Back on Track: Diary of a Street Kid

by Margaret Clark

No place like home. But what if home is unsafe and violent?

Fifteen year old Simone is lured by her new boyfriend with promises of a better life in a big city. On the run from a dangerous environment and her drug addicted sister, she arrives in Palmino with stars in her eyes and hope in her heart. Reality check? Okay. But what is reality when her boyfriend turns violent, the other itinerants brand her an intruder, and home becomes a drain or a squat?

Simone's story is the story of a society in which no child was going to have to live in poverty: a land of milk and honey, which for some people turns sour and is filled with despair. 'The way it is?' Not necessarily. With someone to tell it straight and someone to listen, this can be a story called Back on Track.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction

198 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 1995

About the author

Margaret Clark was born in Geelong, Victoria, Australia on 20th April 1942.
She has written books under the name M.D.Clark, Margaret D Clark and Lee Striker. Now she writes as Margaret Clark. With over one hundred books about relationships, friendships, and social issues under the guise of humour, Margaret's books have become very popular with young readers. She writes for ages four years to sixteen years. Her first book Pugwall was published in 1987 and subsequently made into a TV series, followed by Pugwall's Summer in 1989.

Reviews

[Lissa]

I remember this book being passed around all my school friends because it had underage sex in it and when we were twelve that was positively scandalous! It also dealt with a gang street culture our preciously sheltered middle-class minds had no idea about. We even went so far as to speculate if it really was a dairy written by a teenage runaway sold to an author to 'fix up', if it was inspired by a street girl, or if Clark was just that good at telling a believable teen story. Part of the reason is because it doesn't have a happy-ever-after vibe to it.

This book pretty much blew my mind when I was twelve.

[Woff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that was intense. A Go Ask Alice for the 90s.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a teen, I wasn't really into reading. When I was in yr 8 this book was recommended to me by my English teacher (the only teacher I ever liked..) So I decided to read it & I'm glad I did..! I only read it the once & It's been 10 years since but the story has stayed with me. Margaret Clarke is amazing :)

[Božidarka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ne mogu se oteti dojmu koliko sličnosti ova knjiga ima sa Mi djeca sa kolodvora Zoo. Pisana 20ak godina kasnije, u neka modernija vremena, na drugom kontinentu, međutim, problematika ostaje ista. Djeca koja su prisiljena prerano odrasti, koja se klošare, obijaju automobile i prodaju svoje tijelo za gram dopa. Djeca koja i uz najbolju želju da naprave nešto od svoga života vuku traumatična iskustva (nerijetko iz roditeljskog doma) i upadaju sve dublje u pakao droge. Autorica je godinama radila u centru za ovisnike i bila i svakodnevnom kontaktu sa mladim beskućnicima. Imala je potrebu Austracima približiti muke kroz koje oni prolaze i osvijestit ih. Dok sam čitala ovd ispisane stranice imala sam osjećaj da je upravo sebi dodijelila jednu od uloga, ulogu socijalne radnice koja je bez puno pitanja i bez imalo osude prigrlila ekipu Mještana.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was in year 7 - our school used to award books for academic achievements throughout the year and my friend and I would exchange books once finished.

I had to hide this book from my mum as it is a very detailed book, sex, rape, drugs. All of which shocked me at the time. That book haunted me for years. I re read the book again last year and can’t believe it was a recommended title for kids as young as 12 at the time. Defiantly one for older teens to read.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't belive I read this book when i was 12, it's much better understanding if it were given to me at an older age, more older teen. This was read about life on the streets and how fast someone, especially someone so young, can spiral out of control. Some intense content, but definitely worth a read.

[Bobbijo Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of my favourite books during high school. I don’t feel like it really stood the test of time, though. The writing is average (though that’s ‘excused’ by the teen-girl diary format) and the plot and character development are both weak.

I kind of wish I hadn’t reread it as an adult, so I could hold on to the false memory of greatness!

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

My students are reading this book next term so I had to read it first. I think they will enjoy it.

[Jelena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sjajna knjiga, puna emocija...

[Maddie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book. I didn't enjoy the first few pages of the book at all but told myself to push through because I have read some books that may not have started of too well but got a lot better. Needless to say this did not. I think the in theory it was a good idea for a novel but the way it was written seriously made me want to put the book day walk away and never even consider finishing it. I did manage to make it to the end (still hoping it would improve) and I can honestly say I can't remember the last time I read a book I disliked as much as this one! Basically it was about s girl who left to live with a "boyfriend" ended up homeless and spent the majority of the book either on drugs, in hospital because of drugs or trying to find ways to afford drugs. Wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

[Alisha Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Back on Track - Diary of a Street Kid
Series: -
Author: Margaret Clark
Genre: Teen Fiction
Rating: 3.5 stars

This was an excellent and very enlightening read about life on the streets and how fast someone, especially someone so young, can spiral out of control. Some intense content, but definitely worth a read.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it hard to get into it but i managed to finnish it. It was a good book but considering all my friends said I had to read it because it was amazing I wouldn't rave on it. It was good to read about something different but i couldn't relate.

[Ben Langdon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this again as an adult, and it still has a powerful punch to the reader's gut. Simple writing uncovers the horrible underbelly world of the town I grew up in - although it's fictionalised of course. Clark's story holds true even after twenty plus years.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fair but not wildly memorable Margaret Clark book. Again, I wasn't big on street-kid stories!

[Samig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started my passion for wanting to work with homeless youth, which I've achieved :)

[Anđela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strasan zivot i strasni razlozi zbog kojih mladi ljudi zavrse na ulici. Ova prica je uvid u njihov zivot i njihove probleme. Oni jesu narkomani, ali su i dalje ljudi.