Jacqueline Wilson is TikTok’s latest unlikely star, and the childhood nostalgia is real

Children’s author Jacqueline Wilson has set off a wave of nostalgia on TikTok after announcing an adult sequel to her popular ‘Girls’ series and sharing her delight at being named a “gay icon” after coming out publicly in 2020.

In one of a number of recent promotional interviews (posted to the BBC’s TikTok account), she describes being “touched” by the title.

And check out this sweet surprise encounter with a superfan, organised by Penguin Books.

Wilson’s media presence has been a blast from the past for many TikTok users, though the memories of reading such heartbreaking books as My Sister Jodie and Vicky Angel are not the usual rose-tinted kind.

There’s also the influence of Tracy Beaker, which had a generation of kids copying the title character’s cheeky catchphrase.

Let’s just hear the inimitable Dani Harmer making it iconic.

Of course, we’ve all grown out of that now. Now bog off and read something else.

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