A definitive ranking of the most distressing Jacqueline Wilson books

Looking back, the most upsetting aspect of Double Act was that parents named one of their twins after a shining precious stone, and another after a dull, less valuable, one. Though Double Act wasn't particularly sad, the fact that Ruby and Garnet got separated at the end was enough to bring a tear to our eye.

Falling out with friends, discovering boys and obsessing needlessly over weight was an all too real introduction into teenage life. We'll forever have a place for Ellie, Nadine and Magda in our hearts.

You may not have heard of this one unless you were a) born after 1997 or b) read Jacqueline Wilson books for far longer than it was socially acceptable (we're b lol).Kiss told the story of Sylvie and Carl, who are just starting separate high schools and have been best friends since they were babies. While Sylvie is still set on remaining as close with Carl in the new era of their lives, he drifts apart from her and settles with his new friends.

Now we come to think of it, Love Lessons was extremely problematic. (But it was also great). The book centres on a 14-year-old girl called Prudence, who is home-schooled because of her horrid father's distrust of mainstream education. But after he has a stroke, she's sent to the local public school. Here, she starts up a very worrying relationship with a pervy art teacher called Mr Raxberrry (or 'Rax'). To cut a long story short, they end up snogging in a car, she tells him he loves him, someone from the school overhears, and Prue gets packed off for another school while weirdo Rax LITERALLY GETS TO KEEP HIS JOB.

Best Friends (probably) won't make you sob for hours into your teddy bear like many others on this list, but it's definitely a tear-jerker.It tells the story of best friends Gemma and Alice, who are cruelly ripped apart when Alice's family move to Scotland – and it's made upsetting by the fact Gemma stays far more invested in retaining the friendship than Alice.

The story of Sadie's desperate yet futile attempts to get her separated parents back together would have been all too real to a child of divorce.

As if it wasn't bad enough that poor old Mandy's mother lost her job and forced her to dress in childlike clothes which made her a target for bullying, the only friend she'd ever made (shoplifting rebel Tanya) got sent away from her foster parents (and Mandy) at the end.

We still haven't got over the horror of the moment poor old Dixie Diamond went to change her baby sister's nappy, only to find that her mother had been lying and that the baby was in fact a boy. Very disturbing.

After running away from her abusive dad Jay in the middle of the night with her mother and younger brother, Jayni adopts a new name – Lola Rose – to make it hard for him to track her down. While initially things go (sort of) well for the family and their new start, things get steadily darker after Jayni's mother gets breast cancer and Jay tracks them down.

Tracy Beaker may be one of the most acclaimed and well-known Jacqueline Wilson book, but it is also very much one of the saddest. It tells the story of Tracy, who lives in a foster home and feels extremely lonely and unloved. These feelings are exacerbated by the fact she's missing her uninterested mother, who frequently doesn't turn up to visit her. On top of this, she's rejected by a couple who attempted to foster her.

Secrets told the story of two girls, Treasure and India, who become friends despite coming from two very different – though equally difficult – backgrounds. Taking inspiration from her favourite book, the Diary of Anne Frank, India decides to hide Treasure in her attic to hide her from her abusive stepfather Terry. In the end, Treasure's grandmother Rita tracks her down and wins custody so as to protect her from Terry.

We had no idea what Vicky Angel was about when we first read it, and still haven't got over the absolute shock we felt when Vicky was suddenly mowed down by a car and killed at the start. The book centres around the character Jade, who is 14 years old and is haunted by the ghost of best friend Vicky after her death.

This book was intended to be for readers slightly older than Jacqueline Wilson's usual demographic, but we were rebels so read this at a very young age. This was a grave mistake. Dustbin Baby tells the story of April, who was abandoned in a dustbin as a newborn and has spent her life in various foster homes. On her 14th birthday, she goes on a journey of self-discovery about her past, with predictably depressing results.

Homelessness? Check. Abusive stepfather? Check. A massive fire that almost kills your entire family and all your friends? Check. The Best and Breakfast star told the story of Elsa, who is forced to move into a bed and breakfast hotel after her family is made homeless. Despite her distressing situation and the fact her stepdad 'Mack the smack' often hits her, Elsa remains positive and frequently entertains everyone around with jokes. Which just makes this book that extra bit heart-breaking.

Good god. Where do we start with this one?The Illustrated Mum told the story of Dolphin, Star, and their mum Marigold, who has manic depression and a drinking problem. The story culminated in Marigold having a mental breakdown and covering herself in toxic paint, being taken to hospital, Dolphin tracking down and being rejected by her father, and Star and Dolphin ending up in foster care. Very bleak indeed.