Jacqueline Wilson

Two decades later, Wilson lives in a Victorian villa in Kingston upon Thames. It is filled with books; her library of some 15,000 books extends into the outbuilding at the bottom of her garden. She remains a keen reader, completing a book a week despite her hectic schedule. Her favourite writers for adults include Katherine Mansfield and Sylvia Plath. She also surrounds herself with old-fashioned childhood objects such as a rocking horse and antique dolls, and has a unique taste in clothes and jewellery, being known for wearing black clothes and an array of large rings. She swims 50 lengths each day before breakfast.

Wilson is patron of the charity Momentum in Kingston upon Thames, which helps Surrey children undergoing treatment for cancer (and their families), and also patron of The Friends of Richmond Park.

Wilson's stories have greater choice than most children's books, including such difficult topics as abuse, grief, divorce, foster care and mental illness. Her prose is often interspersed with ink drawings by illustrator Nick Sharratt, who also designs the covers for her books. Read Less