Jacqueline Wilson Biography: Early Life, Career, Books, Quotes, Legacy
Dame Jacqueline Wilson is an English author best known for her children’s book series, ‘Tracy Beaker’. She was born and raised in Somerset, England, and has always had an interest in writing, having been an ardent reader since infancy. She penned her first short fiction at the age of nine.
At 16, she dropped out of school. She had no interest in anything other than English and paid little attention to academics. After graduating from high school, she began training to become a secretary.
She secured a position as a writer at a publishing company. Jacqueline married at the age of 19 and began writing books shortly afterwards. Over the next two decades, she wrote numerous books and reached moderate success. In 1991, she published the first installment of the ‘Tracy Beaker’ series, ‘The Story of Tracy Beaker.’
The enormous popularity of the first book enabled her to publish three sequels. Jacqueline quickly rose to prominence as one of the most successful English authors in history. She has received multiple prizes, and many of her writings have been adapted into television programs.
Jacqueline Wilson Biography
Jacqueline Aitken was born in Bath, Somerset, on December 17, 1945. Her father, Harry, was a civil servant, while her mother, Margaret “Biddy” (née Clibbens), was an antiques trader. Jacqueline particularly appreciated Noel Streatfeild’s novels, as well as American classics like Little Women and What Katy Did. She wrote her first “book,” “Meet the Maggots,” at the age of nine, which was 21 pages long. Wilson was given the moniker “Jacky Daydream” at school, which she later used as the title of her book, which chronicled her experiences as a primary school student.
Wilson went to Coombe Girls’ School in Surrey and Carshalton Technical College. After leaving school at 16, she began training as a secretary before applying to work for the Dundee-based publishing business DC Thomson on a new ladies’ magazine, Jackie.
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Career
Some of her first publications received mixed reviews. While struggling to become a well-known author, she published further books such as ‘Ricky’s Birthday,’ ‘Hide and Seek,’ ‘Truth and Dare,’ and ‘Let’s Pretend. However, the majority of her books achieved little or no popularity.
She upped her output in the 1980s, writing more than two books each year on average. She eventually gained prominence in the late 1980s. However, it wasn’t until 1991 that she gained recognition as a highly capable author.
The first novel in the ‘Tracy Beaker’ franchise, ‘The Story of Tracy Beaker,’ came out in 1991. The protagonist, a troubled 10-year-old girl named “Tracy Beaker,” told the story in the first person. The novel told the story of ‘Tracy,’ a little girl with behavioral issues who lives in a care facility after being abandoned by her mother. Tracy was presented as a creative youngster who told stories to the workers and her pals at the care home, including mentioning her mother, a Hollywood actress, who would come to retrieve her one day.
From an adult’s perspective, ‘Tracy’ appears to have serious psychological disorders. Both children and adults loved the novel. It was both critically and commercially successful. Her move from a crime-thriller writer with stories full of sex and violence to a writer of sincere children’s stories was well received.
Jacqueline’s next book series, ‘Girls,’ addressed teenage girls. The series’s first installment, ‘Girls in Love,’ was published in 1997. It was an instant success. It was followed by “Girls Under Pressure,” “Girls Out Late,” and “Girls In Tears.” Each of them was equally successful.
In 2000, Jacqueline returned to ‘Tracy Beaker’ and released the sequel, ‘The Dare Game.’ This was followed by another sequel, ‘Starring Tracy Beaker.’ In October 2018, the latest installment in the series, ‘My Mum Tracy Beaker,’ was released.
Jacqueline also wrote the very praised ‘Hetty Feather’ series, which began in 2009 and consists of six volumes. The first installment was named ‘Hetty Feather.’ The successors were ‘Sapphire Battersea,’ ‘Emerald Star,’ ‘Diamond,’ ‘Little Stars,’ and ‘Hetty Feather’s Christmas.’
She has written stand-alone books regularly, in addition to multiple book series. Her most recent works are ‘Opal Plumstead,’ ‘The Butterfly Club,’ and ‘Rent a Bridesmaid.’
Several of her works, including ‘The Story of Tracy Beaker,’ ‘Double Act,’ ‘The Illustrated Mum,’ ‘Hetty Feather,’ ‘The Dumping Ground,’ ‘Katy,’ and ‘Dustbin Baby,’ have been adapted into TV shows.
Awards & Honors
Throughout her career, Jacqueline Wilson has received numerous prizes and honors for her contributions to the world of writing. She has received two of England’s most prestigious literary awards, the ‘Smarties Prize’ and the ‘Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.’
In 2002, ‘The Story of Tracy Beaker’ received the ‘Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.’ The following year, ‘Girls in Tears’ was named ‘Children’s Book of the Year’ at the ‘British Book Awards.’
She has honorary degrees from the University of Winchester, University of Roehampton, University of Dundee,’ and Kingston University.’ In 2008, she was also named ‘Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.’ In 2017, she was honored with a ‘BAFTA Children’s Award.’
According to a ‘BBC’ poll, four of her works are among the top 100 most popular books in the UK. 14 of her books ranked in the top 200.
Personal Life
Jacqueline applied for a job at ‘DC Thomson’ at the age of 17. Her decision was based on one of her articles that depicted the horrors of teen discos, which had become popular among English teenagers.
While working there, she met Millar Wilson. They dated for two years before marrying in 1965. Jacqueline was 19 years old and had recently begun working on her own literary ideas. Two years later, they welcomed a daughter named Emma Wilson.
She received several rejections before becoming a “published” novelist. Her first short story was published when she was seventeen, and her first novel was published when she was twenty-two.
Net Worth
As of the time of this writing, Jacqueline Wilson’s net worth is estimated between $5million to $10 million.
