This month Belle had a very exciting opportunity – the chance to ask some questions of her literary hero, none other than Jacqueline Wilson. How cool is that?
We actually saw Jacqueline Wilson speak at Hay Festival last year and really loved her – she had such a warm and open presence on the stage and Belle was very taken with her. For this interview, Belle invited her friends Ella, Josie, Ewelina and Georgina to our house after school and they came up with three questions each.
Here’s what Jacqueline Wilson had to say:
Is there any link between Gina from Tracy Beaker Returns and Gina from the Dustbin Baby?!
No link between the two Gina’s! The television people make up their own story lines and characters for the Tracy and Dumping Ground series.
What’s your favourite thing about being a famous author?
I love it when the story is almost writing itself and I’m totally immersed in my characters’ world.
Why did you decide to become an author?
I loved reading and making up my own stories so I wanted to be an author from the age of six.
What is the weirdest question you have ever been asked in an interview?
I’ve been asked where I bought my boots!
When you were little did you like reading ?
I’ve always loved reading. Even before I could read myself I would pore over my picture books.
Is there any reasoning behind your books?
I suppose I’m always on the side of the odd one out – and I want to be a comfort to anyone going through a tough time.
What are your top three favourite illustrations Nick has drawn for you?
I like ALL the illustrations he’s done for The Butterfly Club, I like his depiction of Marigold with her tattoos in The Illustrated Mum, and I Iike the gothic fairy illustrations in Midnight.
When you were younger did you have anybody you looked up to and why?
I liked the child actress Mandy Miller and collected photos of her. I met her once when I was eleven and she was very sweet to me.
What is your favourite book that you have written?
My favourite book is Hetty Feather.
Would you recommend being a author ?
Yes, I think I’d recommend being an author – but it’s very hard work and there’s no guarantee you’ll be successful!
Have you ever written a book that hasn’t been published?!
Yes, long ago when I was first starting to write.
Are you planning on writing any more books about Hetty and Diamond?
Definitely. I’m on chapter three of a new book about both of them.
Is there anything you hate about being an author and why!?
I hate proof editing – it’s such boring finicky work.
What’s your least favourite book you have written?
I don’t really have a least favourite.
If you could go back in time what would you change?
If I went back to Victorian times I’d try to make life easier for poor or unwanted children.
Win a six month subscription to the official Jacqueline Wilson Mag
Fancy six whole months of stories, crafts, quizzes and all sorts of other fun things? Of course you do! If you’d like to win a six month subscription to the Official Jacqueline Wilson Mag, just do as many of the Rafflecopter widget thingamajigs as you can. Good luck!
Belle was sent a copy of the magazine to have a look at but this post hasn’t been otherwise compensated.
a book my mum used to read to me called mervyn the mouse
I absolutely loved reading Tracey Beaker as a child :) xx
Enid Blyton Famous five, loved these books
I’d be the best dad in the world if I won this for my daughter! Jacqueline Wilson is her absolute favourite author at the moment!
Aww man I used to love the Jacqueline Wilson books! I remember queuing at Waterstones for ages to meet her and get a signed copy of her book Best Friends. I still love her books and I’m so glad that the younger generation still love her too!
Jess
x
mine was a big book full of princess stories x
My favourite book was Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer. It is the story of a girl who goes to boarding school and when she goes to sleep she swaps places with a girl from the same boarding school but in 1918. I recently bought it for my nine year old and she loved it also, was the best bedtime reading ever! The story is even better than I remembered.
A great prize my daughter would love my favourite book was A Book of Brownies about 3 brownies called Hop, Skip and Jump.
My favourite book as a child was The Secret Garden still love it know x
Tracey Beaker was awesome! :)
I loved Enid Blyton, think I might be showing my age ;)
Enid Blyton’s famous five books
Enid Blyton wishing chair, my little girl is a book worm loves all books
Anything by Enid Blyton, especially the Famous Five series
As a young teen, I LOVED Point Horrors! They were fab!
I used to read the Enid Blyton books. My favourites were The Wishing Chair & The Magic Faraway Tree series
I Loved The Magic Finger and the Mrs Pepperpot books
any enid blyton books famous 5 were my favourite
I liked the famous five and re read all Roald Dahl books over and over
love jacqueline wilson :)
Ballet Shoes or Little Women
I loved the Twits brilliant book
Enid Blyton the Magic Faraway Tree
I absolutely loved Jacqueline’s books as a child, and my 7 year old daughter has just started reading them too. It’s so lovely to see my daughter go through the same stages that I did!
I love all the Black Beauty books, because I loved horses x
Groovy stories for groovy kids. We just love Jacqueline Wilsons books !!!
Dick king smith books
My favourite was the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I could believe I was there with them.
I used to adore the worst witch books by Gill murphy
My favourite childhood book was Matilda by Roald Dahl :) xx
My favourite childhood book was black beauty i loved horse’s & that book was amazing
The Babysitters Club! Read one again recently and it felt so dated :S
I loved Charlottes web when I was younger :)
I loved the Jacqueline Wilson books growing up, my favourites were the lottie project and double act. I love that my daughter now loves Jacqueline Wilson, and ive been able to pass down my old books for her to enjoy as well x
My fave childhood book was alway the glorious tracy beaker having the imagination she hadmakes you believe everything will turn out ok in the end xx
I loved Roald Dahl’s books as a kid (still do!), Charlie and the chocolate factory was my favourite, along with Matilda :)
The st. Clare’s series by Enid blyton
My favourite childhood book is The Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton.
Famous Five. x
What an inspiration experience for Belle. My son wants to be an author (at the moment) and I wish I could get him to meet someone like this x
aww, i used to LOVE jacqueline wilson books when i was a young’un!
bangers and mash- eggs is eggs.
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
My favourite was The Secret Garden
My fave book as a kid was “The suitcase Kid” – I love her stuff. Love this post x
My daughter has all the Jaqueline Wilson books and they are all her favourite
My favourite was Alice in Wonderland
The fantastic Mr Fox
I loved Enid Blytons Cherry Tree Farm
anything by enid blyton thankyou
I bought a subscription to this a few years back for Fifi, and she loved it hat much we extended it for a second year, its an amazing magazine.
I loved peter rabbit, mu mum was fab at reading it x
Loved the BFG as a child
I loved the book Tom’s Midnight Garden. It created such a magical world for me that I read it many times.
Oh, Jaqueline Wilson was one of my favourite childhood authors, along with Judy Blume and Roald Dahl. I used to love Tracey Beaker!
So many to choose from but I loved books by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Noel Streatfeild and Louisa May Alcott. My teen favourite authors were Paula Danzigar and Judy Blume but would have been Jacqueline Wilson if I was younger! x
My favourite book as a child was The Borrowers. I loved the idea that another tiny world existed. I got my own daughter to read it and was gutted that she was not keen on it!
the Jolly postman
As a child I used to love reading “Milly Molly Mandy” but must admit love reading the childrens books now and have been known to read them while they’re at school.
Thanks for the chance to win x
The Faraway tree
I used to love the beatrix potter books
I loved the tracy beaker books. my daughter has dark curly hair so for world book day I said lets dress her up as tracy beaker, she said but mum tracy beaker is just on tv, she has read loads of jacqueline wilson books but no tracy beaker. I have remedied that by giving her a few of my old ones :D
Alice in Wonderland was my favourite :)
Cindrella!
Matilda
Winnie the Pooh