Jacqueline Wilson wrote her first novel when she was nine years old, and she has been writing ever since.

I enjoyed the story, I thought it was well-paced and one thing I’m extremely happy about is the time we got to spend with Laura before she finds out she is pregnant, as we really get to know her.I find JW’s writing so easy to fall into, I am always immersed in the world and the characters, I definitely felt all the emotions. This is set in an era that she was familiar with (her published journals were a great read) and tells the story of how young, unwed mothers were treated by society. However, it was good for Laura and I think Wilson did a great job of showing other not so great endings for other women in the book for us to believe that Laura’s could be one of the good ones. Laura and Nina’s friendship begins to falter in the next few months as Laura realises how controlling her friend is. She makes bonds that get her through what will be the hardest time of her short life, but ultimately make her strong, resilient and determined to fight for what she feels is right.

She has written over 100 books and is the creator of characters such as Tracy Beaker and Hetty Feather. There has always been something so special and comforting about her writing that I think few other authors match. I will always wonder at her ability to understand and translate such tough subjects and emotions into her words so beautifully. The second half of the novel introduces new characters all caught in the same situation and all thrown into the pain and turmoil of forced adoptions.

However, in the 1960s women who are unmarried or young are treated very different to today for becoming pregnant.

I found her writing to be just as engaging and well-paced as I did when I was a teenager, which surprised me. Candy Gourlay introduces Wild Song, her companion novel to Bone Talk, in which Luki and Samkad leave their home in the Philippines for America. Watching Laura and her friend Nina navigate to teenage hood and become interested in sex, boys and ‘growing up’ (well, in Nina’s case anyway), and I honestly can’t believe how quickly I eagerly devoured this book. Ross Welford introduces Time Travelling with a Tortoise, the sequel to Time Travelling with a Hamster, and a whole new time travel adventure! The story gripped me and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey Laura went through without having to think too hard.She has squabbles with her friends, cares about her schoolwork, grumbles about her parents and longs for more than she has. A trip to the local swimming pool begins with trepidation as Nina wears a bikini and a European holiday tan, and Laura squeezes into her old bathing suit with an anchor on her flat chest. Her prefab home is undoubtedly the nicest in their area, but still is in a street dubbed 'Shantytown' by her Grammar School classmates. Nina immediately looks at ease and trying to match her confident friend, Laura agrees to one of the boys walking her home, including a detour on the way.