Jacqueline Wilson was born and still lives in Kingston-on-Thames. She always wanted to be a writer and wrote her first 'novel' when she was nine, filling endless Woolworths' exercise books as she grew up. Jacqueline has been on countless shortlists and has won numerous awards, including The Young Telegraph/Fully Booked Award, the Smarties Prize, the Sheffield Children's Book Award and the Children's Book Award. In June 2002 Jacqueline was given an OBE for services to literacy in schools. Stephen Lewis has illustrated several books and has been published by Mammouth, Franklin Watts, OUP Orchard and Belitha Press amongst others. He lives in Frondsham, Essex.