The Diamond Girls

The Diamond Girls is a children's novel by Jacqueline Wilson. The main protagonist and narrator is Dixie Diamond, the (current) youngest in a family of four sisters, all from different fathers. Their mother, who is now expecting another child, which she believes to be a boy, decides to move them from their home in a flat on a council estate to a larger council house. However, when Dixie moves towards changing her new "brother's" nappy, she realises he's a girl, and that her mother has been pretending out of her longing for a boy. Dixie tries to comprehend the actions of her family whilst hiding the secret of their new neighbour, Mary, who is abused by her apparently depressed mother. Dixie's sisters are Martine, Jude, and Rochelle.