Jacqueline Wilson
"A brilliant writer of wit and subtlety whose stories are never patronising and often complex and many-layered" (The Times)
"She has a rare gift for writing lightly and amusingly about emotional issues" (Bookseller)
"She's so good, it's exhilarating" (Philip Pullman, Guardian)
Only one modern children's author could be worthy of such praise - Jacqueline Wilson!
The author of over 80 books, nearly all of which have been translated into more than 30 languages, Jacqueline Wilson has sold over 20 million copies in her lengthy and continuing career. In 2002 she was awarded the prestigious OBE for Services to Literacy in Schools. However, the author is no stranger to awards, having been winner of theChildren's Book of the Year, winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Award, highly recommended for the Carnegie Medal, winner of the Smarties Prize, three times winner of the Red House Children's Book Award, and also, the ultimate accolade, winner of the Children's Laureateship for 2005-2007.
However, I personally think that the top recommendation for this author is from the children themselves. Jacqueline Wilson is the most borrowed author from Britain's libraries, with 2 million books lent out over 12 months. Surely, the inspiration that she has given children to enjoy reading is deserving of high praise!
Her books have been both criticized and admired for the candid way they deal with sensitive issues that young readers constantly manage. For example, her stories discuss such subjects as homelessness (Breakfast Star), divorce (The Suitcase Kid), bereavement (Vicky Angel), and domestic violence (Lola Rose). However, Jacqueline Wilson insists that the issue is a by-product and not the focus of her stories. Still, the result is superb, whatever the intention! As an Observer review once succinctly summarised, "Her books are both hard and marshmallow soft. Her stories traverse the gap between childhood's dreams and treats and messy adult realities". From the late 1980s, Jacqueline Wilson has regularly topped the list of children's best-sellers, establishing her reputation as one of the UK's favourite writers for young people.
So what has inspired this prolific author?
Jacqueline Aitken (as she was then known) was born on the 17th of December, 1945 in Bath, although most of her life has been spent at Kingston-On-Thames in Surrey. As a child, she dreamt of becoming a writer. Even before she could read, she would pore over the beautiful picture books of Pookie by I.L. Wallace, and the Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker. Once she could read, authors such as Enid Blyton, Noel Streatfield and Catherine Cooksonfeatured in her library, with favourites such as The Family From One End Street (Eve Garnett), Nancy and Plum (Betty Macdonald) and Adventures with Rosalind (Charlotte Austen) being treasured. From a young age, Jacqueline would spend every spare penny on notebooks, filling them with interminable stories and illustrations.
After leaving school aged 16, and then completing a course in shorthand and typing, Jacqueline followed her heart and moved to Dundee to work for D.C. Thompson as a junior journalist. Then, in 1965 she met and married Millar Wilson and the couple moved back to Kingston. Millar joined the police force and Jacqueline became a freelance writer, aged just 19. At the age of 21, the author became a mother. Her daughter Emma became an inspiration for Jacqueline's imaginary skills.
In 1973, Jacqueline Wilson's first book for children was published by Macmillan, entitled Ricky's Birthday. However, Macmillan turned down her next story. She then turned her hand to writing adult books, with some success. Five of her books were published, all described as crime novels. But the author's heart was still in writing books for children. So in the late 1970's, Jacqueline Wilson wroteNobody's Perfect . Initially rejected by a number of publishers, the book was finally printed by Oxford University Press in 1983. This led to a succession of titles published by OUP and aimed at the 12-16 age group.
Then in 1987 Jacqueline Wilson wrote a surprise smash hit for younger readers entitled Glubbslyme. This is an entertaining story about Rebecca, a little girl with a most unusual pet - a witch's centuries-old magic toad! The story became a turning point in Jacqueline Wilson's career and simultaneously a very collectable item. Shortly after this, she was approached by Transworld publishers and encouraged to write for a younger age group (whilst keeping her teenage books with OUP). Her first story published by Transworld was arguably Wilson's most charismatic creation, The Story of Tracy Beaker . The success of this book saw not only the start of a wonderful pairing of Wilson with her new publisher, Transworld, but also a superb teaming of Wilson with the talented illustrator Nick Sharratt , to the benefit of both. And the rest, as they say, is history!
Interestingly, if you ever have the privilege of meeting the author, you will immediately notice her vast array of rather gothic looking silver rings. She buys one to celebrate the publication of each of her novels!
Beyond doubt, the energy that Jacqueline Wilson dedicates to her writing is only rivalled by the enormous popularity for her books. We look forward to many more books penned by this incredible woman!
Submitted by Claire Waldron.
(Published 10th Oct 2013)
