Nine-year-old Fern Brindle from Derbyshire has won the 2019 Jacqueline Wilson Creative Writing Prize, Puffin Books announced today.
This year’s challenge saw participants submit their own short stories on any subject between 750 – 1000 words. Fern’s story Mum’s New Hobby was commended for being highly original and very funny.
When asked how she felt about her story being published in a Jacqueline Wilson book, Fern said:
“It is so exciting! I’m still quite shocked. I can’t believe people will actually get to read my story next to Jacqueline Wilson’s new story… I’m a bit more excited to see what Jacqueline’s story is about though as I’ve read my own story a lot!”
Fern will win the incredible prize of being published in an exclusive WHSmith edition of the paperback of We are the Beaker Girls. She also wins the opportunity to meet Jacqueline Wilson, with a visit to her school (William Levick Primary School).
She will also receive a Microsoft Surface, £100 worth of WHSmith vouchers, a year’s subscription to First News and a bundle of Jacqueline Wilson books for her school.
As well as us, the award is also supported by First News and WHSmith. The panel of judges included:
- Jacqueline Wilson
- Kelly Hurst, Jacqueline’s editor at Puffin
- Victoria Dilly, our Love Our Libraries Programme Manager
- Keilly Swift, Managing Editor for First News
- Rachel Airey, Senior Buyer for Children's Fiction at WHSmith.
Fern’s wonderful story is also available to read on Puffin’s website.
