Tracy Beaker

Tracy Beaker is the lead character in the Tracy Beaker franchise. After first appearing as the main character in Jacqueline Wilson's 1991 book The Story of Tracy Beaker, she appeared in the children's television drama of the same name, portrayed by Dani Harmer, and its sequel series Tracy Beaker Returns, as well as numerous spin-offs, Jacqueline Wilson books, a play and a video game. Harmer reprised her role as Tracy in the 2021 television series My Mum Tracy Beaker followed by The Beaker Girls. In her first appearances in the Tracy Beaker books and in the television series The Story of Tracy Beaker, Tracy lives in care at a care home referred to as "The Dumping Ground". She has a wild imagination and regularly breaks the rules. As such, she is considered a bad role-model by parents. In Tracy Beaker Returns, she works as a care worker at the Dumping Ground. She is mentioned a number of times in the spin-off The Dumping Ground, before making a guest appearance in two episodes of the sixth series. The Tracy Beaker books were the most-loaned books from public libraries in the United Kingdom between 2000 and 2010. Biography Tracy Beaker is introduced as a ten-year-old girl living in a children's residential care home nicknamed the "Dumping Ground". The nickname is explained in The Story of Tracy Beaker as being where children in care are "dumped" when they are "past their sell-by date." She has been described as a modern heroine with regular looks and curly brown hair. It is revealed that she has been placed in care not because she is an orphan but because her mother could not look after her. Tracy imagines that her mother is a Hollywood star who will collect her one day. Carly Beaker, who is Tracy's mother, really is a film star but does stunts, as revealed in Tracy Beaker's Movie of Me. Tracy's personality has been described as bossy and rebellious, while still being likable and creative. She has been estranged from her mother for a long period and regularly disagrees with the staff and children at the Dumping Ground. On top of this Tracy has been rejected by two sets of foster parents, once because the couple looking after her were about to have a baby and could not keep Tracy with them, much to her distress.