Born in Bath, Jacqueline Wilson spent most of her childhood in Kingston-on-Thames. She always wanted to be a writer and wrote her first "novel" when she was nine, filling countless Woolworths' exercise books as she grew up. She started work as a journalist for DC Thomson in Scotland where JACKIE magazine was named after her. She has been writing full time all her adult life.
Random House Children's Books publish a host of books by Jacqueline Wilson including The Story of Tracy Beaker, which was a major children's drama series on CBBC. The recent TV adaptation of Dustbin Baby starring Dakota Blue Richards received great critical acclaim. Jacqueline has been honoured by being given a special ChildLine award in recognition of the way her work gives "unique insight into challenging subjects"
Jacqueline has been on countless shortlists and has won many awards, including the Smarties Prize, and the Children's Book 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.
As well as receiving an OBE in 2002 for Services to Literacy in Schools, Jacqueline was awarded a DBE in 2008.
Over 35 million copies of Jacqueline Wilson's books have now been sold in the UK alone and they have been translated into 34 different languages. She is one of the UK's best-selling authors of the past decade.
From 2005-2007 Jacqueline was privileged to be the Children's Laureate during which time she led an immensely successful campaign to encourage adults to read aloud to children long after they can read for themselves.
She is currently visiting Professor of Children's Literature at Roehampton University, which involves her giving a series of lectures to students on the Children's Literature and Creative Writing courses. In addition, Jacqueline also holds Honorary Doctorates from Universities in Dundee, Winchester and Bath.
