The Best Sleepover in the World: The long-awaited sequel to the bestselling Sleepovers!

Product Information

For access to the Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium seating rows A to C and wheelchair spaces in the Front Stalls, please enter via the Artists' Entrance in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road (Level 1). My only negative, is the first book was written when mobiles weren't big, except in size, and the internet wasn't as easily accessible, especially on a mobile device. References made to tiktok and dance trends make it more relevant. It wasn't too overplayed, but in my mind, it was hard to accept that suddenly social media is in this universe. Uncle Gary is amazing, and i loved how his drag queen persona was brought into the book as well, that was so good to see!

I think children reading Sleepovers today, should absolutely read The Best Sleepover In The World too. It will teach them, if they’re disabled, that they have a place in the world, and if they’re not, to be accepting of disability and differences. I know some have found the transition to modern life a little jarring, as the original book was set in the early 2000s and the sequel includes references to TikTok and drag queens, but to me it didn't read as weird or out of place, simply a different aspect of life at the primary school not shown in the first book. I think the addition of a drag queen was interesting, as I don't think all parents will necessarily enjoy the talk about nightclubs and might find the switching pronouns complicated. I'm not a parent, so I really don't know where I stand on this. I think maybe a little more explanation could've been nice, as I know as a child I would've been very confused by Uncle Gary's appearance as a woman and the use of she/her to refer to him, on and off! Former children’s laureate and author of more than 100 books, Wilson is one of Britain’s bestselling children’s authors. Known for characters like Tracy Beaker and Hetty Feather, she has legions of loyal fans both in the UK and throughout the world.

Select a format:

For step-free access from the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road off Belvedere Road to the Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium seating (excluding rows A to C) and wheelchair spaces in the Rear Stalls, plus Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer and the Purcell Room, please use the Queen Elizabeth Hall main entrance. Honestly the first one was a better book, but Lily was better written in this one. I might just be nostalgic for my own childhood though. Also, as a disabled person, I feel like Lily's sleepover was a bit much. Like I think I'd have had sensory overwhelm with all this! But then, I didn't like sleeping over at other kid's houses!

I absolutely loved it! I loved how Lily was a much more developed character this time around; last time, she was talked about a lot but we never really got to know her very well. But this time she was more developed and I absolutely loved how she communicated with those around her using Makatron. I had never heard of Makatron before this book so it was so good to learn about it!! Guess what!" said Amy. "It's my birthday next week and my mum says I can invite all my special friends for a sleepover party."

Retailers:

But anyway, I have to say I didn't realise just how short a read this would be and was therefore a little disappointed by this, having thought I'd be in for a good summers read, only to finish it within 2 days. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable enough read, I liked how Lily's sleepover that rivalled Chloe's in that it was all about quality over quantity, with just Daisy and Lily and their respective best friends Emily and Natalie, like I thought that was a really nice concept. It was interesting as well showing how impressionable young people can really be, with Amy and Bella having been easily influenced into attending Chloe's birthday party due to having the chance to swim and dance, with both these things being their respective favourite hobbies! On the other hand though, it would have been nice to see more of Amy, Bella, Daisy and Emily in their friendship group together. Lily, Daisy's older sister, decides that she is also going to throw a brilliant sleepover on the same night as Chloe's. How can they possibly compete? Tween friendship dramas, inclusive characters and best friends make this the perfect book for 8-12 year old readers. Lily is disabled and represented in a realistic and respectful manner. Her interactions with her friends and family using the sign / symbol language of Makaton ( called Key Word Sign in Australia and used by people all over the world who have speech delay or communication difficulties) and joy at being understood, included and able to make her wants known is palpable. This book is the sequel to Jacqueline Wilson's Sleepovers, which is a book I read as a child. Honestly I reread the first book before reading this, but I can’t say I think the author did, as there were a couple of inconsistencies between the two.

Sleepovers featured Daisy, the new girl at school who was desperate to fit in with her new friends in the Alphabet Club. It wasn’t even as if the friend group had a dramatic falling out or anything. Most dramatic was Bella deciding to go to Chloe's sleepover, because it honestly seemed a bit of out character for her. Bella was really nice in the first one, where here she’s almost mean, though maybe not realising it. Wilson is joined on stage by illustrator of the book, Rachael Dean, who draws some characters from the book live on stage.

See you soon

From bestselling author Jacqueline Wilson, Sleepovers is a funny but moving tale exploring bullying, disability and friendship. It is the perfect book to introduce young readers to the world of Jaqueline Wilson, one of the country's most beloved authors. Jacqueline Wilson inspired my love of reading as a child and it is her I have to thank for my lifelong love for it. Sleepovers is one of the first Jacqueline Wilson books that I remember reading as a child - and rereading over and over again! So despite the fact that I am now 27 years old, I requested the ARC for this follow up on NetGalley and was delighted to be approved! 🤩 If you're a fan of Jacqueline Wilson, I'm sure you won't be disappointed with this book, it was a fun little read during some annual leave from work. Jacqueline is also a great reader, and has amassed over 20,000 books, along with her famous collection of silver rings. Talk to a member of staff at the auditorium entrance if you have a disability that means you can’t queue, or you need extra time to take your seat. They can arrange priority entry for you as soon as the doors open.

I loved the focus on children with disabilities, and the highlighting of the importance of Makaton. I am a firm believer that Makaton should be taught to all children from a young age. I also LOVED the fact that Uncle Gary was a Drag Queen! Lots of diversity was explored and celebrated in this book, and that’s exactly what children need to be exposed to within their reading for pleasure. Children need to know that everybody is different and that that’s more than okay. I'd say kids should definitely read it. As an adult, only read it if you really want to see Lily written better than in the first one! A bit of a boring book apart from that though. If you have really fond memories of the original, maybe give this one a miss unless your curiosity is killing you! I also liked Lily's friend Natalie when she was introduced, though maybe she wasn't in the book for long enough. I think perhaps the book might have been better if the story had been told from Lily's perspective, or perhaps with alternating viewpoints from both Daisy and Lily. I think showing Natalie as having a different disability to Lily is actually really good as well, because disability looks different for every disabled person. A sequel to Sleepovers, first published in 2001(!!) TBSITW follows on from the first book. The first chapter is a brief recap of the first book, which I was glad for, as its been a while! Daisy's former friend Chloe is throwing the world's best sleepover, and Daisy's sister, Lily, isn't going to let that happen,and they decide to throw their own sleepover on the same day, with their best friends and family. It’s not like I’ve grown out of her books though or anything because I still read her older books and enjoy them. It’s just this story felt a bit unnecessary. I loved the continuation of disability representation though, and I found the drag queen reference interesting- not something I’ve come across in a children’s book before! I thought Lily’s disability was handled in a much more educational way in this newer book too, with explanations to the specialist school she goes to and the use of Makaton.I loved this book so much!! I’m definitely outside of the intended audience at 20 years old but I was obsessed with the first book when I was younger (I read it at least 30 times lol) so when I found out there was a sequel I knew I had to read it!!