Malorie Blackman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Malorie Blackman OBE
Born	(1962-02-08) 8 February 1962 (age 63) Merton, London, England
Occupation	Author
Nationality	British
Education	Thames Polytechnic; National Film and Television School
Genre	Children's literature, science fiction, mystery, thriller and horror; poetry
Notable works	The Noughts and Crosses series
Notable awards	Eleanor Farjeon Award, 2005 PEN Pinter Prize, 2022

Malorie Blackman (born 8 February 1962) is a famous British writer. She was the Children's Laureate from 2013 to 2015. This special role means she was a champion for children's books.

Malorie writes books and TV shows mostly for kids and teenagers. She often uses science fiction to explore important social topics. For example, her popular Noughts & Crosses series is set in a made-up version of Britain. It helps readers think about issues like racism. Malorie has won many awards for her amazing work, including the 2022 PEN Pinter Prize.

Malorie Blackman's Early Life and School

Malorie Blackman was born on 8 February 1962 in London. She grew up in Lewisham with her four brothers and sisters. Her parents came to Britain from Barbados as part of the "Windrush generation". Her dad, Joe, was a bus driver, and her mom, Ruby, worked in a pyjama factory.

When Malorie was young, her father left the family. Her mother then raised all five children by herself. At school, Malorie first wanted to be an English teacher. But she ended up becoming a computer programmer instead.

She studied at Thames Polytechnic and later at the National Film and Television School. Malorie also took many writing classes at City Lit college. In 2019, City Lit started a scholarship in her name. It helps new writers get funding for their studies.

Malorie Blackman's Writing Career

Malorie Blackman's first book was Not So Stupid!. It was a collection of scary and science fiction stories for young adults. It came out in November 1990. Since then, she has written over 60 books for children. These include novels, short stories, TV scripts, and even a stage play.

In 2018, she became the first person of colour writer to work on the TV show Doctor Who. This was a big step for diversity in television writing.

The Noughts & Crosses Series

Malorie Blackman's award-winning Noughts & Crosses series began in 2001. These books explore themes of love, racism, and violence. They are set in a fictional, different version of Britain.

Malorie explained her choice of title in a 2007 interview. She said that noughts and crosses is a game "nobody ever plays after childhood, because nobody ever wins." Before writing this series, the race of her main characters was not the main focus of her stories. She wanted to show "black children just getting on with their lives, having adventures, and solving their dilemmas." This was like the characters in books she read as a child.

Eventually, Malorie decided to write directly about racism. She used some of her own experiences in the books. For example, she once needed a plaster (band-aid) and noticed they were only made to blend in with white skin.

The Noughts & Crosses series became very popular. In 2003, it was No. 61 on the BBC's "Big Read" list. This survey aimed to find "The Nation's Best-Loved Book."

Awards and Recognition

Malorie Blackman has received many honors for her work. She was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2008. This is a special award from the British Queen.

Her books and TV scripts have won more than 15 awards. She wrote episodes for the children's drama Byker Grove. She also adapted her own novels Whizziwig and Pig-Heart Boy for TV. Her books have been translated into over 15 languages. These include Spanish, German, and French.

In June 2013, Malorie Blackman was named the new Children's Laureate. She took over from Julia Donaldson. During her time as Laureate, Malorie helped create the first UK Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC). This event celebrates books for teens.

In 2022, Malorie won the PEN Pinter Prize. She was the first author of children's and Young Adult books to receive this important award.

In November 2023, an exhibition called Malorie Blackman: The Power of Stories opened at the British Library. It celebrated her career and showed how her books connect to social issues. The exhibition highlighted the importance of seeing diverse people in media.

Malorie Blackman's Personal Life

Malorie Blackman lives in Kent, England, with her husband Neil and daughter Elizabeth. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano, composing music, playing computer games, and writing poetry. A book about her life for children was written by Verna Wilkins.

In 2014, Malorie joined other famous authors to support the Let Books Be Books campaign. This campaign wants to stop children's books from being labeled "for girls" or "for boys."

In 2019, the musician Stormzy mentioned Malorie Blackman in his song "Superheroes." In 2022, she also appeared in the music video for "Mel Made Me Do It."

Malorie's own memoir, Just Sayin': My Life In Words, was published in 2022. It tells her story of survival and success.

Published Works

Novels for Young Adults and Children

• Not So Stupid!: Incredible Short Stories, 1990
• Trust Me, 1992
• Words Last Forever, 1998
• The Noughts & Crosses series:
  • Noughts & Crosses, 2001
  • Callum (novella), 2012
  • An Eye for an Eye, (novella), 2003
  • Knife Edge, 2004
  • Checkmate, 2005
  • Double Cross, 2008
  • Nought Forever (novella), 2019
  • Crossfire, 2019
  • Endgame, 2021
• The Stuff of Nightmares, 2007
• Boys Don't Cry, 2010
• Unheard Voices: An Anthology of Stories and Poems, (editor) 2007
• Noble Conflict, 2013
• Chasing the Stars, 2016

Short Stories for Young Adults

• "Humming Through My Fingers" in Shining On: A Collection of Stories, 2006
• Short story in The Crew and Other Teen Fiction

Novels for Children

• Hacker, 1992
• Operation Gadgetman!, 1993
• Jack Sweettooth the 73rd, 1995
• The Space Stowaway, 1995
• Whizziwig, 1995
• Thief!, 1995
• A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E, 1996
• Pig-Heart Boy, 1997
• Animal Avengers, 1999
• Dangerous Reality, 1999
• Don't Be Afraid, 1999
• Forbidden Game, 1999
• Hostage, 1999
• Tell Me No Lies, 1999
• Whizziwig Returns, 1999
• Dead Gorgeous, 2002
• Cloud Busting, 2004
• The Deadly Dare Mysteries, 2005
• Whizziwig and Whizziwig Returns, 2005
• Doctor Who: The Ripple Effect, 2013

Short Stories for Children

• "Contact" in Out of This World: Stories of Virtual Reality, 1997
• Aesop's Fables (retold by Malorie Blackman), 1998
• "Dare to be Different" in Dare to be Different, 1999
• "Peacemaker" in Peacemaker and Other Stories, 1999

Books for New Readers

• The Betsey Biggalow stories:
  • Betsey Biggalow the Detective, 1992
  • Betsey Biggalow is Here!, 1992
  • Hurricane Betsey, 1993
  • Magic Betsey, 1994
  • Betsey's Birthday Surprise, 1996
• The Girl Wonder series:
  • Girl Wonder and the Terrific Twins, 1991
  • Girl Wonder's Winter Adventures, 1992
  • Girl Wonder to the Rescue, 1994
  • The Amazing Adventures of Girl Wonder, 2003
• The Puzzle Planet adventures:
  • Peril on Planet Pellia, 1996
  • The Mellion Moon Mystery, 1996
  • The Secret of the Terrible Hand, 1996
  • Quasar Quartz Quest, 1996
• The Longman Book Project:
  • Rachel versus Bonecrusher the Mighty, 1994
  • Rachel and the Difference Thief, 1994
  • Crazy Crocs, 1994
• Elaine You're a Brat!, 1991
• My Friend's a Gris-Quok, 1994
• Grandma Gertie's Haunted Handbag, 1996
• Space Race, 1997
• Fangs, 1998
• Snow Dog, 2001
• The Monster Crisp-Guzzler, 2002
• Sinclair, Wonder Bear, 2003

Picture Books

• That New Dress, 1991
• Mrs Spoon's Family, 1995
• Dizzy's Walk, 1999
• Marty Monster, 1999
• I Want a Cuddle!, 2001
• Jessica Strange, 2002
• Contributed to A Christmas Tree of Stories, 1999

Memoir

• Just Sayin': My Life In Words, 2023

Television Scripts

Stage Plays

• The Amazing Rob The Mechanic
• Noughts and Crosses

Radio Scripts

• Noughts and Crosses

Awards and Nominations

Awards for Malorie's Overall Work

• 1997, Excelle/Write Thing Children's Author of the Year Award
• 2005, Children's Book Circle's Eleanor Farjeon Award
• 2013, The Kitschies Black Tentacle for encouraging genre literature
• 2022, PEN Pinter Prize

Awards for Novels

For Hacker (1995)

• 1994, W.H. Smith Mind Boggling Book of the Year Award
• 1994, Young Telegraph/Gimme 5 Children's Book of the Year Award

For A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E (1997)

• 1997, Stockport Children's Book of the Year Award

For Pig-Heart Boy (1997)

• 1998, Carnegie Medal (shortlist)
• 1998, UKRA Award
• 1999, Wirral Paperback of the Year Award

For books in the Noughts & Crosses series

• 2002, Lancashire Children's Book of the Year
• 2002, Red House Children's Book Award
• 2002, Sheffield Children's Book Award
• 2003, Wirral Paperback of the Year Award
• 2004, Fantastic Fiction Award
• 2006, Staffordshire Young People's Book of the Year

For Cloud Busting (2004)

• 2004, Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Silver Award)

For Crossfire (2019)

• 2019, Costa Children's Book Award (Shortlist)

Awards for Television Shows

For Pig-Heart Boy

• 2000, BAFTA Best Drama
• 2000, Race and Media Best Drama Award
• 2000, Royal Television Society Award (Children's Drama)

For the Doctor Who episode "Rosa"

• 2019, Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form), nominated

See also

In Spanish: Malorie Blackman para niños