Jacqueline Wilson fans were queueing out the door at David’s Bookshop in Letchworth yesterday, fighting to catch a glimpse of the best-selling author as she officially opened the new children’s section.
The former Children’s Laureate was in fine form for the ribbon-cutting, after which she went on to St Francis’ College in Broadway to speak about her latest book.
So many of the author’s young fans packed into the shop in Eastcheap that there was no time for Dame Wilson to sign the books that most were clutching.
She gave them her permission to copy her signature into their books, along with their own names and the words ‘To my biggest fan’.
Speaking exclusively to the Comet before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Dame Wilson said: “It’s wonderful. I’m thrilled to bits to be in such a lovely bookshop.
“I love independent bookshops. I’ve already made two great second-hand purchases, so it’s been a very good day so far.
“They’re two books that will be not just very enjoyable reads, but also very useful for research.
“One’s about Victorian times, because I’m starting another series about young girls in the 1880s. The other one’s about life in the Second World War, because I’ve just started writing a book about evacuees.
“The new book’s called Rent a Bridesmaid. It’s about a little girl, desperate to be a bridesmaid, who’s been given a bridesmaid’s dress as a present – and as she doesn’t know anyone who’s getting married, she advertises in the local newsagent to see if anyone would like a bridesmaid in a very nice pink dress.
“The story’s about a girl who loves being a bridesmaid, and also about another girl who really doesn’t like being a bridesmaid, and wishes there was such a thing as bridesmaid’s trousers.
“You can’t miss the book in the bookshop – it’s the one with the bright pink cover.”
Those who missed out on seeing Dame Wilson may get a second chance to see her before too long.
“From what I’ve seen, and this bookshop in particular, Letchworth seems lovely,” she said.
“I will be back again.”
For more about David’s, see davids-bookshops.co.uk.
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