Malorie Blackman
Malorie Blackman
Malorie Blackman, OBE, is a British writer who held the position of Children's Laureate from 2013 to 2015. She primarily writes literature and television drama for children and young adults. She has used science fiction to explore social and ethical issues. Her critically and popularly acclaimed Noughts and Crosses series uses the setting of a fictional dystopia to explore racism...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionYoung Adult Author
Date of Birth8 February 1962
CityLondon, England
minutes ten
When I was a child, we used to look forward to the end of the day when we would hear another ten minutes of a story.
adult affects fiction force forged happens history incredibly means needs shaping teenager whatever
There is a saying: 'The child is parent to the adult', which means whatever happens to you as a child or teenager affects the adult you become. You are forged in your history. And fiction is an incredibly important force in shaping children, and that's why fiction needs to be diverse.
I'm a voice for children's books and children's reading.
chimney next work
I work in my attic, and the view is next door's chimney stack.
behind work wrote
I wanted to have a body of work behind me before I wrote about racism.
design fan fiction goes music writers
I think fan fiction is the way most writers start, and the same goes for music and design.
children
Children find prescriptive reading lists daunting, and they are a dangerous thing to have in schools.
great laureate
Being the Children's Laureate has been educational, sometimes hectic, but most of all, great fun.
life
A film of my life would never happen!
You can have all the talent in the world, but without determination, you won't get very far.
good
A good book is a good book. End of story.
books creative kinds poems responses starting stories tapping teenagers teens themselves using
What I wanted to do was use literature and different kinds of stories and poems as a springboard, tapping into the creativity of our teens - I wanted teenagers to come up with their own creative responses to literature - using books themselves as a starting point.
boys lived sixth suddenly suppose till
I suppose I've always lived in my own head. I didn't discover boys till sixth form. Then suddenly it was, 'Oh! Boys!'
believe few however learn might mistakes move past time wish
I don't believe in regrets. There are a few things I'd do differently, but I can't go back in time and redo them, however much I might wish to. All I can do is learn from past mistakes and move forward.