Dustbin Baby facts for kids
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| Author | Jacqueline Wilson |
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| Cover artist | Nick Sharratt |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Adopted Children - Juvenile Fiction; Mothers and Daughters - Juvenile Fiction; Children's Stories |
| Publisher | Doubleday Children's Books |
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Publication date
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1 October 2001 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 144 |
| ISBN | 0-385-60042-9 |
| 823.914 | |
Dustbin Baby is a popular children's book written by the famous author Jacqueline Wilson. It tells the story of April, a fourteen-year-old girl. April was left in a dustbin when she was just a baby. After a big argument with her foster mum, April decides to look for clues about her past. The book was also made into a TV movie by the BBC in 2008.
Contents
About Dustbin Baby
Dustbin Baby is a moving novel that explores themes of family, identity, and finding your place. It follows April on a special journey to understand where she came from. The story shows how important it is to have people who care about you.
April's Journey
April's story begins on her fourteenth birthday. She was found in a dustbin when she was only a few minutes old. A kind waiter discovered her behind a pizza restaurant. The hospital named her "April" because it was April Fool's Day.
Early Life and Foster Homes
April first lived with a foster parent named Patricia Williams. She didn't stay there for long before being adopted. On her birthday, April visits Pat's house. She doesn't remember much, and Pat also remembers little about April. However, April meets Tanya, one of Pat's new foster children. Tanya also appears in another of Jacqueline Wilson's books, Bad Girls.
April then visits the grave of her adoptive mother, Janet Johnson. Janet passed away a few years after adopting April. April also recalls a difficult time in a foster home run by "Big Mo" and "Little Pete." She faced challenges there, which eventually led to her moving to a new place.
She was then sent to "Sunnybank Children's Home." Here, April became friends with an older girl named Gina. Years later, April meets Gina again. Gina is now a mother and helps other children at Sunnybank.
Finding Family and Friends
After Sunnybank, April went to Fairleigh, a special school for girls who needed extra support. April stayed there for five years. She formed a close bond with her history teacher, Miss Marion Bean. Marion learned about April's past and decided to help her. She arranged for April to move to a regular school.
At the new school, April made new friends named Hannah and Cathy. Marion, with the help of a social worker, decided to foster April. The story ends with April finally meeting Frankie, the pizza boy who found her as a baby. She also makes up with Marion after their earlier argument.
The TV Show
Dustbin Baby was made into a TV drama by the BBC and Kindle Entertainment in 2008. Juliet May directed the film, and Helen Blakeman wrote the script. Juliet Stevenson played Marion, and Dakota Blue Richards played April.
The show first aired on BBC1 on Sunday, December 21, 2008. It was watched by 2.3 million viewers. Jacqueline Wilson herself loved the film. She said it was the best movie adaptation of any of her books. The film was released on DVD on January 12, 2009. It also won several awards.
