The Diamond Girls

by Jacqueline Wilson, Jacqueline Wilson

Dixie is the youngest Diamond girl. She and her sisters - dreamy Martine, glamorous Rochelle and tough Jude - could hardly be more different, but their mum has always tried to teach them the value of sticking together.Now Mum's expecting yet another baby, and she's convinced this one's a boy. She insists they move to a bigger place - but it's rough, dilapidated and filthy, and before they've even unpacked, Mum's gone into labour! Can the Diamond girls pull together in time for her to come home? And will anyone spot Mum's little secret but Dixie?

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary, Middle Grade, Teen, Novels

219 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2004

About the author

Jacqueline Wilson was born in Bath in 1945, but spent most of her childhood in Kingston-on-Thames. She always wanted to be a writer and wrote her first ‘novel’ when she was nine, filling in countless Woolworths’ exercise books as she grew up. As a teenager she started work for a magazine publishing company and then went on to work as a journalist on Jackie magazine (which she was told was named after her!) before turning to writing novels full-time.

One of Jacqueline’s most successful and enduring creations has been the famous Tracy Beaker, who first appeared in 1991 in The Story of Tracy Beaker. This was also the first of her books to be illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Since then Jacqueline has been on countless awards shortlists and has gone on to win many awards. The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the 1999 Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book Award.

Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.

Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million!

In 2002 Jacqueline was awarded the OBE for services to literacy in schools and from 2005 to 2007 she was the Children’s Laureate. In 2008 she became Dame Jacqueline Wilson.

Reviews

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a brief review! 💎
As ever, I adored this Jacqueline Wilson book. I've probably read this as least ten times and I always enjoy it. One of her books for older readers, so it's slightly darker and more complex. Has some mild language --nothing too bad. I think I first read it when I was about 12.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacqueline Wilson is a star at telling gritty, realistic stories from the perspective of a child. This was another winner. And Finty Williams delivers another fantastic narration. I really appreciated the interview with the author at the end of the audio book. Jacqueline Wilson says that she writes just for herself, because if she wrote for anyone else she would have to worry about upsetting too small children, not engaging young adults enough, etc. I'm so glad she doesn't worry about these things because her writing is wonderful and completely believable. I enjoy her books immensely, and I'm 35 years old. I just downloaded another one. I'm really on a kick, I know, but they're just so good! 5 stars!

[Gohnar23 · Rating 1 out of 5]

#️⃣3️⃣4️⃣3️⃣ Read & Reviewed in 2025 🌀🌊💠
Date : 📬 Sunday, July 13, 2025 🫧🛌
Word Count📃: 58k Words 🛢️✈️

𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚ 💧🥏🩻 ‹𝟹 𓇢𓆸 𓂂 𓇼˚｡ •

ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ My 27th read in "Why is Lorde's latest album so bad" 🩻 July

1️⃣🌟, that's it? What the hell is this, mr. library u need to put this is the back shelf where no one can see 😭😭😭
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Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, so there's these 4 (soon to be 5) sisters doing......sister things.

Yeah thats kinda it tho 😐😐😐😐😐

It is one of the most meaningless things ive ever read because just..what even is this 😬. I know children's books are supposed to be simple and basic but...nawh not this.

The main character is a child doing child things alongside with her sisters and.....nothing happens. Well i mean realistic situations happens buuut really, me looking at my neighbor's kids outside the window is more eventful and more interesting that even just a single thing that happens in here.

'what do you expect in a children's book'

a story????????? (literally my only expectation with any type of book even romance books, you would be surprised how many romance books out there doesn't even have a damn story) but im shocked THAT A CHILDREN'S BOOK OF ALL BOOKS is the one type of book that I'll criticize for "not having a story" because ironically children's books are the very genre that is SUPPOSED TO HAVE A STORY so uhh what the hell is this.

There's a reason no one writes 'slice of life' books, its the fact that there's no story to connect to nor are there any redeeming qualities to say if the entire core of the book is taken out.

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilson is great at making realistic characters that you can quickly come to term with, giving realistic reactions to events.

Her books are great at getting children to really think about actions and their consequences, really opening the eyes of children to the world. Some of her books are sensitive reads yet they are all great at sending life messages to children.

I feel as though Wilson books are a must in the lives of young children, a way of opening their eyes to the real world in the right way.

[Cookiemonsterr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Contraception in book form

[Moon · Rating 1 out of 5]

What IS this garbage??? What is the message? Both mothers are quite literally the worst mothers imaginable. How is this a good response to a critic say the Illustrated Mom is a bad example for featuring sisters with 2 different fathers? How is THIS the 'gotcha' response?

One mother (not one of the main characters though) is physically abusive because she suffers from an extreme case of OCD, meanwhile the other one is emotionally abusive. How does the physically abusive one make the other one look good? It's okay to emotionally neglect your kids and not be able to take care of them financially as long as you don't hit them? Abuse comes in many forms.

How do you, as a mother, sleep well at night knowing your entire household is running because you're exploiting your children as free labour? It's not an issue of sleeping around, it's an issue of not providing for your kids both emotionally and physically. This is a surefire way for your kids to shove you into a retirement home because they were forced to mother their younger sibling while being children themselves.

Little Dixie, for example, has hand-me-downs from 3 sisters, they barely have any space for themselves, the sisters keep fighting for their mothers attention, and don't get me started on the whole "I want my 5th kid (who I am both financially and emotionally not ready for) to be a boy". I can understand being emotionally unstable but for God's sake stop having children you CANNOT take care of. Stop relying on your other children to solve the family problems. You want to make it as a single mother? Fine. But make sure you're the one actually doing it.

And don't get me started on the 16 yo Martine being allowed to keep her baby. Sue, as her mother, should've stepped up and been a mother for once in her life and put her foot down. She, of all people, should've known how difficult of a life you have as a teen mom. Especially since she can't have the help of her own mom.

The romance between Rochelle the 12 yo and the 16 yo Ryan?? What was this book trying to do? Is it a case of an unreliable narrator our 10 yo Dixie? Or is the book genuinely trying to justify this?

No, no, no, this book is horrendous, even as a kid I knew sth was off but now that I'm an adult I'm appalled.

[Sabrina L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book I found lying around my house and I am glad I read it. It is a slice-of-life book written in the point of view of Dixie, the youngest daughter of a complicated family. The family consists of a mother who is pregnant and her 4 daughters, Martine, Jude, Rochelle and Dixie. Each girl has a different father and their adventure begins when they move into a new home, which is less than they expected. It goes through the daily lives of the girls up until the day their mother gives birth.

While the book was probably written for a younger audience, I still found myself enjoying it immensely because of the realistic character personalities and its drama-like approach to the life of the Diamond girls. Each girl had flaws as well as strong points; they are developed well and are definitely not Mary Sue characters. There is always something happening in this book, and the events are presented in such a way that as normal and ordinary they may seem, every action and reason stand out while not losing realistic touch with its readers. The way things are portrayed seem possible to actually happen in real life. I grew attached to these characters.

This book even touches on subjects such as abuse, as Dixie's neighbour, Mary, has a very strict mother who Dixie deduces is using violent ways against her. It looks at these events through the innocent yet insightful eyes of young Dixie and shows how she deals with it and gets her friend help.

Overall I really enjoy slice-of-life/realistic drama books like this one and would definitely recommend it.

[Louise · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't think I'll be able to get across how unhinged and disturbing this book actually is.

I read it as a 12 or 13 year old, and found the abuse with the fingernails so disturbing it's stayed with me for life. I didn't remember Bruce at all (why is he even there?!).

There's very little plot beyond 'dysfunctional single parent family moves house'. Wilson seems to have written this as a response to criticism about The Illustrated Mum and managed an enormous self-own. The moral of the story seems to be that being a single mother to 5 children is fine, because married mothers with one child can be horribly abusive. What the actual fuck? Why on earth is any of this content in a children's book? The depictions of what Mary is going through are fucking horrible to read.

Sue has decided to up and move her family to some shithole estate 60 miles away from anyone they know because 'it was in the stars'. She is also 9 months pregnant at this point. She ropes in a complete stranger to help them move, then goes into labour and relies on said stranger and her 16 year old daughter (who turns out to also be pregnant) to look after her kids for nothing. If Bruce wanted to be useful he should have just called social services. The kids end up running around an estate they don't know getting beaten up, the youngest makes friends with a child who is being abused by her mother and ENDS UP BREAKING BOTH OF HER LEGS. While all this nonsense is going on, Sue is pretending her new baby girl is a baby boy. Yes, really.

JESUS WEPT.

[Lake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lovely book weaves a perfectly written story, as Wilson masterfully embeds hidden morals and messages throughout, as is her trademark.

Prepare to be whisked away into the world where unconventional families reign supreme. It challenges the notion of “perfection” and serves as a reminder that even unconventional families brim with love; Making you rethink the age-old adage, "Don't judge a book by its cover" (pun absolutely intended).

But addressing the elephant in the room—Mary's dad. While the ending neatly ties everything together, it's hard to shake off the disappointment in him for turning a blind eye to the abuse his daughter endured. HOWEVER, amidst the turmoil, there's Dixie shining like a true Diamond Girl, stealing the spotlight with her undeniable charm, wit and heart full of love to give. And ultimately being Mary’s saviour without even meaning to be!

With a cast of characters as colorful as a rainbow, relatable sibling relationships and the chaotic yet endearing dynamics of this family… this book is a gem for anyone seeking a heartwarming yet entertaining read.

[Lara Vehar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another masterpiece by Jacqueline Wilson.

The book talks about a single mother that has 4 daughters and the fifth one on the way. Each daughter has a different father. Each one has an uniqe name aswell - Dixie, Rochelle, Jude, Martine and Sundance.

The youngest one is Dixie - she always carries the plushie parrot in her sleeve.

When they are moving to a new and bigger place they get help from a co-worker of Dixie's father who they later make a part of the family when he injures his back and is forced to stay with them.

Martine runs away because she ends up being pregnant and Dixie selflessly risks her life catching Mary, her neighbor who was abused by her mother and tried to jump from her room's window.

At the end the whole family is gathered and mom finally reveals to the girls that Sundance is not a boy- he's a girl.

[Kristen Golson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cannot believe this is a book for young readers. This basically glorifies sleeping around, having a different father for every child, and has the oldest child following in her mother's footsteps by getting pregnant. Is this what we want our children to read about and emulate? This author is not one I will let my girls read until I read them first. It doesn't even deserve one star. Parents beware!

[Ivana Oltovska · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Loved it

[Fatima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was in a juicy reading slump and saw her on my childhood bookshelf. Committing to re-entering another Jacqueline Wilson era!!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another oldie that I decided to re-read. Jacqueline Wilson's 'Diamond Girls' is another captivating story that allows you to delve into someone else's life, someone else's situations as well as someone else's perspectives.

Diamond Girls is written from the perspective of Dixie, who is living in a walking drama right now. She has three sisters and each one has their own personality to battle with. Martine, has fallen in love with the boy next door. Jude, is fighting every single gang on the estate. And finally there is Rochelle, whose young but wants to act so much older. It's a wonder that mother, Sue, was prepared to have another baby, and thats where the story begins. Dixie's family is moving out of their cosy flat and into a new home, in the hope of creating it a beautiful family home for the new baby. However, only days after moving - things get worse for the Diamond Girls. The new home isn't a pleasure, and the baby may just be early...as well as secrets being twined and slithered amongst the family in hope for 'perfection'.

Jacqueline Wilson's books are for younger audiences, however I still find myself enjoying books like these, because they have so much harsh drama and so many plot twists that allow you to see the characters from new views and enchanting new views of each one. This book offers a load of drama and plot twists, following topics such as: child abuse, a brief mentioning of mental health, neglect, abuse and council-homed families who just want to live and be happy. I think Jacqueline easily portrays things and allows each of her readers to captivate how life really is for someone else.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

My sister has currently been making her way through the Jacqueline Wilson collection so after she had finished reading this book I also decided to read it. The book is based on the diamond family. Dixie diamond is the youngest in the family who has three older sisters and a pregnant mother who is due to give birth. With a new baby on the way the mother decides they need a bigger and better home. On the other hand the eldest daughter Martine does not want to leave because of her boyfriend. Preparing to move to the new house the family receive a shook when they find that their new home has been broken into, so they try their best to restore the house. Having now moved everything seems to fall apart with Jude getting into a fight and Rochelle finding a new boyfriend. What’s even more confusing is that the mother has been telling everyone that she wants a boy but unfortunately it’s another girl. Yet she doesn't tell anybody and cancels the baby’s identity until Dixie finds out.
I personally found the topic of blue bell (Dixie’s bird) very confusing as she pretends it’s alive when as a matter of fact it’s pretend. I personally did not think the book was that good but I could see the appeal for young reader, with current topics being raised such as boyfriends ect. But I still think this book would be better for older reader.

[Tiz. T. · Rating 1 out of 5]

...
I'll just start by saying that the moral of the story it is that any kind of behavior toward your children and mooching off to other people is fine because hey, there is likely somebody EVEN WORSE out there.

I wouldn't have said this, wouldn't it be that the preface of the book was a comment about the author saying how she has once read of somebody who didn't like another book of hers because the woman had children from two different men. While I agree that the comment was from a bigot, Jacqueline Wilson gave a great show of maturity by writing a book about a woman with FOUR almost FIVE children from different fathers, who manages to live because the system gives her room and board and who is pregnant of the fifth child but it is ok because see, there is a house with a nuclear family where the mother is PHYSICALLY ABUSIVE.

So there, bigot.

Look.

No.

Yes, physically abuse your children is horrid, but the four ''diamond girls'' of the title are hardly in a much better situation, ok?

Sometime, and I say it with all possible regrets, Wilson exagerates.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't quite understand why I liked this book so much. I had become a bit fed up of Jacqueline Wilson books by this point, but this one sprung out at me.

I actually leanrt about post natal depression through this book. I couldn't understand why Mary's mum was so crazy, and it wasn't until I asked my mum who suggested I talk to one of our family friends about it, that I found out about it all. Our friend had post natal depression after her first child, and it was a very tough time for them, she explained how she felt and how it affected her mental state. So I finally understood (although did not agree with) the abuse Mary was put under by her mother.

I think I liked the book for it's eye-opening element, but I remember not liking the characters all that much, and I struggled to connect with them, especially Dixie's crazy boy-loving mother with little baby Sundance. (A 'My Little Pony' name!!!)

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

My friend just had a baby at 15, and this is the last book I should have read. It's tried to make teenage pregnancy out as not so bad, as acceptable. And it's not its not its not. Look how badly off their family was because the mum couldn't be bothered to wrap it before she tapped it when she was 16. And four times again after that. It was horrible and I wish I'd never read any of it. I'm sticking to happy books and escaping the horrid events of my life

[Anusha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A silly little reread 13 years later 🤪🤪

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️ as always

[Ebony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall: A book I revisited from my childhood to experience some nostalgia. I did get a nice blast from the past, but I also learned that this book is actually quite boring sometimes and the morals are way off balance. A bit scary considering this is for kids.

Likes: •The characterisation of the sisters was so vivid it was really easy differentiating them from one another •Despite the writing not being as complexed I could still imagine the scenes •The topic of physical abuse was interesting to read about – Mary’s character was a gem! •So nostalgic for me!

Dislikes: •The mum is a manipulative gaslighter who deals with no repercussions for her actions or any hint from the author that she is a bad person •Lots of boring use of language (repeated ‘said’ a lot) •Being trapped inside Dixie’s head was incredibly annoying (I understand why younger readers would connect with her though) •Bruce gets treated like garbage the entire book (he doesn’t get paid, has to spend his own money on this random family’s food etc and doesn’t leave despite Dixie’s dad not even being his friend??)

[MATFiction · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay - not the best for people with past trauma. It sorta seemed like J. Wilson crammed as much family trauma as possible such as teenage pregnancy, family violence, and severe OCD disorder that may scare children. I did like the main character, Dixie and Bruce. But felt that Mary and Dixie almost dying with Mary's mum admitted to the Mental Health Ward and Martine pregnant at 16 did not prove 'a happy ending' in my eyes. The mum usually really stressed and the family falling apart but at the end they play 'happy families' with mum not stressed at all - even though all four daughters are in a troubling part of their lives. I don't really get why the mum decided the baby was a boy and woudn't change her mind - a bit of a weird additive to an already strange book.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fav book aged 10

[aixin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My introduction to Jacqueline Wilson was through the TV adaption of Dustbin Baby , starring my then-favourite actress Dakota Blue Richards (who had been Lyra in The Golden Compass ). Since then I have had a soft spot for her books; quick and easy to read for children, thought-provoking for teenagers and adults.

The premise of The Diamond Girls is nothing new in Wilson's canon: another dysfunctional family made up of a single, constantly pregnant mother and her four girls. I always enjoy the way Wilson skilfully narrates the very real problems such families face from the perspective of young children. Although the length of Wilson's novels usually calls for an abrupt, happy ending, I hope that youngsters who read such books will think more of the strange girl next door with dirty clothes and too many siblings.

[Robin :] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the writing style is typical of a kids book, the characters and their dialogue still manages to be realistic. (in the typical South of England, Jacqueline Wilson style) The girls themselves may seem like stereotypical punchy girls, but the way that they cope with their circumstances is typical of young girls - violence, male attention, fawn response, ect. Mary's mother is alluded to either being straight up off the wall abusive, or a severe germaphobe who takes it out on her tiny stressed daughter - the germaphobe theory would explain the fastidious way Mary dresses, and why her dad does nothing to stop her mothers more "extreme" parenting. ("my wife's a bit particular. Very very houseproud")
However - this book is overall great. I loved it even now, and there are certain sections of imagery that are still equally as scarring now as they were when I was nine.

[Izzah Suryanto · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot is OK. It's realistic. But I really wish Wilson would stop recycling her main character. All her main characters are dreamy, not good at math, love pretending games, not good at making friends, etc. It gets boring when you keep having to see the story from this kind of character's POV. Also, I wish Wilson would wrap up her story completely. She always made the end of story with 'half-okay' situation, but never really fix up the core of the problem.

Plus, if you're having anxiety disorder, I suggest you not to read this one.

[Cherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty disturbing, especially considering I read this kind of stuff when I was like 10, completely unsupervised. I'm starting to think Jacqueline Wilson must have had some pretty traumatic experiences with her parents the way she writes these nutjobs of parents. So far, both of the parents-in-focus (Dad in Candyfloss, Mum in The Diamond Girls) were like super aloof and didn't make much effort to do actual parenting or make, idk, nutritious meals. Also how do you move out your entire family not even checking the new house in person??

[Olivia-Savannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would you look at that? It's my childhood calling.

I loved this book because it's about 4 sisters, and guess how many we are too? 4 sisters! Although we are called The Roach Girls due to our surname, mini-me felt a very tight connection to the book even though her Wilson loving days were waning...

[Emma Minazza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven't read a book by Jacqueline since I was a child and it has brought back my love for her books! This was a refreshing read and one to recommend. Bruce is a godsend to the Diamond family! Dixie is also a star!

[Shayma · Rating 4 out of 5]

awsooooooooooooooom
elham never mind i said its bad its really good i wish there was a sequal.