Here are some facts about Jacqueline Wilson.
- Jacqueline Wilson is an award winning writer of children’s books. Although her books are incredibly popular, they are also controversial as they include subjects such as divorce, mental illness and adoption.
- Jacqueline Wilson was born in Bath in 1945 and was writing stories by age 7. She was called Jackie Daydream at school, a name she later used for her autobiography.
- She worked for the publisher DC Thomson for a while, and wrote 40 books before becoming successful. She got the job after writing an article about the dangers of teenagers going to discos.
- The Story of Tracy Beaker was her first bestselling book. It is about a 10 year old girl who lives in a home for neglected children and is lonely, unhappy and badly behaved.
- Several of her books have been turned into a television series or a play. One of her most popular series of books, the Tracy Beaker series, has been on television several times.
- Wilson replies to every fan letter she receives. She swims every morning before breakfast, and sometimes writes at the kitchen table or in an armchair.
- Wilson likes to wear lots of large rings and to dress in black clothing. She has about 15,000 books in her home and likes old fashioned toys, such as dolls and rocking horses.
- Jacqueline Wilson has sold over 35 million books in the UK, making her one of the most popular of children’s authors. In 2004, her books were the most borrowed from Britain’s libraries.
- Jacqueline Wilson is a patron of the Friends of Richmond Park, a charity which protects one of London’s largest open spaces. Other famous patrons include the naturalist David Attenborough.
- Wilson has won many awards, and was awarded an OBE in 1992. She has won the Blue Peter People’s Choice award, the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Smarties prize.
