About Jacqueline

Saturday 29th October, London

My last event - and it was a brilliant one too!  Annette at the Foundling Museum had found delightful little red-haired twins to be Hetty Feather/Sapphire Battersea. The girls gave excellent readings, and there were all sorts of crafts and quizzes to take part in. I gave a talk in the morning and another in the afternoon, and signed multiple copies of my two Hetty books. I met such interesting people too - lovely sisters called Precious, Faith and Blessing, and Isadora who had a copy of my favourite children's book 'Nancy and Plum'. I especially liked Molly who wrote a wonderful story for me from Jacob's point of view - and she gave me a little woolly mouse present for him too.

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Wednesday 26th October & Thursday 27th October

I love going up to Huddersfield to Sonia and Barry Benster’s Children’s Bookshop.  They always make a big fuss of me – and this time insisted on giving me two beautiful Faith Jaques picture books as a present. I gave an after dinner speech celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Kirklees and Calderdale Children’s Book Group. It was originally going to be an adult evening but lots of lovely girls came too, all in beautiful party dresses.

The next morning we drove over to Haworth where I was giving a talk arranged by the Bronte Parsonage Museum. Charlotte Bronte has been my favourite classic writer since I was a teenager, so I was thrilled to be invited. I was shown all around the wonderfully atmospheric museum and then taken behind the scenes. The curator showed us tiny little letters and stories and sketches by the Bronte children, and a lock of Charlotte’s hair. There are some wonderful perks if you’re a travelling children’s writer!

Saturday 22nd October- Butlins, Bognor

It was great fun to go to Butlins in Bognor – I wish there had been time to go on some of the rides. Gary Deane of Waterstone’s had organised a wonderful huge blow up of the Sapphire Battersea cover with Hetty’s face cut out so you could peep through for photographs – a brilliant idea. Ruby and Lottie gave me a wonderful enormous picture of my little cat Jacob and me signing books for all my favourite characters. Kitty made Jacob his own cute toy mouse and Ella gave me a beautiful sparkly necklace. I even had a very special early Christmas card from Leah.

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Thursday 20th October- Ripley St Thomas Academy, Lancaster

I did an interview with a journalist from The Guardian on a mobile phone whilst I was in the car on the way to Ripley St Thomas Academy in Lancaster. The event was beautifully organised by Rosalind Buckland the librarian there. All the girls were kept happy watching a DVD of Tracy Beaker while I signed everybody’s books.

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Wednesday 19th October- University of Central Lancashire

Oh my goodness.. It was very exciting that the University of Central Lancashire was holding a special Jacqueline Wilson Festival! It was hard work for Nick and me, but extremely enjoyable. On the Wednesday I gave an hour’s writing workshop to the winners of a short story competition – they were very talented too. After lunch Nick and I met all thirty competition winners and sgned books and had our photos taken and then we had a special press conference led by four excellent young girl reporters. Then Nick and I judged competitions. I found it such a hard task. I loved Charlotte’s and Ellie’s stories but Jenni’s very touching emotional entry simply had to be the winner. I presented the prize to her when I gave my talk in the evening and then I was kept very busy signing. I met such lovely girls – Rebecca gave me a Victorian style doll called Lady Priscilla and Molly and Jenny gave me a little grey Radish rabbit beautifully dressed in Sapphire Battersea’s best green dress.

Saturday 15th October- Richard Rose Central Academy, Carlisle

I did a talk for Waterstones in Carlisle in a beautiful state-of-the-art school, the Richard Rose Central Academy. I met Caitlyn and Lydia two very keen fans wearing woolly hats and customised T shirts. I was touched by two sisters Olivia, who wrote a very sensitive poem starting “I am imaginative and I love to draw”. Her younger sister Frankie told me all about her three cats. I also met a fantastic boy fan, Samuel in a zany lion T shirt.

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Thursday 13th October- Seven Stories exhibition, Newcastle

It was so exciting to go to Seven Stories in Newcastle to see my very own exhibition there, Daydreams and Diaries: the Story of Jacqueline Wilson. Gill and Alison and their brilliant team have worked so hard to make it such a wonderful exhibition too. You start off in a replica of my childhood bedroom and see all my favourite pictures and books and dolls – you can even open a chest of drawers and see the sort of dresses I used to wear! The exhibition features all my favourite books, the actual sofa from the set of Tracy Beaker Returns, and you can try on Victorian style hats and make a Hetty Feather silhouette. The exhibition celebrates my dear friend Nick too – you can view all our holiday snaps. If you get to go to Seven Stories, do write and let me know which part you like the most.

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Saturday 8th October – Waterstone’s in Bridport, Dorset

 I had a lovely day out to Bridport in Saturday and gave a talk at the Electric Palace Theatre. I met up with Charlotte and her brother Brandon and their Mum and had a happy chat before my event. I talked for an hour and then started signing books. First in the queue were sisters Josie and Chloe who have called their chicken Hetty Feather! I was taken with two other sisters called Elkie and Phoenix, a talented artist called Nia, and a delightful small girl called Tilly who suggested I should read Anne of Green Gables.

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Friday 7th October – WH Smith, Guildford

Today I went to WH Smith in Guildford and met Anna and Lauren, two lovely friends who want to be writers. I also saw Aleysha who last met me at WH Smith in Reading and had gorgeous, glossy photos to prove it. 

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Thursday 6th October – The Children’s Bookshop, Muswell Hill, London

I so love the very special Muswell Hill Children’s Bookshop! Kate organised a brilliant event and I met such lovely children. I was taken with friends Gabriella (who likes writing and ballet) and Isabella (who likes reading and ice skating). Jolene gave me a beautiful big bouquet of flowers. I loved chatting to Dottie and her Mum and also to Bell and Holiday, two friends with beautifully unusual names.

Saturday 1st October – Bath Festival of Children’s Literature

It was great to start the very special Sapphire Battersea Tour with a HUGE event. I love going to Bath (my birth city!) and I had a wonderful time at The Forum. I spoke to 1,424 people. I think this is a new record, my biggest audience ever. John and his team at the Bath Festival made everything run very smoothly and it was lovely to be introduced by my old friend Jeremy Strong (we share Nick Sharratt as an illustrator!). 

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