Let the story be the star
Best-selling children’s author Dame Jacqueline Wilson considers the impact of children’s books which are written by celebrities
From Geri Halliwell and Ricky Gervais to Clare Balding, David Baddiel, Fearne Cotton, Paul McCartney and Whoopi Goldberg, many celebrities have penned books for children over the years. Some, like David Walliams, have been much more successful than others.
“I think some are very good indeed. I think others aren’t at all good,” said Jacqueline, the former Children’s Laureate and author of more than 100 children’s books.
Her sentiments echo those of fellow author Anthony Horowitz, who writes the teen spy Alex Rider series and told Radio Times last year: “I take the view that any book a child reads is a good thing but it does rankle me that the shelves and bestseller lists are now so jam-packed with books that don’t lift the level of literacy but simply entertain.”
Jacqueline added: “I think some books are there not for a good long read and a lasting treasuring but just to amuse and entertain for a bit and then disappear. I don’t really see much harm in it but it’s like giving kids lots and lots of sweets, but not really a substantial meal.”
She said she’s only read the first of David Walliams’s children’s books. “It did its job and I think he’s a very shrewd man. And I think if you have an eight-year-old boy, you know he can have a good chuckle.
“However, I was horrified when there was one survey of Key Stage Three children (from 11 to 14) in secondary schools and they were their favourites too because he’s not writing for young teenagers but they’re still reading his books, which I suppose shows that they appeal. But I think children should be gently pushed forward.”
She feels that celebrity is the way that books are sold now. “I don’t see why celebrities can’t do children’s books but I think a little bit of fame no matter how you get it is the real way that books are sold now.
“Look at the number of books that are recommended on TikTok and then become bestsellers. It’s a different way of thinking about who is writing a book.”
As for herself, Jacqueline, 78, who is delightfully upbeat and modernthinking, remains prolific, having written three books a year for the past few years. She is famed for creating children’s stories with real-life gritty backdrops, whether it be separated parents, illness, unemployment or other difficulties children face in our world.
Four years ago, she wrote a same-sex fictional love story, Love Frankie, aimed at aged 10 and over, which drew attention to her own personal circumstances. She has been with her long-term partner, Trish, for more than 20 years and they live in the Sussex countryside.
Wilson was married for 38 years before separating from her husband, printer Millar Wilson. She has said she’s not sure if she was gay when she married him at 19 – they divorced in 2004, and have a daughter, Emma.
Jacqueline shows no signs of slowing down, although several serious health issues have made her worry a little about getting older.
She added: “I am fit, I go swimming, but I’ve had illnesses that could have been fatal. My heart failed, my kidneys failed, I had a kidney transplant about 10 years ago. I’ve gone through all those biggies and you always have a slight feeling you’re living on borrowed time. But it’s much more sensible to think of this day, this moment, rather than in the future.”
Her passion for writing hasn’t waned. “I have to have something to think about in the middle of the night when you wake up. It’s a method of lulling myself back to sleep. It’s a wonderful thing to be leading two lives – your real life and the fictional one that you’re inventing.”
The Girl Who Wasn’t There by Jacqueline Wilson (Puffin, £11.99) is out now