Children's author Jacqueline Wilson talks about her work and reads from her latest book, Esme Pepper, hosted by Annaliese Avery at the Norwich Book Festival.
Jacqueline Wilson is coming to Norwich Theatre Playhouse on Thursday 29 October, as part of the Norwich Book Festival 2026. It's a morning session, starting at 11:00 am and running for an hour without an interval, so it's one that fits into a family day rather than a night out.
Wilson is one of Britain's most successful children's authors, with more than 100 books and over forty million copies sold. You'll know her characters — Tracy Beaker and Hetty Feather are two of the biggest — and she's written across a huge range of stories. She's a former Children's Laureate, too. On the day, she'll talk about her work and read from her latest book, Esme Pepper.
There's a bit of a track record behind her. She wrote her first 'novel' when she was nine, and since then she's been credited with bringing things like family breakdown, mental health, poverty and identity to the page in children's literature. The honours have piled up along the way: she was appointed a Dame in 2008, and in the 2025 New Year Honours she received the Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire for services to literature. She also holds honorary doctorates from the universities of Bath, Dundee, Winchester, Roehampton and Kingston.
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For the session itself, she'll be hosted by Annaliese Avery. It's recommended for families with children aged 8 and over. A couple of practical things to keep in mind: there won't be a signing afterwards, though a limited number of signed copies will be available to buy on the day. Tickets were £12.50 and are now sold out, so if you're looking for a way in, you'll have to keep an eye on returns.
