Inspiring People

Jacqueline Wilson

Some of the qualities of Jacqueline Wilson are that she is creative and optimistic.

She was born Jacqueline Aitken in Bath, Somerset, but spent most of her childhood in Kingston upon Thames, where she went to Latchmere Primary School. In her last year at the school a teacher gave her the nickname Jacky Daydream, a name she later used about a play of herself. When she was nine, she wrote her first "novel" which consisted of several slides. As a teenager she started working for a publishing company on a girls' magazine called Jackie.

Wilson's books are realistic portrayals about modern British children facing problems in their daily lives, ranging from the death of a pet (The Cat Mummy) to divorce (The Suitcase Kid), homelessness (The Bed and Breakfast Star), and abuse (Secrets) and difficult subjects parents may refrain from talking about. Her books are usually illustrated by Nick Sharratt, and Sharratt's ink drawings and colourful cover designs have come to be associated with her work. Her work also often has characters from her own stories appearing in her other books, such as in Dustbin Baby, Best Friends, and Cliffhanger. The majority of her books are written in the first person narrative, although some, such as Twin Trouble, are written in third person. Over 25 million copies of Wilson's books have been sold in the UK alone. In a poll conducted by the BBC, The Big Read, four books by Jacqueline Wilson were voted in the top 100 most popular books in Britain: Double Act, Girls In Love, Vicky Angel, and The Story of Tracy Beaker which was made into a TV series. In the list of the UK's 200 favourite books there are 14 books by Jacqueline Wilson. Wilson has won many awards, including the Smarties Prize, and the Guardian Children's Fiction Award. The Illustrated Mum won the 'Guardian Children's Fiction Award' and the 1999 'Children's Book of the Year ' at the British Book Awards. It was also shortlisted for the 1999 'Whitbread Children's Book Award'. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 'Blue Peter People's Choice Award'.In June 2002, Jacqueline Wilson was given an OBE for services to literacy in schools, and from 2005 to 2007 she was the fourth Children's Laureate.

Quotes from Jacqueline Wilson:

I try to have reasonably happy endings because I would hate any child to be cast down in gloom and despair; I want to show them you can find a way out of it.

While some of my other books have sold more widely, Midnight seems to be the most passionately loved. There's something about its secret, rather dark fairy world that appeals very strongly.

Winning the Guardian prize is a wonderful reward for any writer. It is such a distinguished award, ... All authors want to know what other authors think of their books and they also like to know what children like, too.

These awards provide an opportunity for children to thank the adults that have had a positive impact on their life.