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The Story of Tracy Beaker
Tracy Beaker reckons she's top dog at the Dumping Ground, but new head care worker Shelley has other plans. Fearing that Tracy has become too settled, Shelley suggests it's time for Tracy to move to another home. She packs her bags and heads over to her best friend Cam's house, only to find that she's leaving for New York. Meanwhile the other kids decide if Tracy goes, they all go. Even Elaine, Nathan and Duke join in with the mutiny after being sick of Shelley's strict rules.
Shelley opens her office door – eager to hear suggestions for improvements to the Dumping Ground. She's soon faced with a barrage of requests for sweetie machines, wave pools and daily rations of pickled onion crisps! Without a sensible idea in sight, Shelley sets about doing things her way. But her new healthy eating policy, interior design changes and bedroom swaps, go down like a lead balloon.
New arrival Jackie Hopper is dragged kicking and screaming to the Dumping Ground. She refuses to accept that she needs to be in care, and that her beloved Grandpa Jack has Alzheimer's and can no longer look after her. She's determined to escape, collect Grandpa from his nursing home and return to their old house together.
Louise couldn't be happier with her new foster family the Morris's, but she attempts to spare the feelings of her parent-less friends in the Dumping Ground by fibbing that they are horrible. Tracy & Justine are horrified that their friend seems to be in trouble.
Michael has quickly established himself as the Dumping Ground's most unpopular kid – bullying the little ones, snitching on the older ones and constantly sucking up to the staff. Tracy realises that they could get rid of Michael for good if they could find someone to foster him. When Tracy stumbles across The Bygraves (ironically funeral directors), she reckons they might just be desperate enough to even consider Michael.
Jackie has run away from school so many times, that she now has to be tutored at the Dumping Ground. Faced with another boring Monday morning at school, Tracy and Crash reckon if Jackie can have home schooling, so can they.
Crash and Tracy are both in lousy moods and fall out at breakfast. When Cam sends Tracy an 'I love NY' T-shirt in the post, Tracy is on cloud nine and can't resist boasting about her exciting new pressie to Crash. Then, when Nathan accidentally ruins the T-shirt, both Tracy and Crash's tempers reach frightening levels.
Jackie decides that it's finally time to rescue Grandpa, and enlists the help of her new pal Tracy. The girls sneak out of the Dumping Ground, and successfully get Grandpa back to his old house. Meanwhile, Louise is over to visit and Michael's fallen hard for her.
Tracy can't believe her luck when she wins tickets to a pop awards show. But as Tracy gets ready to leave for the big event, disaster strikes. She suddenly feels desperately unwell and collapses. Tracy comes round the next morning to discover that she's in hospital, and has had her appendix out. Tracy is furious with how everything has turned out, but cheers up when there's a surprise for her... Cam!
Tracy thinks it's about time Cam wrote a best seller, and reckons she knows exactly what the book should be about – her of course! Tracy isn't impressed when Cam decides that a book about all the kids in the Dumping Ground would be just the thing. Cam starts gathering stories but becomes increasingly exasperated by everyone's over-eagerness to help.
Dolly, Hayley and Marco get a taste for trouble when they realise just how much fun being bad can be. Tracy thinks they're clueless and brags about all her famous scams – cheese sauce in wellies, running round the garden with the head care workers knickers on your head and eating a worm, to name a few! The little kids are in awe and decide to set up 'The Beaker Club'. However, The Beaker Club's actions nearly cost Dolly her soon-to-be foster family. When the foster family in question turn up at The Dumping Ground and the Club drop ketchup-and-flour bombs on their heads, not realising it's Dolly's soon-to-be foster family, their actions soon bite Dolly on the bum.
The Dumping Ground residents are thrown into chaos when there's a sudden power cut. Tracy and the other kids aren't impressed at the prospect of an evening with no TV, music, computers or cooking. Tracy decides to scare the pants off everyone by telling ghost stories.
Aspiring chef Bouncer takes a small step towards achieving his ambition, by getting a Saturday job in a bakery. Lol can't help feeling at a bit of a loss without his brother around. Meanwhile, Tracy is also feeling sidelined when she discovers that Cam's got herself a snooty literary agent, Zara.
Michael and Crash come to blows when Elaine announces that a new kid Wilson is arriving, and one of them will have to share with him. Meanwhile, Tracy reckons it's about time Louise got her own back on her prankster boyfriend, Adam. All goes to plan until Tracy realises that she's got the wrong guy! Elaine is horrified to discover Wilson emerging from the cellar, covered in flour and rotten eggs. To Tracy's surprise, Wilson lies, saying he coated himself in them on purpose. Tracy appreciates Wilson's gesture, but will not admit to liking Wilson.
Tracy develops a crush on Wilson, but is loath to admit it. Tracy agrees to go with Wilson to visit his Mum in hospital. Tracy agrees, and on a day out with Cam, she can't stop talking about Wilson. Meanwhile, Duke and Shelley are led a merry dance by some amorous text messages. Lol and Crash are responsible, but when the game is up it looks like Tracy is going to get the blame. However, Wilson takes the blame thinking he is doing it for Tracy. When Tracy asks him why he did it, she finally admits her feelings, and they kiss. Unfortunately, Justine is watching from behind.
Tracy is in a foul mood – Wilson's left without saying goodbye and Justine is teasing her rotten about the kiss. Meanwhile, the other kids dig up a time capsule from the previous owners of the house. They attempt to put together a Dumping Ground time capsule of their own – preparing video diaries, recipes, collages and photographs. Note: In Tracy Beaker Returns, the capsule is found and at some point during Tracy's life she makes clues to the time capsule.
Lol is fast turning into the next David Beckham, and Tracy is quick to notice. Before Lol knows it, Tracy is acting as his manager, has snuck him into a professional football ground demanding that the manager give him a trial. As he stands in awe of the vast stadium, Lol's dream is so close he can almost touch it.
Everyone's intrigued by Bouncer's uncharacteristic behaviour – he's wearing after-shave, off his food and even buying flowers! Eventually it transpires that Bouncer has got himself a girlfriend. He's fallen for his co-worker Kelly, from the bakery. Fearing that Kelly will be put off by his unusual home life, Bouncer fibs that he's from an average 2.4 family.
Layla is determined to get enough cub scout badges to secure a place on the camping trip. Tracy and Jackie are put in charge of supervising her, but quickly fall out when Tracy suggests that it's time for some Beaker-style assistance. Refusing to cheat, Jackie and Layla struggle on without Tracy.
Tracy's nose is put out of joint when she's forced to share her room with a new arrival – non-English speaking Sufia. However, when Sufia finds herself on the receiving end of Michael's bullying, Tracy is quick to step in and come to her defence. Meanwhile Bouncer, Lol and Jackie get carried away with a game of football, and end up breaking a picture in the lounge, which results in a competition breaking out over the Dumping Ground.
