Jacqueline Wilson
English children's author of over 100 books.
Dame Jacqueline Wilson (born Jacqueline Aitken on 17 December 1945) is an English author of children's fiction. Her work often addresses difficult real-life subjects including adoption, abuse, and divorce. She has published over 100 books since her first published novel, 'Ricky's Birthday' (1973), or for her first full-length novel, 'Nobody's Perfect' (1976).
Wilson was born in Bath, Somerset. Her father, Harry, worked as a civil servant, and her mother, Margaret "Biddy", was an antiques dealer. As a child, she loved books by Noel Streatfeild and American classics like *Little Women* and *What Katy Did*. At age nine, she wrote her first "book", a 21-page story called "Meet the Maggots". At school, classmates called her "Jacky Daydream", a nickname she later used as the title of her autobiography about her primary school years. She attended Coombe Girls' School in Surrey and Carshalton Technical College. After leaving school at 16, she started secretarial training but soon applied to work for DC Thomson in Dundee on a new girls' magazine called *Jackie*. Wilson has said the magazine was named after her.
Before focusing on children's books, Wilson wrote several crime novels. At 40, she took an A-level in English and earned a grade A. She had mixed success with around 40 books until her big breakthrough in 1991 with *The Story of Tracy Beaker*, published by Doubleday. Her children's novels often explore adoption, divorce, and mental illness, which has sparked some controversy, but they remain popular with both young readers and adults.
In June 2013, Wilson became a professorial fellow and Pro-Chancellor at the University of Roehampton. She was appointed Chancellor of the university in August 2014, serving until August 2020, and was reappointed for another three years in 2017. She teaches modules in the university's Children's Literature and Creative Writing master's programmes. She is a patron of Momentum, a Kingston upon Thames charity supporting children with cancer and their families, and also a patron of the BookTrust's Letterbox Club. Until she moved away from Kingston, she was a patron of the Friends of Richmond Park.
In the BBC's 2003 Big Read poll, four of Wilson's books ranked among the UK's 100 most popular: *The Story of Tracy Beaker*, *Double Act*, *Girls In Love*, and *Vicky Angel*. Fourteen of her titles made the top 200.
- Born
- 17 December 1945
- Field
- Children's literature
- Nationality
- English
- Known for
- Realistic children's novels tackling adoption, abuse, and divorce
Lore & Background
Jacqueline Aitken was born in Bath, Somerset, on 17 December 1945. Her father, Harry, was a civil servant and her mother, Margaret 'Biddy' (née Clibbens), was an antiques dealer. She enjoyed books by Noel Streatfeild, as well as American classics such as Little Women and What Katy Did. At age nine, she wrote her first 'book', 'Meet the Maggots', which was 21 pages long. She was given the nickname 'Jacky Daydream' at school, later used as the title of her autobiography. Wilson attended Coombe Girls' School in Surrey and Carshalton Technical College. After leaving school at 16, she trained as a secretary but then applied to work with DC Thomson on a new girls' magazine, Jackie, which she has claimed was named after her.
Reader's Guide
Wilson's career began with crime fiction novels before she dedicated herself to children's books. At age 40, she took A-level English and earned a grade A. She had mixed success with about 40 books before the breakthrough to fame in 1991 with The Story of Tracy Beaker. Her novels frequently feature themes of adoption, divorce and mental illness, attracting controversy yet beloved by children and adults. In the 2003 BBC Big Read, four of her books ranked among the 100 most popular in the UK. In 2002, she replaced Catherine Cookson as the most borrowed author in Britain's libraries, a position she held until 2008. Wilson has won many awards including the Smarties Prize and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. She served as Children's Laureate from 2005 to 2007 and was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2008, later promoted to Dame Grand Cross in 2025. She has been a professorial fellow and Chancellor of the University of Roehampton, and holds honorary degrees from several universities.
Did You Know?
- Wilson wrote her first 'book', 'Meet the Maggots', at age nine; it was 21 pages long.
- She has claimed the girls' magazine Jackie was named after her.
- She was promoted to Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in the 2025 New Year Honours.
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