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Jacqueline WilsonJacqueline Wilson
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Genres |
Bibliography |
Prizes and awards |
Critical perspective
BiographyJacqueline Wilson was born in Bath in 1945 and spent her childhood in Kingston-on-Thames, where she still lives today as a full-time writer. She was educated at Coombe Girls School, Surrey, relocating to Dundee to start work as a teenage journalist with D C Thomson, writing for Jackie teenage magazine, which was named after her.
In 2005, Jacqueline Wilson became Children's Laureate, and in 2007, became a DBE.
Genres (in alphabetical order)Children, Radio drama, Screenplay
BibliographyHide and Seek Macmillan, 1972 Ricky's Birthday Macmillan, 1973 Truth or Dare Macmillan, 1973 Snap Macmillan, 1974 Let's Pretend Macmillan, 1976 Making Hate Macmillan, 1977 Nobody's Perfect Oxford University Press, 1982 Waiting for the Sky to Fall Oxford University Press, 1983 The Killer Tadpole Hamish Hamilton, 1984 The Other Side Oxford University Press, 1984 The School Trip Hamish Hamilton, 1984 How to Survive Summer Camp Oxford University Press, 1985 Amber Oxford University Press, 1986 The Monster in the Cupboard Blackie, 1986 Glubbslyme Oxford University Press, 1987 Lonely Hearts Armada, 1987 Supersleuth Armada, 1987 The Power of the Shade Oxford University Press, 1987 Rat Race Armada, 1988 This Girl Oxford University Press, 1988 Vampire Armada, 1988 Falling Apart Oxford University Press, 1989 Is There Anybody There?: Volume 1 - Spirit Raising Armada, 1989 The Left Outs Blackie, 1989 The Party in the Lift Blackie, 1989 Is There Anybody There?: Volume 2 - Crystal Gazing Armada, 1990 Take a Good Look Blackie, 1990 The Dream Palace Oxford University Press, 1991 The Story of Tracy Beaker Doubleday, 1991 The Werepuppy Blackie, 1991 Mark Spark Hamish Hamilton, 1992 The Suitcase Kid Doubleday, 1992 Video Rose Blackie, 1992 Deep Blue Oxford University Press, 1993 Mark Spark in the Dark Hamish Hamilton, 1993 The Mum-minder Doubleday, 1993 Come Back, Teddy! Longman, 1994 Freddy's Teddy Longman, 1994 Teddy at the Fair Longman, 1994 Teddy Goes Swimming Longman, 1994 The Bed and Breakfast Star Doubleday, 1994 The Werepuppy On Holiday Blackie, 1994 Twin Trouble Methuen, 1994 Cliffhanger Yearling, 1995 Double Act Doubleday, 1995 Elsa, Star of the Shelter A Whitman & Co (USA), 1995 Jimmy Jelly Piccadilly Press, 1995 Love from Katie Ginn, 1995 My Brother Bernadette Heinemann, 1995 Sophie's Secret Diary Ginn, 1995 The Dinosaur's Packed Lunch Doubleday, 1995 Bad Girls Doubleday, 1996 Beauty and the Beast A & C Black, 1996 Connie and the Water Babies Methuen, 1996 Mr. Cool Kingfisher, 1996 Girls in Love Doubleday, 1997 The Lottie Project Doubleday, 1997 The Monster Story-Teller Doubleday, 1997 Buried Alive! Doubleday, 1998 Girls Under Pressure Doubleday, 1998 Rapunzel Scholastic, 1998 Girls Out Late Doubleday, 1999 Monster Eyeballs Heinemann, 1999 The Illustrated Mum Doubleday, 1999 Lizzie Zipmouth Corgi, 2000 The Dare Game Doubleday, 2000 Vicky Angel Doubleday, 2000 Dustbin Baby Doubleday, 2001 Sleep-overs Doubleday, 2001 The Cat Mummy Doubleday, 2001 Girls in Tears Doubleday, 2002 Secrets Doubleday, 2002 The Worry Website Doubleday, 2002 Lola Rose Doubleday, 2003 Midnight Doubleday, 2003 Best Friends Doubleday, 2004 The Diamond Girls Doubleday, 2004 Clean Break Doubleday, 2005 Candyfloss Doubleday, 2006 Starring Tracy Beaker Doubleday, 2006 Jacky Daydream Doubleday, 2007 Kiss Doubleday, 2007 Totally Jacqueline Wilson Doubleday, 2007 Cookie Doubleday, 2008 My Sister Jodie Doubleday, 2008 Tracy Beaker Trilogy (including "The Story of Tracy Beaker"; "The Dare Game"; and "Starring Tracy Beaker") Doubleday, 2008 Hetty Feather Doubleday, 2009 My Secret Diary Doubleday, 2009
Prizes and awards1993 Red House Children's Book Award (Overall Winner) The Suitcase Kid 1995 Carnegie Medal (shortlist) Double Act 1995 Carnegie Medal (shortlist) The Bed and Breakfast Star 1995 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Gold Award) (9-11 years category and overall winner) Double Act 1995 Writers' Guild Award (Best Children's Book) (shortlist) Double Act 1995 Young Telegraph/Fully Booked Award The Bed and Breakfast Star 1996 Carnegie Medal (shortlist) Bad Girls 1996 Red House Children's Book Award (Overall Winner) Double Act 1996 Sheffield Children's Book Award Double Act 1996 Young Telegraph/Fully Booked Award (shortlist) Double Act 1998 Red House Children's Book Award (shortlist) The Lottie Project 1999 Carnegie Medal (shortlist) Illustrated Mum 1999 Red House Children's Book Award (shortlist) Girls Under Pressure 1999 Whitbread Children's Book Award (shortlist) The Illustrated Mum 2000 British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year The Illustrated Mum 2000 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Illustrated Mum 2000 Lancashire County Library Children's Book of the Year Award (shortlist) Girls Under Pressure 2000 Red House Children's Book Award (shortlist) The Illustrated Mum 2000 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Gold Award) (6-8 years category) Lizzie Zipmouth 2000 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Kids' Club Network Special Award) Lizzie Zipmouth 2002 WH Smith Award for Children's Literature (shortlist) Dustbin Baby 2003 British Book Awards Author of the Year (shortlist) 2003 British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year Girls in Tears 2003 Blue Peter Book Award: The Book I Couldn't Put Down (shortlist) Secrets 2004 Red House Children's Book Award (shortlist) Lola Rose 2005 Red House Children's Book Award Best Friends 2005 Children's Laureate 2007 DBE 2008 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (Sweden) (shortlist) 2008 British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year (shortlist) Kiss
Critical PerspectiveJacqueline Wilson, who held the two-year position of Children's Laureate from 2005-2007, writes mainly about young girls, struggling with their own emotions and with the world (and adults) around them. Consequently, her readership is mostly female. Wilson started her career as a journalist, working on girls’ magazines, and this is probably a significant factor in her awareness of, and sensitivity to, the feelings and dilemmas of young girls, from dramatic, life-changing events, to the seemingly trivial problems of growing-up (which, as Wilson makes clear, are by no means trivial to those experiencing them). Wilson’s work displays a remarkable balance of serious issues and entertaining reading: her novels are grounded in strong social realism and psychological perceptiveness, yet, simultaneously, they are also ‘light’, fun and abundant with humour. This is enhanced by Nick Sharratt’s delightful, cartoon-like illustrations.
The majority of Wilson’s novels are in the 8-12 year age range, and are usually narrated in the first-person, from the point of view of the young heroine in each novel. In accordance with the relatively new tradition of social realism which has emerged in children’s literature since the 1970s, Wilson’s families are very rarely the conventional nuclear type: she features teenage mothers; family break-up; children in care; abuse and neglect. As Nicholas Tucker points out, the ‘image of the family that comes through in [Wilson’s] books is not always a reassuring one’ (Nicholas Tucker & Nikki Gamble, Family Fictions, 2001). Her novels feature an array of parents who often fail to meet their children’s needs; children are usually loved, but not always confident that the adults around them understand their feelings and needs. This applies equally to children in more traditional situations - all families are shown to have their shortcomings, and Wilson certainly does not advocate any conservative ideal.
Wilson has been writing for several decades, but her first significant success was The Story of Tracy Beaker (1991), which tells the tale of a girl who lives in a children’s home. Tracy is an endearing character but, in contrast to the classic tradition of angelic child-orphans (from Oliver Twist to, perhaps, Harry Potter), Wilson is brutally realistic: Tracy lies and steals, confuses fantasy and reality, and has difficulty forming relationships. She desperately wants a family to love her, but her behaviour makes this very difficult. Tracy’s story is continued in The Dare Game (2000), which shows her struggling to adapt to life with her new foster-mother, Cam, a woman who learns to truly love her. Eventually, Tracy realises that she has a real chance of happiness - it will not resemble the fantasies she has spent her life creating, but it may just give her what she needs. Tracy's life with Cam is explored further in Starring Tracy Beaker (2006), in which she prepares for a role in the school play. Despite her vivacious enjoyment of life, Tracy's past continues to haunt her, and she maintains a rose-tinted fantasy of being reunited with her natural mother. Tracy Beaker's Thumping Heart (2009),was written especially for Comic Relief's 'Red Nose Day'.
Wilson can be compared with her contemporary, Anne Fine, particularly in the ability to empathise with both the child’s and the adult’s point of view, and in showing that no-one, child or adult, is wholly ‘good’ or wholly ‘bad’. Both these writers depict the inner workings of their child (or teenage) characters’ minds with sensitivity and understanding, and make it clear when a child’s needs are not being met. Yet many of the adult characters are also shown sympathetically, or at least ambivalently, even when their behaviour is at fault. The Illustrated Mum (1999) is told from the point of view of 10-year-old Dolphin, who lives with her 13-year old sister, Star, and their mother Marigold (the title derives from Marigold’s abundant tattoos). Throughout the novel, the question of whether or not Marigold is an ‘unfit mother’ is raised again and again, yet Wilson shows that there is no clear dividing line between ‘fit’ and ‘unfit’. Marigold is endearing and affectionate, but she is infuriatingly irresponsible, and assumes the role of child rather than adult. This forces her daughters to take on the role of parent; Star is responsible and scolding, while Dolphin comforts and reassures: ‘ “What should I do?” [Marigold] whispered to me. “Star didn’t really mean it,” I said’.
Marigold is depicted as a somewhat tragic figure. She was abandoned by her own mother, and she also suffers from a mental health disorder. Readers may find themselves experiencing the same ambivalent feelings towards Marigold as those experienced by her daughters - she is clearly vulnerable and desperately needs to be loved, and is therefore a sympathetic character, yet her child-like needs give her a disturbing inability to care for her daughters. Star and Dolphin have trained themselves to think, ‘She can’t help it’, but Star is now beginning to question this and feels that her mother must take responsibility for herself. This dilemma of individual responsibility versus ‘victim-hood’ is at the crux of the novel, and Wilson does not attempt any clear-cut answers. It is also clear that Marigold dearly loves her daughters, but the novel raises the issue of whether love is really enough. Again, there is no definitive answer.
Wilson’s ‘Girls’ series - Girls in Love (1997), Girls Under Pressure (1998), Girls Out Late (1999) and Girls in Tears (2002) - is also one of her most popular successes, and has been adapted into an ITV television series. These books are aimed at a slightly older age-group (early teens) but, paradoxically, they tackle less serious issues than some of the pre-teen books. Ellie (the narrator), Nadine and Magda are all from relatively stable, secure families, and the series focuses on the ups and downs of adolescence - boyfriends, worries about appearance, conflict with parents and so on. The books do address bereavement, step-parents and mild eating disorders, but on the whole these three girls do not suffer from the more extreme fears and crises experienced by Tracy Beaker, Dolphin and other characters. Yet Wilson shows that every situation in life has its ups and downs - those in more ‘ordinary’ situations still have anxieties to deal with, while those in very difficult circumstances can still find something to laugh about.
Kiss (2007), also aimed at young teens, is about a young boy’s discovery of his homosexuality, though the story is told from the point of view of his female friend. Sylvie is in love with Carl, who has been her devoted best friend since they were toddlers. However, as they enter adolescence, Carl begins to withdraw, and Sylvie must come to terms with this huge shift in their friendship. My Sister Jodie (2008) is also about a close relationship undergoing a huge change - this time between two sisters. Quiet, sensible Pearl has always depended on Jodie, who is outgoing and rebellious, but their move to a new school sees Pearl settling in well while Jodie struggles. As Pearl develops newfound confidence, their roles towards each other gradually change. Wilson thus explores the way in which friendships and relationships require flexibility and adaptability in order to survive in the long-run. My Sister Jodie ends with a tragic death, which some readers have found shocking, but Wilson is not afraid to tackle taboo issues and she does not present her readers with a sugar-coated view of life.
Ultimately, Wilson’s novels suggest, with delightful humour, the importance of accepting the complicated and contradictory nature of life and family relationships, and the futility of attempting neat solutions: life is a rollercoaster to be negotiated (and enjoyed), not a puzzle to be solved or ‘fixed’. Wilson’s girls seem to know this instinctively: most, if not all, of her heroines are strong, feisty characters who survive whatever life throws at them, though they may develop some battle-scars along the way.
Wilson has also written two autobiographies, aimed at her young readers: Jacky Daydream (2007) and My Secret Diary (2009).
Liz O'Reilly, 2009
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