Books Perspective Top

Author Jacqueline Wilson didn’t traumatize me

Author Jacqueline Wilson, at right, with novelist Bethany Rutter, during a recent event in West Kirby, UK. (Gemma Christie/YJI)

West Kirby, UK – One crisp fall evening, I stood outside in the cool autumnal wind, waiting to enter a Q&A panel discussion with one of my favorite authors.

Writer Jacqueline Wilson, in discussion with novelist Bethany Rutter, was promoting her first adult book, Think Again.

Author Jacqueline Wilson’s new book for adults, Think Again. (Gemma Christie/YJI)

As my favorite childhood author, to call the evening nostalgic would be an understatement.

I arrived half an hour early, but the cold air was warmed by the atmosphere of ‘Jackie’s girls’ – what her fandom is often called.

As we waited for the doors to open, I noticed that the majority of ticketholders had the same idea as me: they wore bright, flamboyant outfits which noticeably matched the aesthetic of many of her book covers. There was so much personality in what everyone was wearing, it reminded me of the impact children’s literature can have in shaping us.

That exact Monday, I had sent off an application to study English literature at five universities. As the author who got me into reading, I felt like I owed a lot to her.

Particularly with the release of her first adult book, and me soon turning 18, the timing couldn’t have felt more perfect.

While I loved Wilson’s historical fiction, she is probably best known for her children’s books, which often tackled controversial topics. These included divorce, domestic violence and growing up in care, to name a few.

I found her delicate handling of realist issues evoked compassion and empathy, a core feature of her books. She made complicated and difficult issues easier to understand. These were considerably different topics to the other children’s books that were typically advertised to me.

As I grew older, I found that there was an internet meme: “Jacqueline Wilson traumatized me.” Though I was confused at first, I realized with hindsight how bold and troubling her stories must have been to young readers.

Now older, these readers were effectively calling her out on her books. Whether or not they have a point, I am still confident in supporting her work and defending the inclusion of contentious societal issues. I was absolutely the right target audience.

As a young adult listening to Wilson now, she was everything I could have hoped for – funny, kind and genuine. The topics she discussed ranged from speaking passionately about the importance of children reading, to amusing old stories, including when she was upset she didn’t win the English prize at school.

She also acknowledged the meme about her ‘traumatizing books’ and talked about how as a child she enjoyed traditional children’s classics. She found as she grew older, though, that they weren’t representative of many childhoods. She wanted social issues, including some that she experienced, to be represented in books.

YJI Senior Reporter Gemma Christie at the Jacqueline Wilson event. (Photo used with permission.)

My favorite moment came at the end, when I was able to ask her a question that had been troubling me since I was 13 about what happened to one of her characters. All I remember is how, as the mic was handed to me, how hard my heart was beating against my chest at this cyclical moment in my life.

I once heard the phrase “never meet your heroes” but I disagree. I met one of mine, and I can absolutely recommend!

Gemma Christie is a Senior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.

Leave a Comment

1 Comment

  • This is a nice article thank you.

    I loved her books growing up too. I was a big reader, but had a very unconventional and underprivileged upbringing, and a lot of my peers did too. So I always felt like all the usual children’s books that had ‘normal’ middle class families etc. were unrealistic and unrelatable. Wilson’s books resolved that problem for me!

    Curious to know what the question was about one of her characters that was troubling you? 🙂