Of course, there are mentioning moments of the previous, but Jacqueline has successfully made you remember rather then forcing you to acknowledge them. I also think this touch of new characters is based on moving on and growing up, as Tracy's life is doing just that.As always, I am not the target audience for this book anymore, however I still loved the book. It's a lot more grown up then the previous book, and you still are able to have opinions of the characters which you can create yourself considering Jacqueline doesn't force their personalities down your throat.
The Dare Game is a fantastic book for children. I feel confident readers will greatly enjoy Wilson's witty character, Tracey Beaker. The book deals with common issues that children come across while they grow up. The dilemma with not enjoying school is a big issue and Wilson explores how her protagonist doesn't go to school because she doesn't like the teachers and her peers. Her teacher doesn't allow her to have any imagination especially in the one area she enjoys, creative writing. Treacy isn't allowed free reign on what she writes and this disheartens her. She also looks at how Treacy makes friends. She isn't very nice to Alexander or 'Football' and they get tired of her. This teaches children that to make friends they have to be nice. The book is called The Dare Game as Treacy and her new friends start to dare each other to pass the time they spend out of school. The dares are sometimes harmless but sometimes dangerous, for example jumping out of a window and climbing on to a tree. The book also explores the topic of unconventional families. Treacy has been in and out of children's homes and foster homes. She has a wild imagination and dreams about living with her movie star mother. It deals with her emotional ups and downs as she goes through these processes.Wilson takes issues which are very appropriate young people and writes them in a way which is engaging and educational for the child. It teaches children many important life skills such as communication and getting along with different types of people. I believe that this book would be appropriate for KS2 children.
What do You think about The Dare Game (2006)?
I thought the Dare Game was a great book like the majority of Jacqueline Wilson's books! Jacqueline Wilson deals with things that could, and probably are happening to children somewhere. In this story Tracy has to decide whether she would like to carry on living with foster mum cam (she complains about her never buying her designer clothes and living in a poky little flat) or start living with her mum-the famous Carly Beaker! Its Tracy's dream come true-or so she thought. When Tracy goes to stay for the weekend with her mum, she leaves her by herself, and Tracy becomes scared. Then, the next morning Carly tells Tracy that she wont be here next weekend as she has been 'offered a part in a movie she really cant resist'. The truth is that she has been asked out to the races for the weekend with her boyfriend! I would recommend this book to be on the shelf in any KS2 classroom, a great read.
—Lisa Smith
I wasn't going to read this one after getting fed up with the character of Tracy Beaker in the first one, but I thought I should give it a chance.I think it was on a par with the previous one, although possibly slightly better, just because of the more complicated story-line. I liked Tracy's two new friends, Alex and Football, and I also loved the idea of Carly, Tracy's mum, coming back for her after all these years, even if this upsets Cam.Unfortunately I just couldn't get into it because of the personality of Tracy and the way the book is continuously written in a diary format from Tracy's point of view. The story became tedious and a longer read because I wasn't too interested.
—Leah
I've read this book twice now, and I really enjoy it. Tracy lives with Cam, her foster mum. She thinks that parents are supposed to buy you lots of treats and designer clothes, and they fight about that a lot. Tracy wants to go live at her Mum's house, and when she gets the option, she jumps at it. But she finds out she would rather have love and attention than gifts. This is a great story for someone in the 9-13 age range. It deals with friendship, bad family situations, and disappointments. It can be serious sometimes, but it's mostly light hearted and fun.
—Jordana Wer
